Viva Salt Lake, Salt Lake City, UT, 6-6-09

Event: Viva Salt Lake
Featured Artists: Royal Bliss, 10 Years, Pop Evil, The Veer Union, Broke City, Mullet Hatchet, Split Lid
Date: June 6, 2009
Venue: The Gallivan Plaza, Salt Lake City, UT
Reviewer: Shauna Brock
Links:
www.royalbliss.com / www.myspace.com/royalbliss
www.10yearsmusic.com / www.myspace.com/10years
www.popevil.com / www.myspace.com/popevil
www.theveerunion.com / www.myspace.com/theveerunion
www.brokecitymusic.com / www.myspace.com/brokecity
www.mullethatchet.com
www.myspace.com/splitlid

In the heart of downtown Salt Lake is a cozy little pavilion that can hold a few thousand people and is used regularly for outdoor concerts, events, and other showcases. And for the last three years, on a Saturday in June, it has been taken over by a revolution led by the hard rocking ruffians at 97.5 The Blaze, one of Salt Lake's few commercially viable independent music stations and the only one devoted to hard rock and heavy metal. After nearly losing the station to a corporate takeover last year, The Blaze re-emerged on a new frequency and every day their tag line can be heard across the airwaves in the Salt Lake Valley: "The revolution marches on. Fighting corporate radio." What they're doing is working. Symbolized by the famous revolutionary red fist (only this fist is wielding a flying V guitar), Viva SLC hosts local and internationally known acts for less than ten dollars for the day. Says station manager Kayvon Montee, "Viva Salt Lake is actually the best deal in the country." The third year lineup included local acts Broke City (who were performing at their second Viva) and Split Lid, the southern-rock cover band Mullet Hatchet, nationally known acts The Veer Union, Ten Years, and Pop Evil, and was headlined by local heroes and three-time Viva veterans Royal Bliss, who have gained national attention. During set ups between shows, local piano man Spencer Nielsen entertained from the private lounge tent. This year, with the eight bands rocking it out on the only sunny day in weeks, the party raged and rocked harder than it had in the past. Fans crowded together in the amphitheater, in mohawked, tattooed glory to mosh, head bang, and rock, while around them, local businesses hawked their services. Even bands who weren't performing turned out in support of the local scene. As the day wore on, the all too familiar clouds appeared but only served one purpose: to keep the temperature down. Right at 1:30, newcomers Split Lid took the stage and introduced the crowd to their pit-inspiring chords and rhythms. Led by heavily tattooed front man Shecky, they gave great, loud energy that was fast and hard and a perfect reflection of where it seems hard rock is heading at the moment. A far cry from the whining tenor of so many current front men, Shecky follows in the footsteps of Rev Theory's Rich Luzzi and Pop Evil's Leigh Kakaty. As with most live shows, something was occasionally lost in the mix and while most of the time it was Shecky's voice, when it did come through the speakers it was clear and gravelly gave him instant crowd charisma. But the highlights of the short set that included "Best of Me," "Risk it All," and "Weigh Down" were the guitar solos that honored heavy metal and hard rock traditions, solos that are often missing in today's world of radio-ready hits. Shortly after Split Lid's rocking set, southern-rock cover band Mullet Hatchet took the stage in costumes that included a camouflaged veteran on bass, a lead singer in overalls, and pregnant, pigtailed tambourine player. (Side note: the tambourine player was Marcy, one of the original DJs at the Blaze and she was welcomed back with many a whoop and cheer.) As Mullet Hatchet took the stage in front of a confederate flag and a "Veterans for McCain" campaign sign, they cried out "Welcome to Gay Pride" in seeming solidarity with Salt Lake's Gay Pride Festival which was happening that same weekend and the comment was greeted with raucous applause. The band rocked through such classics as "China Grove," "Mississippi Queen," "Stop Dragging my Heart Around," and a fantastic rendition of "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" that featured the final violin solo on guitar. Whether it was a case of the violin malfunctioning or they had planned it, it didn't matter. The crowd danced and played and yes, many requests for "Freebird" were hollered out and yet none of them filled. Salt Lake quartet Broke City took the stage shortly after. More alternative than hard rock, the band has appeared on the Warped Tour and more than once opened X96's Big Ass Show, the festival hosted by Salt Lake's