The Natural History Museum of Utah wants to change your mind on bugs.
To help make that happen, the museum’sBugFest, running Aug. 8–10, will include workshops, displays, activities and a film screening to help educate the public about the vital role bugs “from pollinators to predators” serve.
While all types of bugs will be discussed and/or presented, the star of the sixth year of the event is the praying mantis.
For the kids, BugFest includes arts and crafts, face painting and more. For older audiences, the festival offers fascinating lectures, a screening of an episode of Bugs that Rule the World in partnership with PBS Utah on Aug. 8 and workshops like a watercolor painting lesson on Aug. 10. Workshops fill up fast. Sign up here.
And the whole family can see live bugs, like Madagascar hissing cockroaches, throughout the event.
Photo courtesy of NHMUPhoto courtesy of NHMU
BugFest will also include the BugBar, where chef Megan Bartley will serve grasshopper tacos, mealworm fried rice, and other foods made with insect ingredients.
All activities are free with museum admission. Vendors will also be on hand selling a variety of items.
Jason Cryan, executive director of NHMU and entomologist, said the event started small as a partnership between the museum and Jack Longgino, University of Utah professor in the School of Biological Sciences and “Ant Lab” researcher, to transform an icky topic for many into something awe-inspiring.
And it worked. The event received a positive response and grew from a part-day event to a two-plus-day festival with thousands of guests. “Over the years, subsequently, it’s become one of our signature events,” Cryan said.
But why all the hype for such tiny creatures?
“Insects impact every aspect of human life,” said Cryan, mentioning how they impact agriculture, habitation, medicine and more. “It’s really essential that people have an appreciation of the world of insects and how they influence humans. Without them, life on the planet would collapse within days.”
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Who: Waxahatchee Where: Gallivan Center What: Waxahatchee (with singer Katie Crutchfield) has been on a real tear since 2024’s Tigers Blood released. Cities are clambering after them to play there. Singers are pairing up for duets. All for good reason, of course. The band’s visited our state since the album dropped, but they picked up their first Grammy nomination just this year. Expect great things Wednesday. When: 6pm
Who: Rayland Baxter & Langhorne Slim Where: The Commonwealth Room What: While I can’t 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, he’d 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
Who: Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening Where: Deer Valley Resort 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: “I 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?” When: 7:30pm
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. That’s 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).
Who: Wilco Where: Ogden Twilight When: 5pm What: If you asked me what my 10 favorite bands were, this one’s earned its spot. Might even have to place them in my top five. They’re poetic while still being a rock band. They’re funny without ever being pretentious. There are guitar solos that’ll bend your mind. Attempted singalongs. If you’re already a fan, you’ll enjoy knowing they’re opening for themselves in Ogden. Two full sets of music for less than the price of one. Bargain shopping never sounded better.
Who: Alabama Shakes Where: Utah First Credit Union Amphitheater 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 wasn’t there to do the same. Small crowds happen. Don’t expect the same scenario when the band returns to Utah, though. It’s the first time they’ve toured since 2017, so expect it to be triumphant.
Who: The Wallflowers Where: The Commonwealth Room When: 7pm What: Ever since it was announced The Wallflowers were coming around to play another show, I’ve had friends talking about how excited they are for it. It might be the whole “son of Dylan” thing. And it might be because they wrote some bangers. I spoke to Jakob Dylan recently and asked him what it’s like to hear “One Headlight” playing on the radio so many years later. “I grew up listening to the radio. Hearing your song get played, it never gets old,” he said. “The first time you hear your song on the radio, it’s a stunning moment. Nearly 30 years later, it still feels the same.” Coming soon: the rest of that interview.
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). It’s a departure from their debut, replacing what singer/vocalist Nora Cheng calls their “teenager record” with far more experimentation. The album became less about filling up space, more about playing with ways to create a pop song. “It was the first time we had ever written outside of [bandmate] Penelope’s family basement in Chicago,” she told me recently from Brooklyn. “Now 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.” Three-word review of the new album? So worth it.
