Taylor Swift at Empower Field

I saw Taylor Swift when she was in SLC for the 1989 Tour and it was one of the best concerts I've ever seen so, when the Eras Tour was announced, I really wanted to go.  Even though I ended up on the waitlist for the Verified Fan presale, I was still hopeful until the entire Ticketmaster site crashed.  Such was my mania to see this concert that, even though everyone was up in arms over the outrageous prices charged by scalpers (It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me), I resorted to StubHub and convinced my sister Marilyn to get a ticket as well.  We both spent the equivalent of the GNP of a small country for these tickets but it was absolutely worth it!  We drove to Denver for the show last night at Empower Field and it was an amazing three hour set celebrating all of Taylor Swift's studio albums, or eras, with pyrotechnics, intricate choreography (I love that she has backup dancers of all ethnicities and body types), multiple wardrobe changes (my favorites were an asymmetrical black catsuit embellished with red snakes for the Reputation era, a sparkly while and gold sequined princess gown for the Speak Now era, and a flowing white gown for the folklore era), a runway that extended across the floor of the stadium with a diamond-shaped stage in the center, and wristbands that lit up in sync with each song.  The Lover era was first and included "Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince," "Cruel Summer," "The Man," "You Need to Calm Down," "Lover," and "The Archer."  For the Fearless era she sang "Fearless," "You Belong With Me," and "Love Story."  Next came the evermore era and she performed "'tis the damn season," "willow," "marjorie," "champagne problems," and "tolerate it." The reputation era featured "...Ready for It," "Delicate," "Don't Blame Me," and "Look What You Made Me Do." Marilyn's favorite era is Speak Now and Taylor played her favorite song "Enchanted" and "Long Live" which was recently added to the set.  Next came Red, which is my favorite era, and she sang "22," "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," "I Knew You Were Trouble," and "All Too Well."  For the folklore era she included "the 1," "betty," "the last great american dynasty," "august," "illicit affairs," "my tears ricochet" (one of my favorite Taylor Swift songs), and "cardigan."  The 1989 is another favorite era of mine and I loved hearing "Style," "Blank Space," "Shake It Off," "Wildest Dreams," and "Bad Blood."  Next came the surprise songs (which are exclusive to each show).  I have been paying attention and, after seeing a lot of my favorites get performed already, I was really eager to see what the Denver songs would be.  On the drive Marilyn and I decided that we wanted to hear "Back to December" and I about lost my mind when she actually played it (she also played "Starlight").  The show concluded with the Midnights era including "Lavender Haze," "Anti-Hero," "Midnight Rain," "Vigilante Shit," "Bejeweled," "Mastermind," and "Karma" (another one of my favorite Taylor Swift songs).  Swift is a consummate performer and every song felt like an elaborate theatrical production (my favorite performances were for "willow" because she and her dancers wore green velvet cloaks and carried orbs of light while cavorting in a circle like druids, for "the 1" because she was lying on the roof of a moss covered cabin while patterns of trees appeared in the crowd from the lights on the wristbands, and for "Vigilante Shit" because she and her dancers executed stylized Fosse-like choreography with chairs).  Marilyn and I both really loved this show (and so did the tens of thousands of appreciative fans all around us).  The tickets were ridiculously expensive and we had to drive eight hours but this experience is one I won't soon forget (and I would do it again in a heartbeat).

