The Magic of Queen at Sandy Amphitheater

I think Sandy Amphitheater is a great venue (it has a similar vibe to the Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre but without all of the hassle of getting in and out) for summer concerts and the one there last night was so much fun!  The Magic of Queen is an amazing show featuring Brody Dolyniuk and his band performing the music of Queen (they also have shows featuring the music of Led Zeppelin and Elton John).  I have seen this show before and I enjoyed it so much I immediately got a ticket to see it again as soon as they went on sale!  They began with "One Vision" and the older gentleman sitting next to me was really impressed that I knew the words to this because he didn't recognize it!  He obviously had no idea who he was dealing with because I love Queen and I sang along to every single song!  They continued with "Tie Your Mother Down" (my neighbor told me that he definitely recognized this one), "Play the Game," "Keep Yourself Alive," "You're My Best Friend" (a highlight for me), "Killer Queen" (one of my favorite Queen songs), "Now I'm Here," "Somebody to Love," "Under Pressure," and "Love of My Life."  Then the crowd got to their feet for rousing renditions of "Another One Bites the Dust" and "Fat Bottomed Girls."  Next came "Crazy Little Thing Called Love," "Radio Ga Ga" (complete with clapping), and an epic version of "Bohemian Rhapsody" (which was another highlight of the night for me).  They ended their set with "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions" with lots of audience participation!  Dolyniuk sounds so much like Freddie Mercury that you might be fooled into thinking that you are really listening to Queen but he doesn't try to imitate him.  He has his own charismatic stage presence and I really enjoyed all of his banter with the audience.  It was a perfect summer night for a concert because, while it was hot when I got there, it cooled off a bit and it was wonderful listening to music as the sun went down!  Go here for a schedule of concerts at Sandy Amphitheater this summer.

Note:  I ran into a couple of people who said they knew I would be at this concert!  Have I mentioned that I really love Queen?

Summer of Outdoor Performances

In my opinion there is nothing better than sitting outside under the stars on a warm summer evening listening to music or watching a performance.  It is my favorite thing to do in the summer and I really missed having the opportunity last summer.  This year I was determined to visit all of my favorite outdoor performing arts venues and I even made a list!  I can happily report that I officially crossed off all but one venue on my list (I had planned on going to a concert at the Gallivan Plaza, the final venue on my list, last night but it was cold and raining so I decided not to).  Now that it is officially fall, I thought it would be fun to recap all of my summer adventures.

Murray Park Amphitheater

My sister Marilyn and I took our Mom to see The Little Mermaid at the Murray Park Amphitheater and all three of us really enjoyed this fun and quirky production.  My Mom had a smile on her face the entire time!  I loved all of the costumes for the sea creatures (especially the jelly fish) and Ursula was an absolute hoot because she was characterized as an over-the-top drag queen!

Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre

My first road trip of 2021 was a weekend in Cedar City for the Utah Shakespeare Festival and it was such a great experience.  I was able to see two plays in the outdoor Engelstad Theatre (I also saw a marvelous production of Ragtime in the indoor Randall L. Jones Theatre) and I thoroughly enjoyed them both but I think Richard III is the highlight of the summer!  It is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays and the lead actor was brilliant in the role!

Waterfall Amphitheatre at Thanksgiving Point

The Utah Symphony performs in various outdoor venues during the summer and the annual Concert at the Waterfall is always a good time!  The concert this year featured lots of patriotic favorites and culminated in a spectacular version of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, which is incredibly stirring, and fireworks!

Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheater at Deer Valley

 

This year I was able to attend two concerts at Deer Valley!  I love being in the mountains (where it is usually much cooler than in the valley) and eating a picnic while waiting for the show to start.  My first concert was Kristin Chenoweth and it was so much fun because she is such a dynamic performer!  The highlights were "Popular" from Wicked and one of the best performances of "Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables that I have ever heard.

My second concert at Deer Valley featured the Utah Symphony and guest conductor Enrico Lopez-Yanez (he is so charming and engaging) performing music from the Harry Potter movies.  I really enjoy these movies so it was a lot of fun to hear selections from the different scores performed live.  My favorite pieces were "Double Trouble" from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (with vocalists from each house) and "Courtyard Apocalypse" from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II.

Eccles Outdoor Stage at Sundance

This year the Summer Theatre production at the Sundance Mountain Resort (in conjunction with the UVU Theatre Department) was Footloose.  This is not my favorite musical but I enjoyed many aspects of the show and I definitely loved being up in the mountains because of the fresh air, the cooler temperature, and the smell of pine!