As wildfires across the state intensify, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox declared a 30-day state of emergency starting on Thursday.
The order allows the government to use all available state resources “to protect lives, homes, livestock and drinking-water supplies threatened by this year’s severe fire season,” according to a news release. It also authorizes the deployment of the Utah National Guard if needed, and streamlines assistance for local governments.
In an executive order, the governor cited severe drought as one cause exacerbating wildfire hazards. As of Thursday, the National Weather Service had identified 22 red flag warning days in Utah, a caution used when extreme fire behavior is likely, including a combination of high winds, low humidity and dry conditions, posing a high risk of wildfires.
“Heroic efforts are underway as firefighters and emergency personnel work around the clock to save homes and neighborhoods,” Cox said in a statement. “We are mobilizing every tool at our disposal to support them and keep Utahns safe.”
This year Utah has recorded 718 fires, which have burned nearly 140,000 acres, according to the order. Over 100,000 of those burnt acres were due to the four largest active wildfires in the state. The cost of fighting them has exceeded $103 million.
“Shifting winds, abundant dry fuels, and fast-moving flames continue to threaten the surrounding community. The governor will continue to urge residents to follow evacuation orders and stay clear of the area so first responders can operate safely and effectively,” Cox’s office said in the release.
About 70% of wildfires in the state have been human-caused. Cox advised Utahns to reduce sparks from everyday activities.
Elephant Revival, a six-piece orchestra from Colorado, delivered a spellbinding hippy, trippy, Celtic-infused set at the Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre on Wednesday, July 30, 2025.
The band expertly blended their transcendental folk into a unique Americana symphony with a surprising combination of instruments: electric guitar, fiddle, pedal steel, mandolin, cello, bass, musical saw, washboard, and drums (with a little goddess magic mixed in). Add in the ethereal vocals of lead singer Bonnie Paine, and we were blessed with a unique patchwork of music that was both soothing and psychedelic. It reached that celestial plane where classic music meets classic rock.
The epic 20-song performance began with Bridget Law playing an uplifting fiddle-forward Scottish instrumental, “The Reel McKay Wedding.” Then they gently massaged the audience into a blissful trance with fan-favorite “Remembering a Beginning.”
Photo credit Paul Montano
Dueling electric guitar and mandolin traded hot licks on “Stolen,” creating a Romani/Spanish vibe. I know that may seem a non-sequitur. But somehow the two instruments blended beautifully with the fiddle and Bonnie Paine’s haunting warble and signature washboard. That combination proved an intoxicating sonic elixir.
Elephant Revival shared new music, too. I hope that means a new album is in the works. One fresh offering, “What Does Wonder?” felt like Elephant Revival 2.0 (the band went on hiatus in 2018 and only recently reunited). It conjured up all the pre-2018 magic and more. Paine bowed her electric cello while Dango Rose did the same on his electric upright bass. Charlie Rose added the right amount of twang on his pedal steel, and newcomer Daniel Sproul provided depth on electric guitar. Darren Garvey kept perfect time on percussion, and as always, Law’s fiddle brought it all together. That’s the formula fans have been grooving on for nearly 20 years.
Much to my delight, Paine flexed her saw and played “Ring Around The Moon,” a band classic. Her vocal pitch matched the sound of the fiddle and the saw perfectly. I could almost feel myself levitate off my Tommy Bahama low-back chair.
Photo credit Paul Montano
Other surprise highlights included Charlie Rose singing the lead vocal and plucking his banjo on “Rainbow Connection.” I think Kermit would approve of Elephant Revival’s trippy version. (I hope someone has this on video for the next PBS Utah fundraiser!) While we’re on the topic of rainbows, the crowd joyfully rose to their feet for an amazing version of Pink Floyd’s “Have A Cigar.”\
“Paine held us in rapt attention as she donned a set of sadistically sweet, metal-claw-tipped gloves and scratched a washboard worn like an armored vest, accompanying the appropriately foreboding Gaelic song “Ciamar Nimi.” Beginning as a hauntingly sorrowful tune (It’s Irish, after all), the song moved into a hip-hop musical space. I think I may have experienced my first Gaelic rap! Move over Commitments! You never know what musical mysteries await you at an Elephant Revival show.