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One

I love the Mission: Impossible franchise (I have very fond memories of watching Ghost Protocol the day it opened with my Dad and I included Fallout in my top ten of 2018) so I was really excited to see Dead Reckoning Part One last night in a packed theater!  I think Fallout is still my favorite but I absolutely loved this!  An experimental AI achieves sentience and infiltrates all major military and intelligence agencies and the only way it can be controlled, or destroyed, is with two parts of a cruciform key.  Every government around the world wants to find the keys for possible world dominion, including the U.S., so CIA director, and former IMF director, Eugene Kittridge (Henry Czerny) sends Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) on a covert mission to acquire one of the keys which leads him to disavowed MI6 agent Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson).  Ethan ultimately decides that this AI, now known as the Entity, is too powerful for one government to possess so he, Ilsa, and his team, Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) and Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg), go on an unsanctioned mission to acquire the second key in order to destroy it.  Not only must they elude U.S. government agents (Shea Whigham and Greg Tarzan Davis) sent to stop them but they also run afoul of a talented pickpocket with ambiguous loyalties (Hayley Atwell), a ruthless French assassin (Pom Klementieff), and the international arms broker Alanna Mitsopolis (Vanessa Kirby) before Ethan comes face to face with Gabriel (Esai Morales), a nemesis from his past who gives him a devastating choice.  This is a big action blockbuster (it should definitely be seen on the biggest screen possible) with some amazing set pieces, including a thrilling car chase through the streets of Rome, the much-hyped motorcycle jump off a mountain (Tom Cruise is a madman), hand-to-hand combat on top of a moving train, and the epic derailment of the aforementioned train, but the story is also incredibly compelling (and timely) with high stakes for both the world and for Ethan personally.  Cruise is not only brilliant in all of the action sequences but he gives a really affecting performance as a man forced to evaluate all of the choices he has made and all of the collateral damage those choices have caused.  Atwell's performance is also a highlight from a strong ensemble cast.  I had a great time watching this (I was often on the edge of my seat and even laughed out loud a few times at some great one-liners from Benji) and the 163 minute run-time flew by.  I can't wait for the conclusion next summer!

Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella at Murray Park Amphitheater

Last night I had so much fun at another summer outdoor performance.  This time I saw a production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella at Murray Amphitheater and it is enchanting!  In this more contemporary version of the classic fairy tale, Cinderella (Kennady Call) is a social reformer who must rescue Prince Topher (Mark Carter Williams) from the evil Lord Protector Sebastian (Alan Lafleur) who is deceiving him about the conditions in his kingdom.  Her stepmother Madame (Wendy Richhart) and stepsister Charlotte (Emma Thomas) treat her badly but her other stepsister Gabrielle (Katie Revels) becomes a sympathetic co-conspirator in pursuit of her own romance with a revolutionary named Jean-Michel (Remick F. Lafleur).  An old beggar woman named Marie (Katie Hill) becomes her Fairy Godmother after Cinderella shows her some kindness and, while she does help her get to the ball, she tells her that she herself has the power to make her dreams come true.  After falling in love with Cinderella at the ball, Topher takes her advice and turns his kingdom into a constitutional monarchy where everyone can live happily ever after.  I really liked the entire cast but Call and Hill are standouts for me because their roles require an impressive vocal range and they definitely deliver in the songs "In My Own Little Corner," "Impossible," "Glass Slipper/ It's Possible," and "There Is Music In You."  Williams also has a lovely voice and he has great chemistry with Call in the songs "Ten Minutes Ago" and "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful."  Richhart and Thomas steal the show with all of their antics and I especially loved Richhart's evil laugh and Thomas' hilariously awkward rendition of "Stepsister's Lament."  The choreography is really clever, especially when the dancers mimic the hands of a clock in "Ten Minutes Ago."  I also enjoyed the staging of "Me, Who Am I" because Prince Topher rides his horse out into the audience and "The Pursuit" because members of the ensemble look for Cinderella in the audience with lanterns (the children were giving them lots of directions) and the transformation of the Fox, the Raccoon, and the Owl is ingenious (be sure to watch these puppets during the whole show).  Speaking of transformations, Marie's Fairy Godmother dress and Cinderella's sparkling ball gown are beautiful and the rest of the ball gowns are a lot of fun.  Finally, the set is one of the best I've seen at the Murray Park Amphitheater!  There is an elaborate palace with marble columns and a grand staircase leading to a balcony, a forest area, and the exterior of Cinderella's stone cottage.  Various set pieces are also brought in and my favorites were a water fountain used in "The Prince Is Giving a Ball" and Cinderella's golden carriage.  This is a wonderful show for families to enjoy in an outdoor setting and I highly recommend it!  There are performances on July 10, 13, 14, and 15 (go here for tickets).

