By Jack Rafferty
We finally got the chance to see Sierra Ferrell live with some friends of ours, and I’m so happy we did so, because it was even better than I thought it would be. The only issue we faced was in the venue. It was a Twilight Series concert in Salt Lake City, and, for some reason, the show was located in the middle of the street near Library Square, with barricades on each side of the road, which caused the many people in attendance to be crushed together in a very unpleasant way. To make matters worse, all the food trucks and beer lines ran parallel to the street, which caused the lines for each to intersect the crowd, and just made it generally a nightmare to navigate. This caused us to enjoy the openers (a local solo act who did a lot of Townes covers and Kaitlin Butts) far less than I think we would have otherwise.
When it came time for Sierra to go on, we actually just left the main area that we paid for tickets to be in, and stood on the lawn next to the fence, which seems absurd, but it made the rest of the show so much better, and I’m relieved our friend had the idea to do so. Once Sierra and her band got on stage, all was well with the world. They started the set with one of my favorite songs from her new album, “I Could Drive You Crazy” and a good deal of the setlist consisted of a variety of songs that I love. I don’t think there was one that I wished had been performed but wasn’t.
We were all captivated the entire time, with Sierra’s pristine voice soaring over our heads and the band playing immaculately. It all felt very rehearsed yet loose and easy. I honestly preferred these performances of the songs to their studio versions. The sun had also gone down behind the trees by this point, and there was a cool breeze blowing, which was a welcome reprieve from the summer heat we had been enduring among the crowd.
They played their cover of John Anderson’s “Years” which had recently gained a lot of attention from another performance a couple of years ago. This cover really highlights Sierra’s range and her ability to belt out long, powerful notes. It was great to watch how much control she exerted over her voice, from the varied fluctuations in tone and volume as well. I really was not prepared for how impressed I would be watching her sing live.
Post Malone joined her on stage for a couple songs as well, which drove the crowd wild. I’ve never been much of a fan of his music, but he seems to be a nice enough person from what I have heard. A lot of folks seem to run into him all over Salt Lake City. One of the songs he was present for was a duet with Sierra, and it actually sounded great.
By the end, as darkness was finally settling into the valley, they closed out with an encore consisting of a more subdued version of “In Dreams,” a personal favorite of mine. Afterward, we walked a few miles in the cool night back to where our friends were staying, talking the whole way about how much we enjoyed the show. Despite the difficulties with the venue, this will be one to remember, for sure.
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