For the encore, Emilie Rose and Paige Anderson of Two Runner joined the ensemble on stage for a spirited rendition of Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy.” Paine ended the show with her majestic vocal soundwaves on “Rogue River,” with a brief reference to Richie Havens’ “Freedom” woven in.
Two Runner opened the show. The Northern California duo features Emilie Rose on fiddle and Paige Anderson on banjo and guitar. Anderson’s high-lonesome voice perfectly blends with Rose’s softer vocal harmonies. They started us off with a new fiddle and banjo number, “Road Runner” from an upcoming new album. In all, they managed 11 songs, including fan favorites “Run Souls” and “Devil’s Rowdydow.”
Two Runner connected deeply with the Red Butte Garden audience, given the duo’s link with the Salt Lake City music scene. Indeed, they recorded their latest single, “Late Dinner,” at Daniel Young’s Orchard Studio in North Salt Lake, with Young’s help as the track’s engineer. They shared a story of how a late-night drink at Duffy’s Tavern after a performance at The State Room gave inspiration for the song “Strawberry Rhinestones,” and Anderson penned “Helmet” following a motorcycle ride through Zion. They also gave a shout-out to the Tuesday night jam sessions at Gracies. Ah, shucks, I felt proud of our musical community that night.
Their final tune, “Burn it to the Ground,” was not inspired by our city, thank goodness. But, it did reflect on a feeling to which many in the audience could relate: the frustrations of growing up in a small town, where everyone knows your business.
Fun Fact: Bonnie Paine and Bridget Law bought the stunning gowns they wore on stage at Decades Vintage Clothing on 6th South.
The natural acoustics of the Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre made it the perfect outdoor venue. Occasionally, I got a brief whiff of nature–that sweet skunky perfume of freedom. Rock on!
Lindsay and Drew Sparks had a dangerous idea.What if they stepped away from their demanding tech jobs, Zoom meetings, and day-in-day-out office life? After a lot of back-and-forth, they decided to go in a totally different direction and start a pretzel company in Salt Lake City.
“We wanted to start something ourselves from scratch,” says Lindsay. “We love the European/Bavarian-style soft pretzels.” So Lindsay and Drew started on a journey of research, testing, hard work, leaning on supportive friends, and back to testing again. After a lot of experimenting, they arrived at their perfect soft pretzel recipe: One with Bavarian roots. They use a lye bath instead of a baking soda bath to yield the characteristic dark, shiny crust and a unique biting taste. It gives the pretzels a very crispy exterior with a soft area crumb inside. Drew and Lindsay opened Dangerous Pretzel in December last year at the Post District, tucked on the southwest side of the development near Melancholy.
With a cherubic devil as the mascot and a bomb in the logo, Dangerous Pretzel’s tagline is ‘ruin dinner.’ And fair warning, it is entirely possible to ruin dinner with these substantial pretzels. “Pretzels are dangerous. You can’t just eat one,” says Lindsay. “It’s so validating when we hear customers say, ‘Oh, these are so dangerous.’ That’s exactly the concept we wanted.”
Lindsay and Drew Sparks, owners of Dangerous Pretzel. Photo by Adam Finkle
You will find some classics on the menu: a good salty pretzel and a sweet cinnamon sugar pretzel. But you will also find pretzels that are a meal unto themselves. The Spicy Bee Pretzel has hot peppers buried in white cheddar topped with hot honey. The BBK, aka “Brush Before Kissing” pretzel, is a blend of parmesan herbs and garlic butter for a true date night disaster that is truly delicious. The Bootlegger Pretzel is bourbon and maple bacon. And the Devil’s Delight is a nod to pizza with pepperjack cheese, pepperoni and sliced salami. Mini pretzel “bombs” are the dangerous version of donut holes.
