Showing posts with label concerts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label concerts. Show all posts

Saturday, April 25, 2015

The Midtown Men

 Last night my family and I saw the Midtown Men in concert with the Utah Symphony at Abravanel Hall.  It was an absolutely amazing concert!  The Midtown Men are Christian Hoff, Michael Longoria, Daniel Reichard, and J. Robert Spencer and all four of them were in the original Broadway cast of Jersey Boys.  When I saw the Broadway touring company production of Jersey Boys in SLC two years ago, I knew my Dad, who is a huge fan of the Four Seasons, would love the show so I immediately bought tickets for him and my Mom during intermission!  When I read about the upcoming Midtown Men concert, I knew, once again, that my Dad would love it so I decided to get tickets.  I am so glad I did because we all loved it!  My Dad was so excited he could hardly contain himself waiting for the concert to begin!  The Utah Symphony started the show with a medley of songs composed by Henry Mancini and then the Midtown Men came out and performed a variety of music from the 1960s including "Get Ready" by the Temptations, "Can't Buy Me Love" by the Beatles, "Happy Together" by the Turtles, "Dawn (Go Away)" by the Four Seasons, "Up on the Roof" by the Drifters, "Time of the Season" by the Zombies, "Cry for Me" from Jersey Boys, and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Marvin Gaye.  They closed out the first half of the show with a medley of "Big Girls Don't Cry" and "Sherry" by the Four Seasons which really got the crowd going!  After the intermission, the Utah Symphony performed a beautiful arrangement of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon & Garfunkel that I really loved.  The Midtown Men continued with "River Deep Mountain High" by Ike & Tina Turner, "California Dreamin'" by the Mamas & the Papas, "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" by the Four Seasons, and a fabulous medley of Motown hits (my favorite was "I Want You Back" by the Jackson 5).  They ended the show with "Oh, What a Night (December,1963)" by the Four Seasons.  What a night, indeed!  They were incredible performers with elaborate choreography with each number and they kept up a charming banter with the audience all night.  I love the music of the 1960s, especially the Four Seasons, because my Dad played it so much during my childhood.  It was so fun to experience this concert with him because he is the reason I knew all of the words despite being one of the youngest in the audience!  If you are a fan of the music of the 60s you will definitely want to get a ticket to the show tonight (go here).

Monday, March 23, 2015

Summer Concerts

There are so many great concerts coming to SLC this summer.  It seems like a new concert is announced every week and I keep buying tickets!  It looks like 2015 might be the Summer of Concerts and I am so excited!  It all started with Taylor Swift.  By the way, I read somewhere that life is too short to pretend that you don't like Taylor Swift so I will admit right now that I am a huge fan!  I debated and debated about getting a ticket but I decided to go for it (I had to use an alternate ticketing source because the SLC show sold out in minutes) because I really regret not seeing the Red tour.  Then I bought tickets to Rush!  I actually bought these tickets as soon as they went on sale which was in the middle of one of my classes.  I am the consummate professional!  I also have tickets to Ed Sheeran, Imagine Dragons, Sam Smith, and Shania Twain!  Then last week U2 announced that they were adding a show in Denver to their schedule!  Squeal!  I have loved U2 since I was in eighth grade and I have seen them in concert every time they've come to SLC (SLC is currently not on their schedule).  I was toying with the idea of getting a ticket to one of the Chicago shows but it will be so much easier for me to get to Denver!  I was able to get a ticket and I am beyond excited!  The show is on the first day of summer vacation and I can't wait!

Here are some of my favorite summer concerts from years past.
U2 at Rice-Eccles Stadium - May 2011
The Eagles at Rio Tinto Stadium - May 2009
Paul McCartney at Rio Tinto Stadium - July 2010
Crosby, Stills & Nash at Red Butte Garden - August 2012

