Herbie Hancock played at Red Butte Garden and Arboretum on August 13, 2026.
He and his band were in some kind of a mood … and it was a really good one. The multiple Grammy award winner and his band of merrymen, every one an all-star — Terence Blanchard on trumpet/keyboards, Lionel Loueke on guitar/vocals, James Genus on bass, and Jaylen Petinaud on drums — were all smiles in Salt Lake City. They offered a string of jazz originals that both made and kept us comfortable. By the tail end of their performance, Hancock had coaxed most of the crowd on its feet. And that’s in spite of long rain delays. In spite of wrestling with soggy grass, ponchos, and umbrellas We were wet, but we danced.
Maybe Hancock’s good spirits can account for why we got to hear some of the most celebrated songs in his catalog. Years ago, when I saw him and Wayne Shorter play in Orlando, it was a very different scenario, and we heard no songs we knew; the duo admitted afterward that they’d improvised their show in its entirety. This time around, though, familiarity was on proud display. “Maiden Voyage” started the show, “Rockit” and “Footprints” each made appearances, and the night ended with a very drawn-out version of “Watermelon Man,” which came replete with keytar. Lots and lots of keytar.
Photos by Natalie Simpson. IG: @beehivephotovideo
Because every song played was a song I never expected to hear live, not in this lifetime, they felt like gifts. The image I’ll take away from the night, though, is seeing 86-year-old Herbie jump up and down facing his bassist for what felt like a few nonstop minutes. They were dancing in time with their playing, and they’d stop whenever they were good and ready. Who says you have to slow down as you tack on more years? Just make certain the music never stops.
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