Pretzels are good. Pretzels with something to dunk are better. And the housemade dipping sauces add a little zing. The House Mustard is admittedly “mustard-ish,” while the Sweet Cream pairs perfectly with the Saint pretzel or the Bootlegger pretzel. Hot ranch (“hotter than assless chaps”) and the Dangerous Dip (a cheese sauce with some spice) round out the assortment. Lindsay’s favorite dip is the cheese dip. “We didn’t want it to be a nacho cheese; beer cheese can get a little grainy. So we do cheddar, sharp cheddar, pepperjack and fresh jalapenos that add heat without making it too spicy.”
Lindsay explains how they take five basic ingredients (flour, salt, yeast, butter,and water) through extensive testing to develop their flavors. “We created a rack that goes on top of the oven and holds the steam in. The pretzels go through twice, once with the steam cover on and once with the steam cover removed. It’s something we figured out ourselves.”
When it comes to the flavored pretzels, Lindsay, Drew and all the employees have a list of different flavors they would like to try. The most interesting ones get tested over time. The plan is to switch out to special or seasonal flavors on a regular basis. “We have a rack in our fridge that’s just for research and development,” Lindsay laughs. “This week, for example, we tested 11 blueberry basil flavored pretzels.” She acknowledges that some of the flavors are a little controversial and outside the typical pretzel realm. “We are okay with some of our flavors being a little polarizing.” But the goal is that everyone will find at least one great pretzel to love.
The “BBK”, aka “Brush Before Kissing” pretzel, combines a healthy dose of parmesan and garlic; perfect for date night. Photo by Adam Finkle.
Another bonus: You can get a beer with your pretzel.
“I always tell people that we are the opposite of a pub or brewery,” says Lindsay. “At a brewery, the beer comes first, and the pretzels second. The pretzels are always an afterthought. And for us, the pretzel is the star, and the beer always comes in second. We tried to keep the beers as local as possible.”
They make a point of carrying beer from breweries outside Salt Lake City. “Helper Beer is newer, but we always stop there on our way down to Moab and go to that brewery,” Lindsay explains. “We feel like they are outstanding, but not a lot of people carry them up here.”
Now that they are open, Drew and Lindsay have lots of plans, like working on gluten-free and vegan options for pretzels. They’re testing out a homemade marinara along with other new flavors. Eventually, they would like to expand and do late nights along with a special late-night menu.
“It’s been really cool to see the response from our community,’ says Lindsay. “People are so generous and willing to support us and give really amazing feedback. We want to hear from our customers!” ]
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After spending the entirety of his life in the UK, Wang Chung’s Jack Hues recently relocated to Austin, Texas. It’s where he is when we catch up with him. He married a girl he couldn’t let get away, he said. He’s getting used to his new surroundings there, but settling in just fine.
Maybe being responsible for time-tested songs like “Everybody Have Fun Tonight,” “Dance Hall Days,” and “To Live and Die in L.A” helps. If nothing else, those three songs alone have helped the English new wave duo enjoy a lengthy career.
“It’s certainly not what we planned,” Hues says about their first surprise hit. “Dance Hall Days” made it to the top 40 in the UK, peaking at No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100. “Everybody Have Fun Tonight” followed, going all the way to No. 2 on that same chart.
The songs still follow Hues around, showing up in the most curious circumstances.
“I’m renting an apartment currently. I was standing in the front office, waiting to speak to a lady about the trash being taken out, and ‘Dance Hall Days’ started playing,” Hues says. “And I immediately thought to myself, ‘We have arrived!’”
Q: The now-famous line we now know (and tend to repeat on cue) — “Everybody Wang Chung tonight” — that was supposed to be replaced, right?
Hues: Yeah, yeah. Back in those days, to use your band’s name in the song seemed a bit desperate. We were just mucking around musically. And the disdain we received from certain music critics for leaving it in — and that initial hesitancy for them to like what they were hearing — faded into the fun people have had with the song ever since.
Q:What’s it feel like to create songs that have stood the test of time?