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

The Eagles at Energy Solutions Arena

Some of my very favorite childhood memories involve my Dad's light blue Dodge Ramcharger and the music of the Eagles.  We went on many road trips and my Dad's favorite traveling music was the Eagles' Greatest Hits (1971-1975).  As we drove down the road my sisters and I would sing at the top of our lungs: "I'm standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona and such a fine sight to see.  It's a girl, my Lord, in a flat-bed Ford slowin' down to take a look at me."  Last night my family got to relive those memories at the ESA during the Eagles concert and it was pretty amazing (it turns out that we can still sing "Take It Easy" at the top of our lungs).  This tour celebrated the history of the band and they played their hits in chronological order.  When they took the stage, they sat on their amplifiers and reminisced about starting the band.  They played "What Ever Happened to Saturday Night" and "Train Leaves Here This Morning" which are some of the first songs they wrote.  Then they played "Peaceful Easy Feeling" and a bluesy version of "Witchy Woman" (which I really liked) from their first album.  They told the crowd that the inspiration for their second album was a book about gunfighters that belonged to Jackson Browne and then, to my delight, they played "Doolin-Dalton."  It is one of my favorite songs by the band and I've never heard it live before!  They also played "Tequila Sunrise" and then "Doolin-Dalton/ Desperado (Reprise)" which gave me goosebumps!  Then they moved onto the album On The Border and played "Already Gone" and "Best of My Love."  Next came One of These Nights and they played the title song, "Lyin' Eyes," and "Take it to the Limit" before the intermission.  When the band came back, they only played one song from Hotel California (saving it for the encore?), which was "Pretty Maids in a Row," and moved on to The Long Run.  Timothy B. Schmit gave a lovely rendition of "I Can't Tell You Why," and then they sang "New Kid In Town," "Those Shoes," and an acoustic version of "Heartache Tonight."  Then they let Joe Walsh off his chain and they performed "In The City," which is one of my Dad's favorites.  Joe Walsh continued by jamming to his solo hits "Life's Been Good To Me So Far" and "Funk #49."  I don't know how many brain cells Joe Walsh has left but he can certainly play that guitar!  He had the ESA rocking!  They continued with "The Long Run" and finished their set with "Life in the Fast Lane."  For the first encore they played "Hotel California" (as predicted) with everyone in the arena singing along!  They came back for a final encore and played "Take It Easy," "Rocky Mountain Way," and "Desperado."  They played for close to three hours and I didn't want it to end!  I am glad that my family was able to make another wonderful memory involving the music of the Eagles!

Note:  When the Eagles came to Salt Lake in 1995 for the Hell Freezes Over tour, I didn't go because I thought $75.00 was too much to pay for a concert!  I find that highly amusing now, especially in light of what I recently paid to see Paul McCartney!

Friday, August 8, 2014

Paul McCartney at Energy Solutions Arena

I love Paul McCartney!  No I really, really love Paul McCartney!  When I was ten or eleven I bought a 45 record of McCartney's song "Coming Up" and I played it constantly.  I played it so much that my Dad finally took me to his closet where he kept all of his records and he handed me one.  It was Rubber Soul and thus began an obsession with the Beatles that continues to this day (I eventually stole borrowed all of his Beatles records).  I love all of the Beatles but Paul has always been my favorite.  I saw Paul in concert for the first time at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas during his Driving World Tour in 2002.  I can't even describe my emotions listening to all of the songs I grew up with played live!  It was literally a dream come true!  I was pretty much openly weeping during "Hey Jude."  I had the opportunity to see him again at Rio Tinto Stadium in 2010.  I was sitting next to a couple who were my parents' age on one side and a 13 year old girl on the other and we all knew the words to every single song.  Last night I had the opportunity to see Paul McCartney in concert again, this time at the ESA for his Out There World Tour.  The ticket was really expensive but I put it on my emergency credit card.  I considered it an emergency because I would literally die if I couldn't see him.  It was such an amazing show!  He played for almost three hours and included songs from the Beatles, Wings, and his latest album New.  He began with "Eight Days A Week," "All My Loving," "Listen to What the Man Said," "Let Me Roll It," and "Paperback Writer."  Then he moved to his piano and sang "My Valentine," which was written for his wife Nancy, "The Long and Winding Road," and "Maybe I'm Amazed," which was written for Linda.  He moved back to center stage and sang "I've Just Seen a Face," "We Can Work it Out," "Another Day," and "And I Love Her."  He moved to a rising platform at the front of the stage for a beautiful rendition of "Blackbird" and then sang "Here Today" as a tribute to John Lennon.  He sang a few from the new album including "New," "Queenie Eye," and "Everybody Out There."  Then he played a few more Beatles songs: "Lady Madonna," "All Together Now," "Lovely Rita," "Eleanor Rigby," and "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite."  He gave a lovely tribute to George Harrison by playing "Something" on a ukulele with some great photos of George on the screen.  I really loved that!  He continued with "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da," "Band on the Run," "Back in the U.S.S.R.," "Let it Be," and "Live and Let Die," which had some amazing pyrotechnics!  He finished his set with "Hey Jude," including some audience participation with the iconic chorus!  For the first encore he played "Day Tripper," "Hi, Hi, Hi," and "Get Back."  For his second encore he gave a beautiful rendition of "Yesterday," a rousing rendition of "Helter Skelter," and a touching rendition of "Golden Slumbers," "Carry that Weight," and "The End."  This set list includes quite a few songs I hadn't heard him play before. It was literally amazing and I didn't want it to end!  As much as I love watching Paul McCartney, I also really love his band.  He has had the same group of musicians for every concert I've been to and I particularly enjoy watching Rusty Anderson on lead guitar.  When he plays the solo on "Maybe I'm Amazed" I just about die!  What I love most about a Paul McCartney concert is that all of the songs sound fresh!  He is most definitely not just going through the motions and you get the sense that he loves these songs now as much as he did when he first played them!  I certainly love every song just as much as I did when I was a teenager!

