Thursday evening presents a rare opportunity to enjoy the Utah Symphony in an outdoor setting, as associate conductor Rei Hotoda leads the orchestra in a program of light classics and audience favorites at Red Butte on Thursday evening.

The orchestra will also be joined by self-styled classical guitar hero Pablo Villegas, as he performs Joaquín Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez. Rodrigo once said that his concerto, inspired by the gardens at Palacio Real de Aranjuez near Madrid, “is meant to sound like the hidden breeze that stirs the treetops in the parks” – which sounds ideally suited to a Red Butte show.

Other pieces that will feature on the two hour, plus intermission, program will include Carnival Overture by Dvorák, Emperor Waltzes by Strauss, The Moldau by Smetana, Tchaikovsky’s
 Symphony No. 6, and “Pathétique,” Movements II. and III.

The forecast for Thursday is a little cooler, so it promises to be a lovely evening at Red Butte in the company of a world-class orchestra, who hope to “transport your mind to another place and evoke the sounds of nature.” Given that tomorrow is the first night of the Perseid meteor shower, there could well be a spectacular visual backdrop for the show.

Doors at 7pm, program begins at 8pm. Tickets still available from Red Butte Garden’s website – $32 Garden & USUO Members / $37 General Public / $15 Youth/Child

Local Reggae band Makisi opened a highly-anticipated show with a solid 45-minute set of roots rockers, lover’s rock, and groovy ballads. The soulful baritone voiced lead singer and the well-rehearsed ensemble got the crowd dancing. A highlight was a nicely done cover of Third World’s “When Push Comes To Shove.” Their performance was spiked with quick transitions and segues in between tunes.

Steel Pulse came onstage to an already packed dance floor full of veteran, cheering fans. The eight piece band played the intro for the first song setting the mood for lead singer and songwriter David “Dread” Hinds to make a dramatic entrance on a fan favorite “Raid Blues Dance.” Fronting the band sans guitar, dancing and interacting with the audience and band, David got the energy up right off the bat.

Dread Hinds intermittently grabbed his guitar to skank thru a Steel Pulse aficionado’s wish list of tunes from a catalogue that goes back forty years. Classic songs “Your House,” “Ravers,” “King James Version,” “Roller Skates” and many others were flawlessly executed by the group with clever segues and dance hall “toasts” (Jamaican rapping) inserted into songs. Jerry “Saxman” Johnson quoted John Coltrane’s version of “My Favorite Things” during an extended solo on “Drug Squad”—which was a highlight of the instrumental prowess exhibited through the night. The  first few lines of “Star Spangled Banner” served as a clever introduction to “Rally Round the Flag,” and the unison choreography on stage kept the positive energy escalating.  David favored us with some top notch Blues harmonica playing on a cover of the Grateful Dead’s “Franklin’s Tower,” which he dedicated to the memory of Jerry Garcia—noteworthy because it was the anniversary of Garcia’s passing. They closed the show with “Stepping Out,” another fan favorite that included some call-and-response audience participation.

The crowd took the irie vibe of the show home with them after a thoroughly entertaining hour and a half of the best Reggae has to offer. I found it well worth the admission for a world class band in an intimate venue.

Michael Franti is what my Wyoming born-and-bred father would call a damn hippie, but the crowd at Red Butte on Tuesday night seemed to think he was a damn likeable one.

Franti and his band Spearhead played to an eclectic audience that is unique to Utah – older folks, young families with children, and college kids looking for some fun. The crowd was jumping from the first notes of “Sound of Sunshine,” when dozens of beach balls were shot into the air by audience members. By the way, if you don’t like being constantly told to put your hands up or jump really high, a Michael Franti concert is not for you.
Lots of families with little kiddos flooded this concert, and Franti took advantage of that by having kids come up on stage during several songs to sing and dance with him.

“I love that here in Utah, families come together to listen to my music,” Franti said.

Part of Franti’s appeal is his willingness to immerse himself in the audience. He and his band members ventured into the crowd onto several occasions to perform about half the concert on small platforms. This meant that those audience members could join him on the mini-stages to sing and dance alongside the barefoot, tatted artist. Franti’s music is a mix of pop, techno, rap, funk and reggae. When he opts for an acoustic guitar, you can really see his talent, but most of the time his band takes over.