independent alternative station. Introduced by Blaze DJ Monroe as "[The band] with the best bass player on stage today," Broke City brought a mellow feeling to the stage but did not disappoint as they showed the Salt Lake rock audience they were maturing into a band worthy of the respect and attention The Blaze has been showing them. Fronted by a tenor who can actually pull off the sound, Joel Pack led the band through a myriad of songs that included "A Life you Won't Miss," "Anything Stronger," and "Just Give me a Moment." While Split Lid had a more "in your face" rock presence, Broke City holds the audience in the palm of its hand with unpredictability and a sound who can only be compared to bands like The Killers. At one point, Pack commented, "We're making believers out of the naysayers one at a time." And as the band rocked the stage, they made believers out of the Viva audience. As Vancouver's The Veer Union took the stage, I found myself face to face with the next generation of rock. A more guitar-oriented Broke City, The Veer Union is a perfect mix of rock, hard rock, and metal chords. Lead singer Crispin Earl rocks in his mohawk and tribal tattoos even while crooning out love ballads like "Breathing In." The entire band connected completely with the audience and it was clear even to the most casual observer that they were all having fun and so glad to be there. Even better, they proved they could stay on key in an a capella situation and three songs in, I could see Split Lid and The Veer Union on a future bill together. It didn't take long for the mosh pit to form and with each song it grew larger and larger. As the band took the crowd on a musical journey through songs like "Youth of Yesterday," "This is Where I Want to Be," "Darker Side of Me," and the call and response "Final Moment" that sampled chords from "Final Countdown" Earl showed he can do ballads, but his skill is with the hard rocking, head banging anthems. During a break between songs, he noted that Salt Lake was one of the very first markets to pick up their music and thanked the city for helping to propel them to where they currently are. The highlight of the set, however, was called "The Experiment." The reason for the name? They never know where the song is going to go. Allowing for the band members to show off their instrumental talents, the song became a funk-rock progressive exploration of style and substance, leading to a drum solo that blew me right out of the amphitheater. That song more than the rest of the performance made me a fan. Shortly after, Big Rog came on to make an announcement about some rock and roll sacrilege that was happening right at that moment! "The beer guys tell us they sold more beer when Disney was here a couple of weeks ago!" He ordered the audience to get drinking while current hard rock hit makers Pop Evil took the stage. Cool, collected, and completely in control, Pop Evil is not afraid of guitar solos, rap rock, or even the touching ballad. Led by front man perfection Leigh Kakaty, the band has been seen touring recently with Candlebox, Royal Bliss, and even Motley Crue. They opened the set with the head banging "Breathe" and never let up on the energy for the entire time they were on stage. The current CD, Lipstick on the Mirror, feels a bit mainstream at times but on stage, the band pushes those mainstream, radio sounds aside. They are ear-splitting and full of sexual energy that fits in as well with the eighties mindset of Crue, Judas Priest, and White Snake as it does with the newer sounds on which they are leading the charge. Kakaty does have a much stronger voice than Earl from Veer Union and he is not afraid to take risks with his voice or his body on stage. He spent a good amount of time on the barricades, held in place by the security guards. Never missing a beat on songs like "Somebody Like You," "Another Romeo and Juliet," and "Three Seconds to Freedom," they also dedicated "Rolling Stone" to those of us who were raised on rock and roll, and Royal Bliss joined the band on stage for a performance of their top ten hit "100 in a 55." Dedicating hit single "Hero" to the men and women serving overseas, they capped an already fantastic performance by sampling Pantera's "Walk." It's hard to pull off that much attitude but they did it with style. "Shinedown" brought the entire set home and proved that Kakaty, who is a former rapper, has found his niche. With such a different, much more mellow sound that veers more toward rock than hard rock, even with Kayvon's introduction as "some of the best songwriters in the business," I found myself wondering how 10 Years could follow Pop Evil's