The Park City Performing Arts Foundation has booked a rock-solid slate of shows to celebrate its 10th summer of concerts at Deer Valley Resort. It’s a great mix of rock, soul and pop sure to please a wide cross-section of Utahns.
Here is the schedule so far, with one more concert yet to be announced:
July 4: Los Lobos, Los Lonely Boys and Alejandro Escovedo–$35 lawn, $45/$55/$65 for reserved
July 15: Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers, Railroad Earth–$35 lawn, $45/$55/$65 for reserved
August 4: Muscle Shoals Live featuring Darlene Love–$35 lawn, $45/$55/$65 for reserved
August 17: Lyle Lovett and his Large Band–$35 lawn, $45/$55/$65 for reserved
August 24: Jewel–$40 lawn, $65/$75/$85 for reserved
August 31: One Republic, Sara Bareilles and Churchill–$40 lawn, $65/$75/$85 for reserved
Tickets go on sale for members of the Park City Performing Arts Foundation on Friday, April 19, and to the general public on May 1. All the details are available right here.
The first time I saw Colin Hay in concert, he was leading Men at Work on the band’s Cargo tour, and they had sold out the Omaha Civic Auditorium, a nondescript 12,000-seat arena typical of heartland cities.
My most vivid memory of that 1983 show is Hay’s maniacal dancing, highlighted overhead-projector-style onto the ceiling of the room, while the crowd danced all night to the reggae-tinged pop-rock coming from the stage.
The man has certainly mellowed with age, performing solo and all-acoustic to a seated sold-out State Room Wednesday night. But the witty way with words and his stellar storytelling ability made Hay’s solo show no less enchanting than that bombastic Men at Work show was to my 12-year-old self.
While Men at Work hailed from Australia, Hay is actually a Scot, and his accent and wry sense of humor combined to make his between-song tales of hanging with Paul McCartney or playing gigs to nine people–most of them self-effacing and hilarious–as vital a part of the show as his songs.
His songs, though, are pretty remarkable, too. Even though Men at Work’s ’80s hits earned Hay his following, his less-known solo work has allowed him to re-establish himself as a must-see touring artist.
On Wednesday, songs like “Beautiful World,” “I Just Don’t Think I’ll Ever Get Over You” and “Waiting for My Real Life to Begin” all showcased Hay’s strong voice and lyrical skill. Likewise, “Looking for Jack,” “Goodnight Romeo” and the instrumental “Gathering Mercury” proved fine additions to Hay’s catalog in his post-Men at Work years.
It’s a testament to Hay that his show wasn’t merely a run-through of old Men at Work favorites, and that made songs like “Overkill” all the more powerful when they did come into the show.
I went to Wednesday’s show as much for a personal dose of nostalgia as anything, but after seeing how good Hay is in 2013, I’ll definitely be seeing him again. Even if I have to sit through the show.
WEST SIDE STORY, CAPITOL THEATRE, Tuesday, April 16-Sunday, April 21, 432.50-$57.50
Roughly 50 years after its debut, West Side Story remains a musical-theater warhorse, drawing audiences to the story of star-crossed lovers Tony and Maria thanks to the inventive choreography and a musical score by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim that is considered a classic by many. There’s no arguing that songs like “I Feel Pretty” and “Tonight” have burrowed into the public consciousness in a way many songs never enjoy. This current touring production boasts the involvement of Tony-winning choreography Joey McKneely and lighting maestro Howell Binkley, among many Broadway vets.
HE’S MY BROTHER, SHE’S MY SISTER, THE STATE ROOM, Tuesday, April 16, 8 p.m., $15
Among the many labels used to describe the pleasing folk-rock of He’s My Brother She’s My Sister are “flamboyant folk,” “psych-acoustic” and “vaudeville-y,” and while those are all more or less accurate, the group led by brother-sister duo Robert and Rachel Kolar really needs to be experienced in person to be appreciated. The alternating boy-girl vocals of the siblings is a great calling card, as is the percussive approach of band drummer Lauren Brown, who is fond of showcasing her tap-dancing skills and using those taps as percussion on some tunes. The band’s debut album, Nobody Dances in This Town, was released earlier this year, and they’ve spent much of the past year on tour with the likes of Neko Case, My Morning Jacket and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. For this headlining show at The State Room, they’ll be joined by one of Utah’s own tour-happy bands, Desert Noises.
Once again, Utah’s best summer concert venue has a stellar, diverse lineup, and this year it includes a whopping 28 shows.
When I look at the lineup, I’m immediately drawn to a three-night season-closing blast that includes The Black Crowes, Neko Case and Earth, Wind & Fire–three of the most consistently great live acts I’ve ever seen. Among the other highlights? The previously announced David Byrne and St. Vincent show, a rare Salt Lake City appearance for Steely Dan, and return engagements by the likes of Trombone Shorty, Michael Franti and Brandi Carlile. Country fans will be pleased with the inclusion of Dwight Yoakam, Old Crow Medicine Show and Merle Haggard, while John Prine and Tony Bennett lend a considerable bit of class to the proceedings.
Tickets go on sale for Red Butte Garden members on April 29, and for the general public on May 6, and are available via the Red Butte Garden Website.
The 2013 Red Butte Summer Concert Series complete lineup:
Vampire Weekend and HAIM, May 21, $40 for Red Butte members, $45 for the public
Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, May 3o, $34/$39
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue and Big Head Todd & the Monsters, June 9, $38/$43
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, June 16, $37/$42
Jackson Browne and Sarah Watkins, June 19, $55/$60
Tony Bennett, June 20, $67/$72
Tedeschi Trucks Band, June 24, $44/$49
She & Him and Tilly and the Wall, June 25, $45/$50
Old Crow Medicine Show, July 5, $35/$40
Pink Martini, July 9, $37/$42
Rodrigo y Gabriela, July 12, $40/$45
Brandi Carlile and The Lone Bellow, July 14, $37/$42
David Byrne & St. Vincent, July 15, $50/$55
Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion Radio Romance Tour w/Aoife O’Donovan, July 17, $52/$57
Kenny Loggins with Blue Sky Riders, July 23, $42/$47
Dwight Yoakam, July 25, $42/$47
Merle Haggard, July 30, $45/$50
Medeski Martin & Wood and John Scofield’s Überjam Band, August 4, $35/$40
Steve Miller Band, August 7, $65/$70
Steely Dan, August 10, $70/$75
John Butler Trio, August 14, $33/$38
Michael Franti & Spearhead, August 18, $43/$48
John Prine, August 20, $45/$50
George Thorogood and the Destroyers and Buddy Guy, August 27, $48/$53
Wayne Shorter 80th Birthday Celebration, August 29, $45/$50
The Black Crowes, September 15, $42/$47
Neko Case, September 16, $35/$40
Earth, Wind & Fire, September 17, $58/$63
It’s your last chance to see the work of Chilean artist Andrea Wolf at CUAC. Her video “Six Memories I’ve Never Had” will be up through Saturday—that’s tomorrow!
Wolf explores and expands the medium of video layering performance and installation of found film footage and sculptural elements. Wolf shares with many contemporary artists a fascination with the way recordings of events replace or twist our memories of the events.
“Six Memories I’ve Never Had”— Through Friday, 12 a.m-7 p.m and Sat noon to 4 p.m.
CUAC (pronounced QUACK), 175 E. 200 South, Salt Lake City. www.cuartcenter.org (For you philistines, CUAC is next to Johnnys on Second—art, beer, pool, that’s a good thing.)
Daniel Nailen 