When Franti sang “We are all earthlings” things got a little too granola for me. Franti verges into reggae territory (he’s pretty much obligated because of his dreadlocks) but it comes across as reggae for really white people. I am a really white person, so I feel that I can make this judgment. There’s too much pop and not enough steel drums and pure vocals, but maybe that’s just his style. The crowd loved it. Franti’s “My Favorite Wine is Tequila” and “Good to be Alive Today” got the crowd moving their hips and singing along.

In between songs, Franti lamented the chaotic violence that has plagued the world in the past months. Franti said he is “uniquely informed” about social issues because of his diverse ethnic heritage and family. He called for love and acceptance to fight against hate. Some of his songs attempt to make those same statements about peace and social justice, but I feel that just as soon as he’s onto something, he backs off with lyrics about loving a girl or dancing in the sunshine. His music is catchy and definitely dance-worthy, but I was left wanting more of the in-between-songs Franti with his firm convictions and hope for the future.

The love for the earth and humanity – and possibly for herbal refreshment – was strong with Franti’s crowd. All around me, concertgoers had donned t-shirts with Franti’s mottos of “Love is my religion” and “Eat, sleep, hug, kiss, dance, change the world, repeat.” Several times in the night Franti urged the crowd to “give the people you love a big hug.” The crowd obeyed, sharing their love (and spilling their beer). He even got people to square-dance with their neighbors.

Franti and his band sang his rap/pop song “11:59” for an incredibly long time – long enough for the band to make it around the entire amphitheater several times. The number was split up by Franti’s Jamaican backup singer belting out some of Adele’s “Hello” and Franti’s tribute to Prince with “Purple Rain.” The medley went on forever, but it was still interesting, and he got more cute children involved, so good on him.

When he returned to the stage, Franti busted out upbeat hits like “We do this every day” and “Life sounds Like” to a crowd reaction of – you guessed it – more jumping.

One of Franti’s final numbers was his most well-known hit, “Say Hey (I Love You).” He brought a bunch of children on-stage and kind of sped through it. A little bit of a disappointment, considering that most of the crowd was sticking around for that song. Franti’s concerts definitely have a specific audience, and it looks like Red Butte just fit the bill.

“We are what have always been—a roots reggae band with a message of positivity for anyone who listens with their heart.” An apt description by David “Dread” Hinds, founding member and main song writer of the Grammy winning UK reggae ensemble Steel Pulse. The group formed in 1975 by a trio of school mates from Handsworth Wood Boys School in Birmingham, England. Home to a large number of post World War II Jamaican immigrants and several emerging Reggae artists including UB40 and Musical Youth, they were initially denied home town Caribbean venue gigs due to their Rastafarian religious beliefs. Soon they were touring with Punk Rock luminaries including the Stranglers, XTC, The Clash, and The Police, as well as established Reggae act Burning Spear.

The musical content combines hook laden catchy song writing, dance able grooves, tight arrangements and vocal harmonies, and highly conscious lyrics. Their live performances are an entertaining and uplifting ride through new and classic material from a deep catalogue. In my experience they never disappoint.

Local Reggae artist Makisi is opening the show.

Steel Pulse plays The Depot on Tuesday night. Tickets are still available $25 in advance through Smithtix or $30 day of show at the Depot’s box office after 5 pm. Doors open at 7 and the show starts at 8 pm.

Grab your best red, gold and green tam, get feelin’ irie, and check out some  “Reggae Ragamuffin Rub-a-Dub” with one of the best.

Red Butte favorites  Trucks Band rolled into town on Sunday for the last night of their Wheels of Soul tour; they did not disappoint.

The sold out crowd were presented with almost four hours of quality live music, between the three acts. The north Mississippi Allstars and Los Lobos were billed as “rock ‘n soul” collaborators, and it truly was an evening of collaboration. Meaningful collaboration is, to some extent, dependent on mutual appreciation and the ability to place ego to one side, and, in that spirit, one of the outstanding themes of the evening was the complete lack of ego on the stage. 

