Red Butte Garden is hosting an inflation-busting show on July 7, 2024. The Utah audience will enjoy two headliners for the price of one: Blues Traveler and JJ Grey & Mofro. Fans will get a hefty dose of great blues-infused music from both marque artists.
Dark clouds have hung over the political hellscape of Florida lately. Fans have waited nearly a decade for a fresh batch of Grey’s funk n’ blues-driven swamp-rock. Luckily, Jacksonville-native JJ Grey & Mofro offers soothing sol to the Sunshine State with Olustee, their stellar 2024 11-song album. Grey pounds out a southern rock jam and takes us on a harmonica-laden journey through a literal firestorm on the title track. He sits pretty on “Top of the World” and struts with plenty of brassy funk to get our bodies moving on “Rooster.” Grey shows off his powerhouse voice on the soulful ballads “The Sea,” “Deeper Than Belief,” and “On a Breeze.” His rendition of John Anderson’s “Seminole Wind” is the cherry on top of a great new record.
I can’t wait to picnic in the garden and listen to JJ Grey & Mofro perform their new material alongside some personal favorites like “Orange Blossoms,” The Sweetest Thing,” and “99 Shades of Crazy.”
Fun fact: Mofro is a moniker Grey chose to describe his music. His first two albums were released under the name. Mofro band members changed over the years and in 2007 when the band signed with a new record label, they became JJ Grey & Mofro.
Formed in a New Jersey basement in 1987, Blues Traveler hit the New York City club circuit as a blues-inspired indie-rock jam band. By the early 1990s, they secured a record deal and gained a following with their energetic live performances. David Letterman took notice, and in 1991 he booked them on The Late Show (as Letterman’s “favorite band,” they’d play the show more than any other musical artist). It wouldn’t be until 1994, when the band released their fourth studio album, aptly titled Four, that the band would reach stratospheric success with the upbeat pop single “Run-Around.” The song broke records for the most weeks on the charts and earned the band a Grammy in 1995 for Best Rock Performance. The chart-topping album also produced the hit singles “Hook,” and “The Mountains Win Again.”
Over their 35+ year career, Blues Traveler released 15 studio albums, four of which achieved gold, three platinum, and one platinum six times over. They’ve played more than 2,000 live shows in front of 30 million people. The band’s never rested on past successes, in 2022, their record Traveler’s Blues received a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Blues Album. The band has a new record, Traveler’s Soul, a delightful 12-song batch of classic R&B standards performed with a modern vibe.
With two powerhouse performers jamming some great funk and blues, the Garden is sure to be rocking.
Who: Blues Traveler and JJ Grey & Mofro
What: Red Butte Garden Outdoor Concert Series 2024
Where: Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre
When: Sunday, July 7, 2024
Info and tickets: https://redbuttegarden.org/concerts/
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