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Summer's Musical Highlights
What stands out about this summer's concerts.
By Thomas Crone

After a 2020 that saw a nearly decimated concert calendar, and a 2021 that suffered a host of interruptions, the live show listings for 2022 exist in a stark, even beautiful contrast. Look at all those dates! At all of those places. To hear live music!

Further in this issue, we've published a significant list of summer concerts and music festivals. This caveat, of course: Shows are still being canceled on a moment's notice, so take our press-time listings with that fine grain of salt.

But here are some interesting bits-and-bobs that struck us when putting together this calendar.

Those Hot Tickets in Ogden: Four of the eight shows at the Ogden Twilight Concert Series were sold out well in advance of publication: The National, Beach House, Modest Mouse and Flume all saw tickets come off the board quickly.

NOLA's Finest: There's no shortage of fantastic touring bands coming out of New Orleans, but Trombone Shorty pulled together an all-star team of support acts for his appearance on June 29, with a lineup that features depth and range in Tank & the Bangas, Big Freedia, George Porter Jr. & Dumpstaphunk, Cyril Neville and The Soul Rebels. A lot of times, there's idle talk about the need to "show up early for the openers." This is a show that requires that statement, as there's headlining-caliber talent all through this bill.

The Return of the Queen: There's no stopping members of the Osmond family from appearing on a summer concert calendar in the Beehive State. On Aug. 20, Marie Osmond performs at the SCERA Shell Outdoor Theatre in Orem for a show that'll feature a full orchestra. There's something comforting about this.

Korn Don't Kwit: Speaking of a certain kind of comfort, the nu-metal pioneers of Korn are a staple of the summer concert circuit, playing outdoor sheds all across the U.S., no city too small. While other bands were waylaid by COVID, Korn soldiered on, even while letting go of their founding bassist. They played with replacement players, and Jonathan Davis sang while seated in a throne, all thanks to the effects of COVID. Korn didn't see COVID as a stop sign, but as a speed bump. They'll be among the host of acts headlining at Usana Amphitheatre this summer as they'll be holding down the stage on Sept. 9 with Evanescence.

Sandy's Swinging: In the battle of the amphitheater bookings, Usana in West Valley certainly has a share of the big-audience, big-ticket acts. But there's no lack of variety on the stage of Sandy Amphitheatre this summer, either. The venue's got contemporary acts riding the crest of stardom (Orville Peck, June 8; Fleet Foxes, June 27; heritage acts (Boz Skaggs, June 14; Little Feat and Hot Tuna, Aug. 1); one of yacht rock's finest (Air Supply, Sept. 1); and acts that seem to draw audiences of all ages (Elvis Costello with Nick Lowe, Aug. 25; Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Tuesday, Aug. 30). You can even check Sandy's calendar for a handful of free events, though they are of a specialty nature.

Indoor Shows Are Still Happening: Utah music fans have a host of opportunities to catch music outdoors this summer, but indoor shows are still happening. Just not as much. It's quirky to watch music calendars shrink at favored venues during the months of June and July, but there's still plenty of talent to be had via the great indoors. At least consider adding a buck, or two, to your tip line during the summer season, as the familiar faces at your usual clubs could be squeezed on shifts this time of year, after already taking smaller take-home dollars during the pandemic.

Festivals Great and Small: Forgive the shameful self-promotion, but keep an eye on the Buzz Blog at cityweekly.net over the next few weeks, as we're still featuring some late additions to the summer calendar, as well as adding details to those that are in progress on the booking front. We'll also keep an eye out for events at interesting, unusual venues plus first-time fests.

As an example of one smaller yet still interesting event, see Hometown Theory (ticket and venue information is found at: linktr.ee/YalltEnt). It's taking place May 21 3:30-10:30 p.m., at The Art Garden, 627 W. 100 South. It's an all-ages album release party for Jeff Dillon and The Revival, with performances from Petr Chubak, Mortigi Tempo, Racist Kramer, Tiger Fang and Spirit Machines.