Bryan Adams at the Maverik Center

I was a huge fan of Bryan Adams (he's Canadian!) back in the day so I pretty much lost my mind when I saw this concert announcement because the last time I saw him was for the Waking Up the World Tour in 1992 at the Delta Center!  That concert was one of my very favorites so I have been counting down the days until I could see him again and he certainly did not disappoint!  He was in town in support of his latest album So Happy It Hurts and he played several songs from it, including the title track, "Kick Ass," and "I've Been Looking For You," but he mostly played his biggest hits for close to two hours and I sang along to every word!  I especially loved "Somebody," "Please Forgive Me," "One Night Love Affair," "Heaven," "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You," "Summer of '69," and "Run to You," which is my favorite Bryan Adams song.  He gave a heartfelt performance of "It's Only Love" and dedicated it to Tina Turner (who recorded the duet with him).  In the middle of the set he said that he liked to take requests from the audience.  I screamed "Cuts Like a Knife" as loud as I could and I don't know if he heard me (everyone in my section turned around to look at me when I did it) but it was one of the songs he sang along with "I'm Ready" and "Kids Wanna Rock."  He ended his main set with a cover of "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" by Frankie Valli and he dedicated it to the crowd in appreciation for supporting him throughout his career.  For the encore he came back to the stage alone and performed acoustic versions of "Straight From the Heart" and "All For Love" which were amazing!  I really love the distinctive rasp in his voice and he sounded great, especially during all of the big power ballads.  He was also really funny in his interactions with the crowd.  He said at the beginning of the show that he would be playing a lot of songs because he has 16 albums but not every one of them because he can't remember half of those albums!  The stage was very stripped down with just a piano, a drum kit, and rows of guitar racks and amplifiers in front of a large screen.  He didn't need any pyrotechnics or other effects because he came to rock!  I have to admit that I was a bit twitterpated seeing him again after all of these years and I had so much fun revisiting my youth at this concert!  Nostalgia seems to be the theme for many of the concerts that I have seen (Shania Twain, Duran Duran, and The Cure) and will be seeing (The Smashing Pumpkins, Foreigner, Sting, and U2) this year and it all started with buying a ticket to this show!

Note:  The opening act was Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and it was a fantastic set!  I especially loved "Cherry Bomb," "I Love Rock 'n' Roll," "I Hate Myself For Loving You," "Crimson and Clover," and "Bad Reputation."

Joy Ride

Last night I went to an advance screening of Joy Ride at the Broadway (there have been a lot of early screenings for this around town but I always like to support the Salt Lake Film Society whenever I can) and I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes and then I had tears in my eyes for real!  Audrey Sullivan (Ashley Park) was adopted from China as a baby and her Caucasian parents encouraged her to befriend Lolo Chen (Sherry Cola), the only other Chinese-American child in the neighborhood.  She is now a high-powered lawyer in an exclusive firm and, when she is sent to China to close an important deal, she brings the ne'er-do-well Lolo with her to translate and Lolo invites her eccentric cousin Deadeye (Sabrina Wu) along for the ride.  In China they meet up with Audrey's college friend Kat (Stephanie Hsu), who is now a famous actress, and eventually decide to find Audrey's birth mother to impress her prospective client. When they run afoul of a drug smuggler and are removed from a train without their passports, they are forced to take a wild cross-country trip and hi-jinks ensue (my favorite is when they try to board a private jet by impersonating K-pop stars).  This is hilariously outrageous (some might find it too raunchy but I laughed out loud through the whole thing) but it also has a lot of heart with really affecting themes of friendship, empowerment, and identity.  There is an incredibly moving scene near the end about knowing where you come from that took me by surprise because it is so tender.  Each of the four characters (who are very different and defy many Asian stereotypes) have compelling arcs and the actresses playing them are fantastic with great comedic timing and genuine chemistry with each other.  It won't be for everyone (it is definitely a hard-R) but it is a really fun movie to see with a big crowd and I recommend it to fans of these kinds of comedies.