Hues: It’s amazing for many reasons. I was in the UK, where we’re less well known than we are in this country, and I remember “Everybody Have Fun Tonight” coming on in a restaurant. I was looking particularly disheveled after losing a night’s sleep in the studio. This waitress came over and I wanted to say, ‘I wrote this song,’ but didn’t. I thought she might call security.
“Music is a harsh mistress to devote yourself to. At our age, we’ve done a lot of devoting. We’re in place to reap a certain set of rewards.” (J. Hues)
Q:And when you wrote “Everybody …,” you had to know it would be a hit.
Hues: We needed it to be. “Dance Hall Days” was an international hit. We had the problem of following it up without doing the exact same thing again. As an artist, that’s impossible.
Out of the blue, director William Friedkin got in touch with us, and we did the soundtrack to his movie, To Live and Die in L.A. In retrospect, it may have been our most commercially successful project. At the time, it wasn’t a successful movie. It was so dark. The soundtrack didn’t even make a mark on the charts, which is what we were supposed to be doing.
After that, we needed a number one record. “Everybody Have Fun Tonight” was about doing that, and it worked out. Music is a harsh mistress to devote yourself to. And at our age, we’ve done our share of devoting. We’re in place to reap a certain set of rewards.
Q: Does music run in your family?
Hues: My dad was a saxophone player. His sense of being a musician was that it was about playing live. He didn’t understand recordings, which is what I was doing. He said stuff like, ‘If you’re on time for a gig, you’re late.’ Or ‘You’re only as good as your last gig.’ There was a slight military sense to all that, really, of almost being in a war.
Q: So it was your father who helped you get into music then.
Hues: He facilitated it. Seeing The Beatles and hearing them on the radio got me to play guitar. My dad was a trained musician. He said he’d get me a guitar, but I had to take lessons and learn to read music in return. As a kid, you don’t notice how much time you’re spending repetitively learning to write out treble clefs. But by the time I was 18 and thinking about attending university, I could study music at that level because I had the right background. I studied classical music — there were no courses in rock or jazz — but three years studying Bach and Mozart was incredibly good for me. That genre remains the center of my musical interest.
Q: And then Wang Chung happened after you answered an ad in the Melody Maker.
Hues: I was 23, just out of college. I moved back with my parents, because I had no money. I quickly fell in with a bunch of local musicians, a covers band, and they liked that I was writing songs. A mate of theirs had a recording studio, and the band developed from there.
Q: What do you think surprises people most about your shows?
Hues: The impact of it is far bigger than they might expect. Maybe people think of four artists from the 80s using music videos as a backdrop, that it’s all a bit artificial. And in the 80s, we were obsessed with drum machines and synths. It was the latest technology and it gave us our very characteristic sound. But when you see these bands play now, we’re all fascinated with drums and guitars. The synths are in there, but it’s really translating those songs into this legacy of rock and roll, of the ’60s and ’70s. It’s got that other history to it, of what inspired us as kids.
The Ferry Building in San Francisco is the Beaux-Arts reigning queen of the Embarcadero, a downtown area running along the harbor. Opened in 1898, it was a transportation hub for trains and ferries on the scale of Grand Central Station, moving 50,000 people through the graceful interior arches under crystal skylights. Bridges and cars overtook ferry traffic, and by the 1950s, the building was in disrepair. As part of the Embarcadero revitalization project, the building was given new life and reopened as a public marketplace in 2003. It is still an active ferry launch, but with artisanal food purveyors and a rich history, it’s worth its own day trip.
Historic photo of Ferry Depot’s Marble Hall, taken in Oct. 21, 1899. Photo courtesy of The Library of Congress.
8 a.m. Coffee and Crepes on the Pier
Early morning at the Ferry Building is magical as the Oakland Bay Bridge emerges from the morning fog. The crowds are minimal, and even the gulls are quiet. Stop in for coffee or cold-pressed juice, then watch the city wake up around you from the pier that runs behind the Ferry Building. Sip and see if you can spot any sea lions.
