The Driver Era w/ Summer Salt and Almost Monday• August 23, 2022• The Union
Reviewed and Photographed by Tomo Crestani
From Disney star to lead singer of a band with his brother, Ross Lynch is making his impact on the music industry. With their Summer 2022 Tour, The Driver Era brought two acts to support the show. The first band coming along on this tour was Almost Monday. They were followed by Summer Salt. It is a pretty fun lineup to see live. The Union Event Center is a very fun venue and perfectly suited the bands visiting.
Almost Monday
First on stage was Almost Monday. I hadn’t heard of this band, however, I ended up enjoying their set a lot. The pop trio was very energetic on stage. Lead singer, Dawson Daugherty, had a very fun way of performing. His dancing made the set very unique and fun. The crowd seemed to enjoy his quirky personality on stage. There weren’t many people that knew the words to the songs, but the energy was still very high.
One fun moment with Almost Monday was the end of their set. They had the crowd put lights in the air and attempt to sing along. I was able to get to the balcony to look over the view and loved the environment they were able to create. Although I have seen this happen at many concerts, The Union is set up in a way that makes it even more special than other venues. They finished their short set in about 25 minutes.
Summer Salt
Next on stage was a crowd favorite. Summer Salt was a band I hadn’t heard of but clearly had a strong fan base here in Utah. There were a lot of fans singing along to every song. One unique part of their set was the entrance. The typical entrance from an artist or band is for the lights to go down and have an intro play before making a dramatic entrance to the stage. Summer Salt all walked out together as the pre-show music was still playing and just began to sing. It was so surprising as I thought it was maybe just crew tuning the guitars. It was something I hadn’t ever really seen before.
Summer Salt was able to play a little bit longer than Almost Monday, but still a relatively short set. They lasted about 35 minutes. The energy of their music wasn’t as high as they are more alternative than pop. The venue was able to just relax and enjoy the music rather than jumping or dancing. Whether you enjoy the high-energy concerts more or not, I would say everyone was still thoroughly entertained. Both guitarists were very talented and clearly knew what they were doing. It was the most entertaining part for me. They had plenty of solos that were improvised into the songs they played. I liked hearing how they played each song live and then listening to the tracks after to see what it really sounds like.
The Union Events Center
Before we move on and talk about The Driver Era, let’s give the venue some love. The Union is a venue I am new to having only visited twice now. Having only been there a limited amount of times, I would already say it is one of my favorite venues to visit. The staff is always so friendly and helpful. They also maintain all areas of the building very well. The bathrooms are very clean and easy to access. The only downside to The Union is they typically don’t have cell service. There is a balcony accessible if you are 21 or older that has better chances of finding some service. However, throughout the main floor, there is basically no shot at having any cell service.
They also have couches on the sides both on the main floor and upstairs. The stage is much lower than most stages in Salt Lake, which makes for a very intimate experience with the artists. It becomes a more engaging experience from crowd to the performer.
The Driver Era
Finally, after the long wait, The Driver Era took the stage. Although I had only known Ross Lynch from the Disney Channel, I gave his music a chance with an open mind. I ended up enjoying his music a lot. He had a fun energy on stage that made the music very entertaining. His brother, Rocky, also was a great performer. Switching back and forth from being the lead singer, both brothers showed a lot of musical talent. Rocky even played the beats to some of the songs on a launchpad. They had no lack of diversity of skills.
Now that Ross has found even more fame through TikTok, specifically with the female population, he used his hold on that demographic and performed to their needs. He showed all the super fans a great time. There was clearly a larger amount of young girls in attendance than anything else. Don’t get confused by his main fanbase, because his music is actually very good. My favorite performance of the night was their hit song “Natural”. The guitar sounded so good in the venue and there was an amazing surge of energy through the crowd. There were a lot of people jumping in every song, but that one, in particular, was the best.
In the end, I would highly recommend finding the opportunity to see any of these three bands live. I also would suggest visiting The Union for a concert. Like I said before, it is one of my favorite venues in the area. The trio of bands will move towards the east coast for this tour before visiting Europe. Be sure to check out The Driver Era on all streaming platforms and find the next chance to see them live.