Sound Script

Live at the Gallivan Center – Salt Lake Twilight Concert Series

Salt Lake City, Utah

Review and photos by Sam Howard

This year, we have an incredible lineup of musicians coming through town for the Salt Lake Twilight Concert series, and there is no better band to kick it off than Old Crow Medicine Show.  With the summer weather, fun crowds and good music, there has never been a better time to get outside and attend a concert. It is so exciting to have such a cool concert series each summer here in Salt Lake, and the season has just begun. 

Opening up the show was a local musician called Michelle Moonshine. Based right here in Utah, Michelle is a country singer that brings a soothing, folk vibe in their music. She was accompanied by two others on stage; one playing the upright bass, the other electric guitar. The trio created such a comfortable environment through their music, as well as being open and vulnerable about topics such as anxiety and mental health. This was a perfect set to start off the show as people filed in from the front gates. By the time the set finished out, there were fans slow dancing with each other, and ready for the sets to come. If you are a fan of country and folk music, then you need to catch Michelle Moonshine live and in concert to see just how beautiful their music and art really is. 

Next up on stage is a quartet based out of Colorado called Big Richard. Members Bonnie Sims, Hazel Royer, Eve Panning, and Grammy winning Cellist, Joy Adams make up the band that is Big Richard, and they took the stage by storm with an amazing country sound on stage. They got the crowd up and on their feet, dancing and cheering in a way that I can only describe as “hootin’ and hollerin’” to the music. The spirit of the music took over and there was this immediate and overwhelming feeling of positive energy. 

Playing their way through their set, the energy produced on stage as well as the synergy between the artists was unmatched. Not only would they play to the crowd, but to each other on stage. It felt as though the more fun the band had on stage, the more fun the crowd would have. From dancing with a partner, to square dancing in little groups in the crowd, the fans just couldn’t stand still to the music being played. As the quartet played through original songs, traditional covers, and not-so-traditional covers, Big Richard put on such an exciting opening set, ending it off with a cover of “Time” by Pink Floyd. Big Richard is a country group that should not be slept on, and I cannot wait to catch them on their next round of touring should they make a stop in Utah again. 

Headlining the night, it was time for Old Crow Medicine Show to take the stage. Coming out with a very chaotic and fun energy, the band took the stage and started their country tunes written about consuming various drugs and alcohol. It had such a classic country sound and the crowd went wild for everything happening on the stage. The showmanship alone was enough to catch the attention of anyone in the area, and it was so fun getting to watch each musician on stage perform. 

Ketch Secor, the frontman of the group, had an amazing stage presence and crowd interaction. He would go on to talk about playing shows in places like Moab, showing a long running history of the band performing in Utah. The way that the band would move while playing their instruments and dancing on stage, it was as if they were performing this sort of drunken waltz while playing each song. Old Crow proved on stage that there ain’t nothing like a fiddle to get your boots scootin’, and that is exactly what this Salt Lake crowd was doing.

Making their way through the set of both original music and traditional covers like “Tear It Down,” and “Poor Man,” the band kept the energy to a maximum and never wavered. At one point, Ketch even broke his bowstring playing the fiddle like a mad man. The amount of instruments being played on the stage was incredible as well. From the fiddle to an upright bass to a harmonica, it felt as though Old Crow brought every single instrument on tour with them. As they performed their song “Wagon Wheel,” which is their most popular song, the crowd sang every lyric back to the stage, ending their set with a bang. Following up with an encore of three songs, the band would take their final bows, and end the show. 

The Old Crow Medicine Show is something that I can only describe as positively chaotic and impressive. There wasn’t a single person at this show without a huge smile on their face, dancing to the cowboy sounds played throughout the night. I would love to see Old Crow return to play shows at Deer Valley or even Red Butte Garden, as these places would bring such a special vibe to the Old Crow music.