Sweet seasonal fruit crepes available at Grande Crêperie. Photo courtesy of @grandecreperie
Post-caffeine, head to Grande Crêperie for breakfast. Serving traditional French-style crêpes and buckwheat galettes, it is worth the splurge to get both sweet (sucré) and savory (salé)—after all, you’ll be walking a lot today. With small tables outside, find a spot and enjoy.
10 a.m. Architecture & Empanadas
The line for empanadas at the El Porteño Empanadas stall (great for a portable, midmorning snack) is worth the wait. Give yourself time to snag one (or two) after your tour with San Francisco City Guides (offering free tours with a suggested $20 donation) led by knowledgeable volunteers. Check out key sites throughout the city, including a 75-minute history and architecture walking tour of the Ferry Building. Most weekend tours start at 10 a.m. and require reservations. (sfcityguides.org/tour/ferry-building/)
12 p.m. to 2 p.m. Science and a Stroll
Walk down the pier/boardwalk side of the Embarcadero, eating crisp, warm empanadas as you go. While it’s less crowded than the street, there are still plenty of chances for people-watching. Bring a rain jacket (just in case) and take in views of Bay Bridge, Alcatraz and trawlers coming and going along the water. A series of bayside parks, shops and sights are mixed in with working piers.
Walk 10 minutes to Pier 15 and visit the Exploratorium, a hands-on science museum with over 700 touchable exhibits. The famous Tactile Dome is an extra fee and requires a reservation, but where else can you make your way through a giant lights-off sculpture of textures using only your senses (minus sight) to navigate? (Adults $40 plus $16 for the dome). (exploratorium.edu)
The Golden Gate Bridge. Photo courtesy of Takuto | Adobe Stock
2p.m. to 6 p.m. Angel Island + A Caviar Reward
While the Ferry Building is a beautiful marketplace, it is still an active ferry loading spot. At Terminal Gate B, catch a boat to Angel Island ($15+). The 30-minute boat ride is the most affordable way to tour the bay without paying tourist prices and you’ll pass directly in front of Alcatraz and get a great view of the Golden Gate Bridge. A state park with lovely trails and windswept slopes, Angel Island is perfect for strolling, picnicking or renting a bike. Before you board, grab a veggie-laden focaccia for lunch on the go. (goldengate.org; parks.ca.gov)
When you return (windswept, to be sure), put your name on the waitlist for dinner and head to the Tsar Nicoulai Caviar Cafe for a little bubbly/salty cocktail hour before dinner. Get a caviar flight, a glass of Brut and toast your sense of adventure. If you don’t want full caviar service, get the Seacuterie board—your caviar sommelier will explain everything if you are a novice.
Hog Island Oyster Company’s famous Clam Chowder. Photo courtesy of shopoysters.hogislandoysters.com
7p.m. Dinner at Hog Island Oyster Company
Located on the waterside of the Ferry Building, Hog Island Oyster Company may well have the best oysters in San Francisco, along with an ever-rotating seasonal menu. Get a mix of the varietals, crispy old-bay fries, or house pickles with a cocktail to start.
Then, try a variety of shared plates, crudo, grilled oysters or the famous Hog Island Clam Chowder. You are in San Francisco, after all. Not your gloopy soup with chopped clams, this chowder is the real deal. Whole Manila clams swim in a broth of aromatic vegetables with smoky bacon, clam broth, soft-but-not-too-soft potatoes and just a hint of butter and cream. A perfect way to wrap up the day while you watch the sunset over the bay.
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Drinking in Utah has been zany since the first clink. Detailing the Byzantine intricacies of Utah’s liquor laws would take several volumes and acres of footnotes, but here’s a distilled…
A judge has dismissed a lawsuit from environmentalists that argued Utah’s now-failed petition to the U.S. Supreme Court to gain control of millions of acres of federal land was unconstitutional, which would have prevented the state from bringing a similar case forward in the future.
Last week, 3rd District Court Judge Thaddeus May dismissed the lawsuit from the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, siding with the state in a case that stems from Utah’s 2024 petition to wrest control of 18.5 million acres of Bureau of Land Management, or BLM, land.
But since the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Utah’s case, May said the environmental group’s argument is now moot.