Note:  The first time I saw Paul McCartney in Las Vegas, the crowd had to walk through the casinos to leave the arena.  We all spontaneously started singing "Na Na Na Na Na Na Na" as we walked and the people in the casinos applauded. I will never forget that moment!

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Natalie Cole at Red Butte Garden

I have very eclectic taste in music.  A friend of mine once told me that I like everything from Beethoven to the Beatles to the Beastie Boys!  I guess that's true!  I became a fan of Natalie Cole after I saw her perform a Christmas concert with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.  I was so impressed that I bought her album Unforgettable: With Love, which is a collection of many of the songs her father, Nat King Cole, sang (including her iconic duet with her father on "Unforgettable"), and it quickly became one of my favorites.  I think I have established the fact that I absolutely love going to outdoor performances in the summer, so imagine my happiness when I found out Natalie Cole would be performing at the Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre this summer!  I bought a ticket as soon as they were available to the general public and have been eagerly anticipating the concert ever since.  It was wonderful!  I think I was the youngest person there, but I absolutely loved it.  The opening act was Joy & Eric, a duo from Park City.  They played covers of various songs with just an acoustic guitar and I especially loved Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" and Simon & Garfunkel's "The Boxer."  Natalie Cole began with a very sultry rendition of "Fever" which got the crowd in the mood.  She, along with her amazing musicians and backup singers, turned the large outdoor venue into a smokey jazz club for a few hours.  Luckily for me she played many songs from my favorite album including "Route 66," "The Very Thought of You," "Smile," "L-O-V-E," and, of course, "Unforgettable."  Cole also included many covers including Donna Summer's "She Works Hard for the Money," Michael Jackson's "Human Nature," Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing," and Etta James' "At Last!"  She ended her set with "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)" which got the entire crowd up and dancing!  For the encore, she sang an acoustic version of Des'ree's "You Gotta Be" which was amazing.  Such a lovely evening sitting under the stars listening to wonderful music!

Note:  Even though I was the youngest person there, I knew all of the words to every song!

Monday, June 16, 2014

OneRepublic at USANA

One of my favorite things to do in the summer is sit under the stars and watch an outdoor performance.  Saturday night was an absolutely beautiful summer evening and one of my favorite bands came to the Usana Amphitheatre for an incredible concert.  Needless to say, I was pretty happy!  OneRepublic started their set with "Light It Up" behind a giant screen, which whipped the 17,000 screaming fans into a frenzy before it finally dropped.  Whenever I go to a concert, there is always one song that I really want the band to play.  It is usually pretty obscure, so sometimes I'm disappointed.  But it just so happens that my favorite OneRepublic song, "Stop and Stare," is quite popular so they played it relatively early in the evening.  I loved it because it was an incredibly stirring performance with the entire crowd singing along!  I really love Ryan Tedder's voice and, even though it was a large arena with over 17,000 in attendance, he sang with such raw emotion that it felt very intimate.  Many songs began acoustically with one featured instrument and a spotlight (piano for "Apologize," Spanish guitar for "Counting Stars," and cello for "Secrets") and then built to a crescendo with other instruments and the usual light show.  They played a few songs from Native, their latest album, such as their catchy new single "Love Runs Out," "Preacher," and "Something I Need," but they kept the crowd happy with the hits "All the Right Moves" and "Good Life."  When they played "Come Home," they showed images from SLC projected on the screens and that definitely got the crowd cheering.  They ended their set with "I Lived," an incredible song that I want played at my funeral!  Listen to it!  For the encore, there was an amazing rendition of "Wonderful World" (did I mention that I love Ryan Tedder's voice?) and then "If I Lose Myself."  It was a really fun night of great music!