The North Mississippi Allstars kicked things off for a well received 40-minute set, with Luther Dickinson on guitar and vocals clearly enjoying himself. There were guest appearances during the set from Tedeschi Trucks backup singer Alecia Chakour, David Hidalgo from Los Lobos and Derek Trucks himself, joining in on a 12-bar blues that segued into Muddy Waters’ “Got My Mojo Working.”

Then Los Lobos sauntered on stage fresh from their Saturday show at the State Room and proceeded to be brilliant. Opening with Evangeline and moving onto “Shakin’ Shakin’ Shakes,” before being joined by the aforementioned Luther Dickinson for “Don’t Worry Baby.” You’re at an excellent show when you can see many people backstage watching the show and dancing during the opener.

Alecia Chakour reappeared to sing on a Steve Winwood cover, before Susan Tedeschi bounded on stage to give a stellar performance of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s going on?” Trucks reappeared for the next number, before the finale of “La Bamba” which also included Susan Tedeschi who, in the spirit of collaboration, was content to sing backup, with her own backup singers, for her opening act.

Then, the Tedeschi Trucks Band began their almost two-hour set with an a cappella number from the backup singers, before the band let rip with “Anyhow” and “Midnight in Harlem.“ Highlights from the set were the moments of collaboration. César Rosas from Los Lobos joined in for the straight up blues Hendrix number “The Sky Is Crying,” with Tedeschi pulling off an outrageous solo to remind us that her guitar is not just there for show. David Hidalgo was brought back out for “Learning To Live Together,” with he and Derek trading back and forth on the solos.

After a stellar performance of “Had To Cry Today,” a Blind Faith cover and the second song performed during the evening written by the perennially under-appreciated Steve Winwood, the main set closed with “Let Me Get By,” the title track of their Tedeschi Trucks’ latest album. The encore comprised of a soul version of James Taylor’s “Fire and Rain” and a brilliant cover of “Let’s Go Get Stoned” from Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs and Englishmen album – they absolutely knocked the bollocks off it!

Derek Trucks is undoubtedly a world-class guitar player, and is recognized as such by his peers and critics. But what sets him apart from the few contemporary blues guitar players who are young and can play at his level, such as Joe Bonamassa and Gary Clark Jr, is that Trucks has paired himself, professionally and personally (they are married), with a truly exceptional vocalist in Susan Tedeschi.

When Derek Trucks lets loose with his Gibson SG guitar, it is a sound that few on the planet can replicate. It’s the same story when Susan Tedeschi opens her mouth to sing. When you see phenomenal guitar players who sing, such Bonamassa and Clark Jr, the show can often be disappointing to some degree as the incredible guitar playing writes checks that limited vocal ability simply can’t cash. There are exceptions of course, such as Buddy Guy whose vocals were astonishing at Red Butte earlier this summer; but the combination of Susan’s vocals and Derek’s guitar work is absolutely outstanding.

In summary, this was one of the best shows in terms of quality and, less importantly, value for money at Red Butte this summer. I’m sure most of those lucky enough to attend are hoping for a repeat performance in 2017.

Peace, love, and dreadlocks — and Utah’s all in. Michael Franti & Spearhead will play to a sold-out crowd Tuesday night at Red Butte Gardens. The show is part of Franti’s American/European “SoulRocker” tour. Franti, with his signature dreadlocks, tattoos, and bare feet, uses his music as a form of activism for peace and social justice. Franti merges rap, hip-hop, reggae and jazz to make a positive statement with his music. His multi-platinum single “Say Hey (I Love You)” embodies his easy-going, catchy musical style — you know you had that track on a mix CD in 2008. Franti has performed with his band Spearhead since 1994. He made a film in 2000 titled I Know I’m Not Alone, where he journeyed to the Middle East to see how war affects the area’s inhabitants.

“I make music for one reason; I care about people and I care about the planet we live in. Right now the world needs music that speaks out against hate and violence, that speaks up in support of the planet, in support of justice for all of humanity — and also makes you dance!” – Michael Franti

The show is sold out. Doors open at 6:30, show starts at 7:30 with special guest Dustin Thomas.