Sandy Amphitheater

I am a huge fan of Queen so I was really excited to see The Magic of Queen (a great tribute band) at the Sandy Amphitheater.  Lead singer Brady Dolyniuk sounded a lot like Freddie Mercury (but he didn't try to imitate him) so it was a lot of fun to hear all of Queen's biggest hits performed live.  Of course, my favorite was an epic rendition of "Bohemian Rhapsody."

Tuacahn Amphitheatre

I was able to go on another quick road trip to Southern Utah to see Beauty and the Beast at Tuachan.  I used to see at least one show at Tuacahn every summer but I hadn't been for a long time.  It felt good to be back seeing a show with the beautiful red rock as a backdrop.  This was an absolutely magical production of Beauty and the Beast (with lots of unexpected special effects) and it made me feel like I was seeing it for the first time!

Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre

I always love attending concerts at Red Butte Garden because it is such a beautiful venue!  This year I was really lucky because Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, one of my favorite bands, was part of the Outdoor Concert Series and somehow I was able to get a ticket (it sold out very quickly).  I thoroughly enjoyed this show because they played so many songs from their new album (which I love) as well as many of my favorites.

USANA Amphitheatre

Another highlight of the summer is seeing Alanis Morissette at USANA with my sister Kristine.  We are both huge fans of Morissette and we both love the album Jagged Little Pill, which she performed in its entirety to commemorate 25 years since its release.  It was so fun to be back at USANA for the first time in over two years for such an amazing concert!

It has been a great summer!

Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real at Red Butte Garden

In my quest to visit all of my favorite outdoor performing arts venues this summer I went to see Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real at the Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre last night and it made me so happy to listen to live music while sitting under the stars!  I was first introduced to Promise of the Real when they backed Neil Young on tour and then I saw them again at the Commonwealth Room a few years ago.  I really love their rock-country sound and they always put on a great show!  They played quite a few songs from their latest album A Few Stars Apart, which I absolutely love, including "Perennial Bloom (Back to You)," "Throwin' Away Your Love," "More Than We Can Handle," "Leave 'Em Behind," and "A Few Stars Apart."  They also played some of my favorite songs, including "Start To Go," "Four Letter Word," "Fool Me Once," "Just Outside of Austin," "Little Girl," "Die Alone" "Carolina," and "(Forget About) Georgia."  They ended their set with a rousing rendition of "Find Yourself" with lots of audience participation.  For the encore they played "Wildest Dream" and "Smile" from the new album and then "Entirely Different Stars," a cover of "Get Off Of My Cloud" by the Rolling Stones, an incredibly passionate performance of "The Awakening" (which was my favorite of the evening), and "Something Real."  I think Lukas Nelson has an amazing voice (he sounds a lot like like his father Willie Nelson but a bit sultrier) and I really enjoyed seeing him play the piano in addition to his usual guitar.  He was very charismatic last night and joked quite a bit with the crowd.  It was a fantastic concert, not just because Promise of the Real put on such a great show, but also because hearing music performed live still feels like such a novelty!  I had a smile on my face the whole time and I will probably be on a high from this show for at least a week!  Red Butte Garden is a great venue and there are still some shows in the summer concert series (go here for tickets).  I definitely recommend checking one of them out.

Bryce Canyon 2021

After I drove through Zion on Sunday I decided to stay on Highway 89, as I often do, and visit Bryce Canyon.  It adds a lot more time to the drive home but, once again, the views are worth it and the drive to the park is also very scenic.  Bryce was a bit more crowded than Zion but I was still able to park at all of the viewpoints.  Here is another overload of pictures!

I really enjoyed the drive through the park because it was much cooler than in St. George and Zion and, of course, the rock formations are pretty spectacular!

Zion 2021

Ever since I visited it for the first time when I was a little girl I have been drawn to Zion National Park.  Every time I come to St. George I have a really hard time resisting the urge to drive home through the park.  It adds quite a bit of time to the drive (it doesn't cost anything because I have an America the Beautiful pass which paid for itself the first weekend I got it) but it is so worth it because the views are incredible.  I got up early yesterday morning and drove straight there.  I basically had the park to myself (which is very unusual).  Here is an overload of pictures!

I had such a great time in the park yesterday!  There is something almost mystical about the red rocks!