Note:  I also enjoyed the opening bands, even though I wasn't as familiar with them.  The first band was American Authors.  I didn't see their whole set because of an epic parking nightmare (did I mention that there were 17,000 people at this concert?) but I did get to hear their biggest hit, "Best Day of My Life," which was fun.  The Script put on a great show with charismatic front man, Danny O'Donoghue, running through the crowd multiple times.  I really liked their performance of "Breakeven."

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

I Can't Wait for Summer Vacation!

Sometimes the closing of the school year is hard.  This year is proving to be more difficult than usual so I am concentrating on all of the fun things that I hope to do this summer.

Deer Valley Music Festival
When it gets really hot in the valley, it is nice to head up to the mountains at the Deer Valley Resort and hear the Utah Symphony play under the stars!  You can bring a blanket and a picnic and sit on the hill or there are seats available near the stage.  This is one of my favorite things to do in the summer and we have heard the orchestra play the 1812 Overture (complete with real cannons) several times.  The pictures above are from last year's Bravo Broadway concert, which was fantastic.  I just got my tickets in the mail for the Music of U2 and I am beyond excited!  Go here for a complete schedule and to purchase tickets.

Utah Shakespeare Festival
The Utah Shakespeare Festival is held every summer on the campus of Southern Utah University in Cedar City (a four hour drive south of Salt Lake City).  It is another one of my favorite things to do.  Sometimes Marilyn and I spend several days and see every play and sometimes we go down for one day and see a couple.  Once I drove down to see Hamlet and then drove straight home.  It was worth it.  The pictures above are from the 2010 production of Macbeth, which was awesome.  This year I am really excited to see Into the Woods (they produce non-Shakespeare plays, too) and Twelfth Night. I'm not going to lie, I'm also excited for the raspberry tarts!   Go here for a complete schedule and to purchase tickets.

Tuacahn Amphitheatre
Tuacahn is a natural amphitheatre made out of red rock in St. George (about six hours south of Salt Lake City).  They perform several musicals in repertory every summer and you can also purchase tickets to a pre-show dinner.  The above pictures are from the 2012 production of Hairspray.  My very favorite production here was Les Miserables because they used the terrain beyond the stage for the epic battle on the barricade.  It was amazing.  This year my student body officers are going to leadership camp at Dixie State University and we get to see The Little Mermaid.  Go here for a complete schedule and to purchase tickets.

Sundance Summer Theatre
Sundance Summer Theatre, in conjunction with the Utah Valley University Theatre Department, has produced a musical at the Sundance Resort for the past several years.  Seeing a musical in the mountains is always a great way to beat the summer heat.  We have seen The Sound of Music (Marilyn sang along with the actors), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and Annie Get Your Gun.  Marilyn and I may or may not have squealed when we found out they are doing Fiddler on the Roof this year.  Go here for tickets.
The Utah Symphony also makes an appearance at the Sundance Resort.  Near the Fourth of July they perform a program featuring patriotic music (think John Philips Sousa).  I took my cousin Merry to this concert last year and we both enjoyed it.  I'm thinking of going again.  Go here for more information.

Red Butte Garden Outdoor Concert Series
Red Butte Garden is an amazing venue for outdoor concerts.  This picture is from the Crosby, Stills, & Nash concert in 2012, which was fabulous (even though I was probably the youngest person there).  This year I am going to see Natalie Cole and I am really excited about it.  Go here to check out this year's lineup and to purchase tickets (many shows are already sold out because members have priority to purchase tickets before the general public).

With all of these amazing events to look forward to, maybe I can make it through these next few weeks until summer vacation.  Maybe.
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