set. Yes, the set was much more mellow than Pop Evil's and the energy almost a letdown after being teased and pushed while Pop Evil was on stage. But that mellow energy took nothing away from a set that included "Drug of Choice," "Crowd Surfing," "Through the Iris," "Paralyzing Kings" and their newest single "Actions and Motives." The band is very strong live, even if lead singer Jesse Hasek did have pitch problems at times. Performing with his shirt open and the words "Rock is Dead" written in marker on his chest, he cried out protests to current popular culture - "Fuck Bret Michaels and the tinsletown bullshit!" as the band launched into the powerful "Beautiful." The band proved they could go from mellow to hard rocking in .03 seconds as they performed songs from all their albums, songs that truly reflect society in an interesting and thought provoking way. They didn't take over the stage in the same way as Pop Evil but instead worked with the stage and the atmosphere, creating a strong and powerful presence that was as engaging as it was entertaining. The highlight of the set was the cover of the beginning of "Stairway to Heaven" that bled into an acoustic version of their hit "So Long, Goodbye." Then finally came the main event. The heroes. The rock gods who bring everyone, from moshers to grandmothers, out of the woodwork. Royal Bliss, Salt Lake's biggest success in the rock world, was finally home from tour and ready to perform at their third Viva - their first as headliners. Said lead singer Neal Middleton, "Coming home is amazing. The shows in Salt Lake are always the best and Viva has always been one of the best of the year. It was amazing to headline it this year, it was an honor to be able to go on after some amazing bands. I do have to say that I was really nervous for this show for one being the headliner and then also I think there is so much more of an high expectation from our home crowd." He had nothing to worry about. Emerging from smoky lights like the rock gods the city honors them to be, Neal's trademark scream opened the show as they launched into "Save Me." Thousands erupted in song and the crowd could be heard all over downtown as the wind kicked up and the clouds threatened to open. The trees moved in time to the music and the wind in the branches very well could have been Bliss itself. Neal took a break between songs like "Here they Come" and "Finally Figured" to talk, to let the crowd know they've travelled over 40,000 miles since January and that "none of this feels real." Dedicating the ballad "Wait for Me" to the city, they transitioned to a few slower songs and at first the transition was hard on Neal's voice but grit in the music made the songs "By and By" and "Music Man" that much more poignant. While introducing "Brave" Neal told a story about the Blaze. Noting that usually bands and record companies have to court radio stations to get air play, it was Rog at the Blaze who emailed them and asked if he could put their tribute to the soldiers into the radio rotation. It was that fateful email that started Royal Bliss on the road that lead from cult-adored local band to regular radio rotation around the country. While songs like "Whiskey" rocked the house, crowd anthems such as "We Did Nothing Wrong" were as powerful as ever. Lead guitarist Taylor Richards owned the guitar solo in the rock ballad "Devils and Angels" and as the band left the stage to chants of "Royal Bliss" they emerged again, dedicating "Rosie" to Big Rog and then for the final moment of the night, started the party that would continue at one of the local bars. As the band and crowd sang along to "I Was Drunk," Bliss was joined on stage by the DJs at The Blaze and the guys from Pop Evil and in that moment the point of the entire concert series was brought home with a rousing (and slightly tipsy) point as we all sang: "I was drunk/I was loud/I was invincible/And I was proud/After 10,000 beers and 28 years/I've finally figured it out/There's plenty of time/just to settle on down!" Kayvon Montee says the point of Viva SLC is to throw an unpretentious, hard rockin' party and the revolution that Viva and The Blaze are leading can be described as exactly that. Proving that 3 is in fact a lucky number, the money the station made from ticket sales will be poured not into station operations but the next series of concerts. If The Blaze has proven anything, it's that they know how to throw a party and how to connect to their listeners. With rock acts taking notice of the small, independent station, this revolution is sure to continue well into the future.

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