“The non-existence of that suit is fatal,” May wrote, while also finding the group’s “statements about any future action to be too vague to be redressable.”
The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, or SUWA, disagreed with the ruling — since Utah leaders, including Gov. Spencer Cox, have suggested they will try to re-file the lawsuit in a lower court, they still have a case, the group said.
Utah filed its lawsuit with the country’s high court in August of last year, arguing that it’s unconstitutional for the BLM to hold “unappropriated land” — land that lacks a formal designation — in perpetuity. Unappropriated land does not include national parks, monuments, or forests. It’s often used for cattle grazing or wildlife habitat, with much of it found in Utah’s west desert.
SUWA filed a lawsuit in December arguing the petition violated the Utah Constitution. Utah, the constitution reads, must “forever disclaim all right and title to the unappropriated public lands.”
But not long after SUWA filed its lawsuit, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Utah’s case, which the state was attempting to bring directly before the high court. State leaders, including Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, said they might try filing a similar lawsuit in a lower court.
SUWA then filed an amended complaint, based on Cox and other leaders’ comments, in an effort to prevent the state from trying to revive its lawsuit.
In a hearing earlier this month, May heard arguments for and against keeping the lawsuit going. During the hearing, May seemed to suggest it would be easier for SUWA to sue Utah once they actually re-filed their complaint.
“If the suit is unknown, why is it not better to wait for that suit to be filed in federal court and then have a reaction? Why does this court have to preempt that decision or that lawsuit?” May asked.
In a statement, SUWA’s legal director Steve Bloch said he disagreed with the ruling, and was considering “potential next steps.”
“We’re disappointed with today’s decision but grateful that the true intent of the state’s lawsuit has been made clear: to force the sale of millions of acres of public lands to the highest bidder and not to acquire these lands for the state, as its deliberately misleading media campaign suggests,” Bloch said. “It’s our position that with the repeated statements made by Governor Cox — doubling down on the state’s intent to refile its lawsuit in federal district court — Judge May had what he needed to proceed with our case and conclude that Utah’s constitution prohibits the state from bringing a lawsuit like this in the first place.”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kyle Dunphey covers politics, public safety and the environment for Utah News Dispatch. He was named Best Newspaper Reporter by the Utah Society of Professional Journalists in 2023 for his work on crime and immigration at the Deseret News.
When I spoke with Jason Bonham, son of John Bonham (as in Led Zeppelin’s late drummer), he was in sunny Florida and ready to talk about his famous pops, drumming styles, the staying power of Physical Graffiti 50 years later and how he puts his stamp on all of it.
If imagination has any say in this setting, he was somewhere near ocean waves at the time.
Bonham brings his Led Zeppelin Evening to Deer Valley Sunday, August 10. They’ll be playing most nights in August, making this their busiest year since doing this. A lot of that comes from choosing to celebrate Physical Graffiti in its entirety all year long, he said.
Q:What’s it feel like, getting to perform Led Zeppelin tunes?
Bonham: Well, I still call this my side project, a way of having fun with friends while playing the music of Led Zeppelin. Once I got comfortable knowing we could do it in a different way — part storytelling, part musical journey — it made more sense. All I’m doing is highlighting an amazing band, one that had a very eclectic musical taste. They were allowed to be as diverse as they wanted, and had such an amazing variety of songs to perform, from folk to blues to rock, even Caribbean funk. When I put this show together, I wanted to highlight all of that. Songs the band never did live were even more important for me to perform.
The idea of doing Physical Graffiti start to finish came about, and it turns 50 this year. It’s one of my favorite albums. The agent said it would be a very limited run if we chose to do that. Two months ago, though, we did 24 shows, and it’s the most successful we’ve been. They were wrong about the album having a limited audience. Everybody enjoyed it. We added 24 more shows in August, and another 25 in October and November.
All things considered, it’ll be the most shows we’ve played in a year. Normally, we do 30.
Q:Does doing this tribute help connect you to your dad in any way?
