August 6 (Wednesday)
Who: Waxahatchee
Where: Gallivan Center
What: Waxahatchee (with singer Katie Crutchfield) has been on a real tear since 2024ās Tigers Blood released. Cities are clambering after them to play there. Singers are pairing up for duets. All for good reason, of course. The bandās visited our state since the album dropped, but they picked up their first Grammy nomination just this year. Expect great things Wednesday.Ā
When: 6pm
August 8 (Friday)
Who: Rayland Baxter & Langhorne Slim
Where: The Commonwealth Room
What: While I canāt say I know all that much about Rayland Baxter (sorry), there was a time over a decade ago that I caught Langhorne Slim in a strangely carpeted (and very poorly laid out) bar in Florida. By the end of his set, heād led us outside to a dusty courtyard to put a proper finale on his string of music. We surrounded him in a circle as he sweated and belted his heart out, a man with a cool hat and an acoustic guitar. Memory solidified, right there.
When: 8pm
August 10 (Sunday)
Who: Jason Bonhamās Led Zeppelin Evening
Where: Deer Valley ResortĀ
What: This will be a monster of a show. Did you see our earlier interview with Jason Bonham? This was a great bit. He said: āI only got to see three Zeppelin shows in my life. The first time was in Birmingham (England) to an audience of 2500 people. The next time, they played in front of 70,000. I was 11 and I asked who else was playing. I couldn’t comprehend how big they’d become. And the last time I saw dad play was in 1979. 200,000 people were there for that one. I have these moments where I think to myself: Did he have any idea of who or what he was going to become? Did he realize what legacy he was leaving behind? Did he realize any of that in the midst of it?ā
When: 7:30pm
August 11 (Monday)
Who: My Morning Jacket
Where: Red Butte Gardens
When: 7pm
What: My Morning Jacket may end up being the loudest band to play the Gardens this season. Thatās only a maybe. They can play quietly too. One of the greatest displays of showmanship I ever saw was when lead singer Jim James did a full solo set of somber and yearning songs on a tiny outdoor stage in Las Vegas. The crowd was in tears. Once he finished, he grabbed a baseball bat and started swinging at pumpkins lining the edge of the stage. From crying to Smashing Pumpkins, the audience got its money worth (and then some).Ā
August 20 (Wednesday)
Who: Wilco
Where: Ogden TwilightĀ Ā
When: 5pm
What: If you asked me what my 10 favorite bands were, this oneās earned its spot. Might even have to place them in my top five. Theyāre poetic while still being a rock band. Theyāre funny without ever being pretentious. There are guitar solos thatāll bend your mind. Attempted singalongs. If youāre already a fan, youāll enjoy knowing theyāre opening for themselves in Ogden. Two full sets of music for less than the price of one. Bargain shopping never sounded better.
August 22 (Friday)
Who: Alabama ShakesĀ
Where: Utah First Credit Union AmphitheaterĀ
When: 8pm
What: Easiest admission: I love seeing Brittany Howard sing and play. Saw her play with her band years ago at Hard Rock Cafe and was baffled that everyone else wasnāt there to do the same. Small crowds happen. Donāt expect the same scenario when the band returns to Utah, though. Itās the first time theyāve toured since 2017, so expect it to be triumphant.Ā
August 23 (Friday)
Who: The Wallflowers
Where: The Commonwealth Room
When: 7pm
What: Ever since it was announced The Wallflowers were coming around to play another show, Iāve had friends talking about how excited they are for it. It might be the whole āson of Dylanā thing. And it might be because they wrote some bangers. I spoke to Jakob Dylan recently and asked him what itās like to hear āOne Headlightā playing on the radio so many years later. āI grew up listening to the radio. Hearing your song get played, it never gets old,ā he said. āThe first time you hear your song on the radio, itās a stunning moment. Nearly 30 years later, it still feels the same.ā Coming soon: the rest of that interview.
August 24 (Saturday)
Who: Horsegirl
Where: Kilby Court
When: 7pm
What: Horsegirl pays us a visit on the heels of its 2025 album release, Phonetics On and On (Matador). Itās a departure from their debut, replacing what singer/vocalist Nora Cheng calls their āteenager recordā with far more experimentation. The album became less about filling up space, more about playing with ways to create a pop song. āIt was the first time we had ever written outside of [bandmate] Penelopeās family basement in Chicago,ā she told me recently from Brooklyn. āNow we had a strange warehouse space in industrial Brooklyn to practice in, one with a tiny little window. It was kind of punishing, this new place. Even the sound of our instruments, how it bounced off the walls, changed the way we thought about sound.ā Three-word review of the new album? So worth it.
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