Thursday, July 17, 2008

Summer Concert Junkies

We are self-admitted concert summer concert addicts. This year--thanks to Red Butte's condensed July-August schedule because of their venue construction--is really challenging our marathon-type conditioning for the summer concert schedule we are keeping. By the time we hit next Tuesday, we will have attended concerts 8 out of 11 days (and we could possibly go 9 for 11 if we choose to visit that wretched USANA where the Police and Elvis Costello are playing). The great part is that we do manage to have a hefty concert schedule without going there where it's way too far west, drinks and food are overpriced to say the least, and it just seems like a good venue gone bad.

The diversity is always interesting as well--one night we're at the Roots and the Knux with an insane crowd and lots of pot smoke; the next we are among the upper crust (or crusty?) at Wynton Marsalis (who is a living legend--even if you're not a huge Jazz fan because it truly is the American musical art). We've heard bluegrass, american roots, folk, rock, blues rock, jazz, and hip-hop within the last 7 days!

Anyway, the bands coming out to check out include:
Josh Ritter
Andrew Bird
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals
Emmylou Harris
Susan Tedeschi (with Derek Trucks)
(And those are just the next 5 days' worth of music in SLC.)

Unfortunately, you have already missed other great ones including those featured at the Utah Arts Festival, but you can try to make up for it by hitting the Rock n Blues Festival in August featuring Keb Mo, Bettye Lavette, the Iguanas, and Ruthie Foster.