Bonham: I’m very fond of the music, and it does bring me closer to [my] dad. When I’m playing, I can just drift. It takes me back to such a happy time. Sometimes I haven’t even had to rehearse certain songs before getting them right. That’s the uncanny bit: I can play a Led Zeppelin song I have only played two or three times in my life, and I don’t know why, but I’ll just know it.
Photo credit Frank Melfi.
Q:Do you change your drumming style when you play Zeppelin versus your own songs?
Bonham: Hell yeah. When I’m playing my own stuff, my drum parts have elements of all my heroes. From Phil Collins to Keith Moon, their influence comes into my playing. I can listen to an original song and know when it starts to sound like Phil Collins. Or Keith Moon. Or Simply Minds’ Mel Gaynor. Or my dad. Other people will listen and say, ‘No, that’s you. That’s the way you play.’ But that’s not what I’m hearing in my head.
Bonham: If somebody says to me that they love “Rock and Roll” or “Black Dog” or “Stairway to Heaven”, I say, ‘Fair enough. You own Zeppelin IV’. I’ll suggest they listen to the next album. There’s great stuff there, too. “The Rain Song” is one of my favorites to play, even though there’s no drums for ages. It’s an epic masterpiece of songwriting that surfaced at a time when everyone saw them as a heavy band. And yet, it’s so beautifully written. To this day, when those strings come in, I get goosebumps.
Q:How have the surviving members of Led Zeppelin reacted to what you’re doing?
Bonham: We haven’t talked about it. Robert [Plant] said to me that, once everything went quiet, I was one of them. What he meant was, once you get close enough to the circle of Zeppelin members, there’s no more correspondence. Robert said to always be ready, though. If any of them were ever unhappy, they’d let me know. But do I want to be the kid who sends a video and asks them to comment on how great the cover is, a song they created? It doesn’t work that way. The last thing Jimmy wants to hear is, ‘Listen to this guitarist. He plays just like you.’
Q:Does playing your dad’s songs allow fans to celebrate someone who wouldn’t otherwise be celebrated?
Bonham: The music my father made, if I don’t perform it, it’s not going to be forgotten. But I try to give the audience the human side of who he was: this quiet, regular guy who was a carpenter as a kid, coming up in the family building business. In four years, he went from getting his first drum kit to recording Led Zeppelin I. His path was just meant to be.
The reality he knew disappeared pretty quickly. He was still a humble guy. A little too much sauce or booze could lead to a little bravado, but he was 20 years old and suddenly a millionaire, part of the biggest band in the world. Two years prior, he was living in a 16-foot trailer behind his mother-in-law’s place and couldn’t afford to buy diapers. It was a big change.
Q:When you were a boy and seeing him experience that, were you able to separate the two sides, who he was on stage versus who he was at home?
Bonham: I 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?
If he saw somebody good, he’d say, oh my god, I can’t do that. He was easily wowed; when he heard great players, it turned him on. I introduced him to Stuart Copeland (of The Police) in the late 70s, and he absolutely loved the band’s energy. He’d say he didn’t know if he could do what he did anymore. He was 31 years old and ready to leave it to the new kid in town.
Q:How far do you think you’ll take your Zeppelin experience?
Bonham: This is a journey we get to share as fans — what the band and songs have meant (and mean) to me — and we play these songs to the best of our ability. If you want to enjoy the music along with us, please do. We get to pay respect to some of the greatest music ever written. Yes, my dad was in the band, but we do this out of our love for the music.
Doing this, I get to share about time I’ve spent with [Led Zeppelin] and playing with them, something I never thought I could do. I’ve done that a few times, though. Once, I won a Grammy. My mom said ‘Your dad never won a Grammy.’ When I countered, saying I won by playing with my dad’s band, she’d say, ‘No, I won’t let you make it seem like it’s nothing.’ She said I should be proud. When we played, she said the other band members had nothing to prove. The world was waiting for me to screw it up. When I pulled it off, my mom said it made the rest of them play great in return.
The longer we do this, the more it allows us to keep enjoying and playing the music, and continue connecting with those who want to enjoy it with us.
