Wilderado •March 29, 2022•Soundwell
Photographed and Reviewed by Tomo Cresanti
Fresh off their performance on Jimmy Kimmel days prior, Wilderado did not disappoint with their visit to Salt Lake City. The Soundwell was a new venue for me, and I enjoyed my first visit more than I expected. Being a smaller venue, I figured it would be rundown or have issues that distract from the show. However, the Soundwell is very well kept and was a perfect place to spend a night out. The sound quality was on par with the larger venues I have visited and the staff was very helpful and kind.
Wilderado seemed to bring out quite the crowd selling out the venue and leaving little room for me to walk with my camera. This was my first time seeing them live in concert. I loved the way they started the show by explaining a personal story about the lead singer, Max Rainer, missing his daughter’s birthday the week before when playing in Portland. He then explained how he flew his daughter to Utah and that the crowd here felt like “nice company”. I was intrigued that he also explained that every show they play is different, given that most bands and artists do the same show every night.
The quality of Wilderado was incredible and kept the audience very engaged. Starting the show off with a personal connection was a nice way to get everyone hooked. Although most of the songs were new to me, I found myself trying to sing along with all of the people around me who clearly have been fans for a while. The song “Head Right” had the entire venue dancing and singing from beginning to end. Having listened to the songs back since the concert, it seems they switched up a few notes in the chorus to help people sing along more easily. The care the band had for the fans throughout the show really was amazing.
As I walked around the crowd, I visited the merchandise table to see what they had to offer. I was very impressed with the clothing and noticed they had almost cleared out of everything. I had never heard of Wilderado before this night, but they definitely have some devoted fans in Salt Lake City!
Wilderado have songs that appeal to a large audience. No song was the exact same, and the messages in the lyrics were very relatable. They also brought emotion into each song while performing. From the vocals to the drums, they visibly were putting everything they had that night into their performance. At one moment in the show, the Guitarist (Tyler Wimpee) played a solo that caused most of the front section to begin to scream as loud as humanly possible. It was a great energy to be a part of.
Overall the show was very entertaining and felt comfortable the entire time. I was thoroughly impressed with both The Soundwell, and Wilderado. They brought the highest standard for a small venue concert like this. The sellout crowd (in the second-largest venue they’ve played on the tour according to the band) here in Salt Lake was very high energy and interactive with the band. All three of these factors perfectly fit together to make a great concert experience. I hope to see Wilderado in concert again soon and highly recommend you find them when they visit near you.