Bonnie Raitt performed at the Red Butte Garden & Arboretum Outdoor Concert Series on September 9, one of the final — and most highly anticipated — concerts of the sprawling season.
Despite quite literally losing her breath midsong on account of the state’s altitude, the 76-years-young singer-guitarist more than delivered on all promises the sold-out audience had for her, offering up some of her greatest hits throughout the evening. We heard “Nick of Time,” “Thing Called Love,” and even “I Can’t Make You Love Me” too. Even opener Jon Cleary joined, lending his welcomed New Orleans style piano chops to all else. Did it feel intimate? Did it feel like she was respected for all she had to share, start to finish? Yes and yes.
Some performers sell all available tickets without needing to try so hard and Bonnie’s one of those. Consider that she began her career in 1967, releasing her debut album just a few years later (Bonnie Raitt, 1971), and that’s all the explanation you need. Consider, too, that she sounds as good (if not a lot like) another singer on her way to becoming larger than life: Brandi Carlile. (Close your eyes and they sound almost like the same person.) By all accounts, it was a comfortable way to spend an evening, filled with well-honed musicality and her trademark warmth. If we’re lucky, she’ll be back every summer for as long as she chooses to perform.
Read more of our Music coverage and get the latest on the Arts and Culture scene in and around Utah. And while you’re here, subscribe and get six issues of Salt Lake magazine, your curated guide to the best of life in Utah.