Outdoor Concert Dos and Don'ts
A primer on the etiquette of being together again in a crowd.
By Thomas Crone

We are, most of us, familiar with the recent history of the United States, yes? We're still remembering how a public-health crisis at the very tail-end of 2019 accelerated at the beginning of 2020, sending out shockwaves of doubt, fear, longing, loss ...? COVID-19, this rings a bell?

OK, then. We're square. We all remember that concerts were among the many casualties of COVID, that 2020 was virtually devoid of live shows of any consequence, and that 2021 was a hit/miss affair, too, as the variants of Delta, then Omicron caused concert promoters, bands and fans a calendar-year-long master's class in Expectation Flexibility.

Now here we are in 2022. Though some folks have—for good reasons, in many cases—decided to continue a largely non-public lifestyle, much of America's back in the swing of things, attending shows and making-merry, the way we did in the pre-pandemic times. But we may've lost some manners along the way.

This isn't a comprehensive list of dos and don'ts for outdoor concert-going. It's simply a meditation, a riff, a reflection, a wish on how we could all be better neighbors as music fans. Feel free to disagree, as if we even needed to tell you that.

There's An Indoor Voice, An Outdoor Voice and An Indoor/Outdoor Voice: As the pandemic loosened and people gathered again, there were concert-goers who seemingly forgot about voice modulation altogether. For indoor shows, loud talkers can be a burden. But just because you're in the great outdoors doesn't mean that your great, big voice doesn't project into your neighbor's li'l ear holes.

If you're at a show gabbin' and gabbin', well ... why are you? Jennifer's soccer practice is honestly not that interesting to many. Joshua's C+ on the algebra midterm concerns few. Your plans to catch other shows this summer, which you're telling everyone about? Cool stories, sure, but you're at a show, um, right now. Consider watching it, listening to it, experiencing it. Edit your stories, leave out the details, enjoy the moment.

Cameras Up, Up and Away: Thanks to Steve Jobs and his engineers, everyone with an iPhone is the director of photography of their own life. But not every show needs documentation from every crowd member, especially those right up front. These days, catching a band can mean peering through a sea of screens, held aloft by those with the closest proximity to the actual show—which they're watching through a screen. Does the world need even one more, 77-second, shaky, partial-song concert video? Let's make wise choices.

Why Did You Buy That Ticket, Again?: Who among us hasn't sat in the aisle seats of an outdoor venue, only to be called upon to stand time and again for the interior ticket-holders, who are running out for a beer, a second beer, the resultant trips to the bathroom, the phone calls to the babysitter and various other faux-emergencies that keep them out of their seats for the bulk of a show. If you're spending as much time in the beer line (and then the bathroom line) as you are in your seat's warm embrace, were you even at the show?

Free Shows Are a Unique Animal: We've all been to the family-friendly, neighborhood- or town-hosted free shows, the kind that feature a yacht-rock cover band and free balloon animals. For these, folks have been known to pack a collapsible lawn chair, a picnic basket ... aaaaaand a folding picnic table, a tent, an anti-bug lamp, a rotisserie and a tumble castle. The mere idea of a free show can mean maximizing comfort, though setting up the equivalent of a craft fair vendor's workspace in front of the stage means that someone, somewhere in your immediate vicinity is hearing, but not seeing the show. You're at the park for two-hours, not the entirety of a Ren Faire weekend. Leave some of the accouterments of home at ... well, home.

Shoes Are Your Friends: Your soul is beautiful. Your soles are freaking out the people behind you. Wrap up them dirty dogs, please.

A Glass of Rosé Makes You Fun: But a bottle makes you something else. Moderation = good.

Read the Room: It's a simple one, this request. Read. The. Damned. Room. (And a room can be set outdoors, for our purposes.) Are you in complete behavioral opposition from those around you? It could be that their concert behavior is way off. Or it could be ... you. If you read the room, you may just find yourself a well-mannered, more-loved bee, doing as the swarm does.

Be Present: That's it. That's all. Please, just Be Present this summer.