I have seen The Avett Brothers, at my best recollection, six or seven times. I have seen them play at a small venue in Park City, I saw them play a not-sold-out rainy show at Gallivan Center, and I have seen them more than once at Red Butte. Last night was my least favorite of all of those shows, for reasons I can’t quite put my finger on.

I don’t know. Maybe it was the setlist. Maybe it was me. But they seemed less chatty than usual and, even in the front row, I didn’t feel the connection that the band usually shares with their audience—the connection I wanted my 12 year-old-son Charlie, an Avetts super fan, to feel live and in person.

Bursting onto the stage with “Die, Die, Die” the always-energetic band blew through a setlist full of favorites—songs like “Shame,” “D-Bag Rag” (with kazoos, obviously), “Go To Sleep,”  “February Seven,” “Murder in the City,” and “Talk on Insolence” were interspersed between songs from their new album True Sadness, like the bass-heavy “Ain’t No Man” and a tale of divorce—and yodeling— in “Divorce Separation Blues.”

Let me be clear: a bad night for The Avett Brothers is still a really good night for music.

These boys (and one girl) really bring it. Brothers Scott and Seth Avett (banjo and guitar, respectively) harmonize like angels and took turns taking the lead all night—who says brothers can’t share?

A large part of The Avett’s success has been their band, which has grown in size in the years I’ve seen them tour. Cellist Joe Kwon—who is more metal as any cellist on the planet—drummer Mike Marsh, Bob Crawford on bass, pianist Paul Defiglia and violinist Tania Elizabeth create the trademark Avett sound—and do so in spite of not even receiving an introduction to the audience by their band’s namesakes. None of them leave anything on the stage. It’s remarkable that they’re able to play with that kinetic energy night after night, really.

It was during the encore that the band really hit their stride, though. Starting out with the poppy and peppy “Kick Drum Heart” bringing brother Seth into the crowd, with members of the audience holding up his guitar cables. Then it was on to a raucous version of Willie Nelson’s “Stay All Night” and they closed the set with “No Hard Feelings.”

Indeed. No hard feelings. I’ll see you next time, Avetts.

Dolly Parton’s performance Tuesday night at the UCCU Center showed that the 70-year-old star can still put on a show.  Dolly apologized for a slight cough and a case of the sniffles – not that it affected her singing performance at all.

“Me with a chest cold is like a giraffe with a sore throat,” Parton said. She kept those jokes coming all night.

The “backwoods Barbie” commanded the stage in a dress dripping with rhinestones. Parton busted out “Jolene,” and then treated the audience to new songs from her latest album Pure & Simple, an album she said was entirely of love songs.

Miss Parton is a beautiful storyteller. She told of growing up in a poor family of 12 children with parents who taught her the value of hard work, humility and acceptance.

“Everybody should be proud of where they’re from and who they are,” Parton said. “We had all the kind of stuff that money doesn’t buy: love, compassion and kindness.”

When Dolly sang “Coat of Many Colors,” the love she has for her mother and her upbringing was right there on stage. She expertly played the steel guitar for “Tennessee Mountain Home” as she told of the homesickness she experienced as a young performer.

“I graduated from high school on a Friday night, and on Saturday morning I hopped on a Greyhound to go find stardom,” Parton said.

The show’s atmosphere was very personal as Parton continued to tell stories and make the audience laugh. I’m firmly convinced that Dolly Parton can play any instrument she touches; she played an acoustic guitar, an electric guitar, a steel guitar, a fiddle, a banjo, a saxophone and a baby grand piano. In true Dolly fashion, every instrument is decorated with plenty of sparkles.

Parton got the crowd going when she brought up insanity of the current presidential election.

“I was thinking I might run,” Parton said to an explosion of cheers. “I’ve got the hair for it! I’m a self-made woman, and I’ve got the doctor’s bills to prove it!”

Dolly then showcased her southern gospel roots with renditions of “The Seeker” and “Precious Memories.”

After a short intermission – with an expected hair and outfit change — Parton used her strong and soulful voice to sing a few measures of Alicia Keys’ “Girl on Fire.” Dolly can sing whatever she wants as loud as she wants, and we would never want her to stop. Parton performed a few songs from the Trio albums, originally recorded alongside Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt. The party really got started when Dolly sang “Here You Come Again,” “Two Doors Down,” “Islands in the Stream,” and a dance-worthy version of “9 to 5.”

Parton closed the night with “I Will Always Love You,” and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t eek out an itty bitty tear.

Country music duo, Florida Georgia Line will perform at USANA amphitheater on Friday, July 29.

Often seen as the “pop” side of country music, duo members Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley, have nonetheless skyrocketed to success since their band’s debut in 2010. Most recently, Florida Georgia Line has become the first country music act to be awarded RIAA’s DIAMOND certification (10 million copies sold) for their hit single “Cruise.” Plus, their recent single “H.O.L.Y.” is currently #1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs List.

Florida Georgia Line’s unique style of music, blending country, pop and rock all together, has led them to 11 #1 hits over the past six years, along with numerous CMT, ACM and AMA awards, including three consecutive years as CMT’s Vocal Duo of the Year.

Stopping in Salt Lake as a part of their DIG YOUR ROOTS tour, their show will start at 7 p.m., doors open at 5:30 p.m. Special guests for the night include Cole Swindell, The Cadillac Three and Kane Brown.

Their newest album, Dig Your Roots, is scheduled to release this August.

USANA amphitheater is located at 5200 S 6200 W. Tickets are available here.

What can one say about Willie Nelson that has not already been said?

Rolling Stone calls him “One of America’s greatest songwriters, a hero from Texas to San Francisco, a hippie’s hippie and a redneck’s redneck,” and that’s not even the half of it. He’s an old school troubadour, who got his start writing songs for other people (including Patsy Cline’s “Crazy”) and now, in that full-circle way the universe seems to love, a fair amount of his most recent releases have included him covering other people’s songs.

It seems that same universe loves Willie Nelson. The 83-year-old seems to do best when he’s “On The Road Again” (see what I did there?) with his older sister Bobbie on the piano and his road-worn guitar, Trigger. There’s only a handful of people in the entire music industry as universally liked and respected as Nelson—at a Willie Nelson concert you will find grizzled old bikers in leather vests, hipster twenty-somethings and grandparents.

And he’s a Renaissance man. Not only is he a singing and songwriting tour de force, nelson is an accomplished actor, advocate for the environment and the face of the legalize weed movement.

Here’s what to expect at a Willie Nelson concert: He’ll open with “Whiskey River.” He’ll close with “I’ll Fly Away.” And he’ll play his ass off in between with little banter between songs, except for when he’s giving credit to his band. Some of us (ahem) will have a darn-near religious experience. And you’ll walk away believing in the youth preserving power of pot.

Willie Nelson & Family performs at Red Butte Garden on Thursday, July 28. The show is sold-out and it’s likely that even scalpers have a wait-list for this one, but if you’ve got the money, honey..

The doors open at 6:30 and the show starts at 7:30.