It seems that concerts are always a “hit or miss” type of deal for me. No matter how much I love the band, it seems their concerts are either bursting with energy, filled with their best songs or they fall flat with little connection and subpar performance levels. Luckily, Florida Georgia Line was the former.

Their Friday night performance at USANA was seen by an overflowing crowd, all of whom seemed to be having a great time (including the woman in front of us who seemed to have just a bit too much fun during the opening acts and drunkenly slept through all of Florida Georgia Line’s performance. Don’t you just love country concerts?)

Kane Brown, The Cadillac Three and Cole Swindell all performed shorter set lists but with three opening acts it seemed to take an obnoxious amount of time to get to the night’s main event. However, all was forgiven once Florida Georgia Line took the stage and started playing all of my favorites.

With an almost perfect blend, Florida Georgia Line scattered the show with old, familiar songs and some of their newer ones, off their upcoming album, Dig Your Roots, which is set to release in August.

Overall, the concert was filled with bounds of energy from both the band and the screaming crowd, making it a fun night for all.

Sunday saw the return to Salt Lake of blues guitarist Gary Clark Jr. in a show that had the Red Butte crowd on their feet from the moment he took the stage

Salt Lake based classic-rock aficionados The Weekenders had kicked things off earlier in the evening with a solid 35-minute set that was well received by the sold out crowd. 

Clark strolled on at 8:10 p.m., looking seriously cool. And as he began proceedings with a blistering version of “Bright Lights” it was clear he meant business. The exciting opener was followed by some impressive finger styling on “Next Door Neighbor Blues,” some rather lovely falsetto vocals on “Our Lady,” and an enjoyable mid tempo minor blues “When My Train Pulls In.” 

Midway through the show, a brief unplanned interlude occurred when Clark’s amplifier “blew up.” The Fender Vibro King amp in question was acquired from Who guitarist Pete Townshend during a European tour. It’s testament to how hard Gary plays that he managed to blow up an amp that once belonged to the loudest man in the history of rock.

The attention to detail with his choice of onstage equipment really helps Clark achieve a gorgeous tone from his rig. Using beautiful guitars such as modern custom shop reissues of 1963 Fender Strat, 1961 Gibson SG, and an Epiphone Casino, Gary is able play his own brand of blues that tips its hat to legends that include BB King, T-Bone Walker, John Lee Hooker, JJ Cale, and Frank Zappa.

But there’s more to Gary Clark Jr than shredding on the guitar and melting down amps. His soft ballads that were carefully positioned throughout the set were reminiscent of Dylan and Neil Young, particularly on the encore number “Church.” Like any good show, his setlist was a roller coaster and took the audience on a musical journey of highs and lows, fast and slow—but always nicely balanced.

At a June Red Butte concert, Buddy Guy spoke his concerns that blues music is dying out. Alongside Joe Bonnamassa and Derek Trucks (who plays Red Butte amphitheater with Susan Tedeschi, Aug. 7), Gary Clark Jr. is one of the most talented blues guitarists under the age of 40 playing today. If Sunday evening was anything to go by, Buddy can rest assured that the blues is alive and well and in very talented hands. At least one more generation will get to enjoy the blues.

“Whiplash.”

That’s how John Paul White described what the audience would get from his The State Room show Sunday night as he went from mellow acoustic to raucously loud in one song. But actually the whiplash started when the opener took the stage.

Magpie was already onstage when I arrived at the venue. One part Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, one part Lumineers, Magpie is something harder to explain than it is to watch. It was undeniable that they were having a great time onstage—the fiddler barely had a bow string left at the end of the show, the drummer twirled his drumsticks like a high school band majorette and banged on his kit like Animal from The Muppets, and the lead singer and guitarist’s instrument was held together by duct tape. But, their enthusiasm for what they were doing on the stage was infectious. They had the small crowd engaged throughout their set—some in appreciation, some in wonderment and for some, like me, a little of both.

And so, it was a shock to the system when John Paul White, whose gig posters say “John Paul White, formerly of The Civil Wars,” took the stage solo and belted out an a cappella “I Remember You” dressed in a suit and tie. He played alone, with just an acoustic guitar for a couple songs before being joined onstage by a small band—a keyboardist, a drummer and a bassist.

“Thanks for coming out on a Sunday,” he told the crowd in a charming southern drawl,“Are y’all in trouble?” It was a seemingly clear jab at Utah’s Mormon culture, but maybe not. After all, White hails from the bible belt and there’s plenty of folks there who take the Lord’s day just as seriously as practicing Mormons.

White played mostly new stuff, from a yet-to-be-released album dropping later this month. “It’s going to be a lot to digest,” he told the crowd as he chugged along. And while all of his songs are sad, lyrically, it was hard to tell when the band joined him, resulting in a loudness that was both unexpected and bordered on unpleasant when following the more mellow stuff on the setlist. The highlight of the set was a cover of Dan Seals’ “Everything That Glitters (Is Not Gold)” during which only White and his keyboardist, who took a turn on seemingly silent xylophone, were on the stage.

In the end, White brings the strength of a wordy songwriter, much like his fellow Alabaman and musical contemporary Jason Isbell, but he has a little growing to do into his new role as a solo act. The unassuming southern gentleman act is charming, but needs a little something. And maybe it was just because I’m so used to The Civil Wars beautiful harmonies, but I wish he’d brought someone, anyone—even a back-up singer—to provide a little more vocal depth to the show. And maybe he could have a little more fun onstage, even with the serious songs. Magpie could probably help with that.

Photos by Natalie Haws