2024 Things To Do Special Section

SUMMER ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE

SUMMER ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE

David

Archuleta

David Archuleta

The ‘American Idol’ alum, after coming out in 2021, is making new music and ‘learning to be OK with who I’ve always been’ › Page 4

The ‘American Idol’ alum, after coming out in 2021, is making new music and ‘learning to be OK with who I’ve always been’ › Page 4

Inside

Inside

Why Salt Lake City has two Pride festivals this year • Page 3

Why Salt Lake City has two Pride festivals this year • Page 3

Five restaurant patios to enjoy a meal outside • Page 6

Five restaurant patios to enjoy a meal outside • Page 6

A listing of nearly 200 concerts at major Utah venues • Page 8

A listing of nearly 200 concerts at major Utah venues • Page 8

A roundup of events planned by Utah’s top arts groups • Page 12

A roundup of events planned by Utah’s top arts groups • Page 12

A tale of 2 Pride fests: Why LGBTQ Utahns and allies will celebrate twice this summer

Utah Pride Festival aims to bounce back after going in debt in 2023, while a new grassroots event launches at The Gateway.

By PALAK JAYSWAL

When Roberto Lopez first came to Utah, he said he felt “isolated and excluded” from spaces because he was a queer person of color.

Then, he said, he found the Utah Pride Festival, where he met so many friends that it changed his life.

“They were the people that when I became a father, I turned to. People that when I got sick, I turned to. People when I needed food, [I turned to],” he said. “Every single time I sent out a signal for help, the same people showed up, and those were the people that I met at this event.”

Lopez is development director of SLC Pride, a new event that he said is aimed at creating that same opportunity for people in Utah’s LGBTQ+ community — especially for people who feel isolated and alone, like he once did.

“I want it to continue forever, because I would not be alive if it wasn’t for the people that I found,” Lopez said.

SLC Pride is scheduled for the last weekend in June at The Gateway in downtown Salt Lake City — four weeks after, and a few blocks away from the traditional Utah Pride Festival, set for the first weekend in June at Washington Square Park.

Bonnie O’Brien, the director SLC Pride, said many of the event’s organizers said they had friends who had stopped attending Utah Pride, “either because it was too corporate, too ‘whitewash the rainbow,’ too crowded or busy. A lot of the people that we hang out with just didn’t see themselves on the stage, in booths or in leadership. Or they were just straight up financially unable to attend.”

Utah Pride will be a cut-down version of last year’s festival, which ran the nonprofit Utah Pride Center into thousands of dollars of debt and prompted criticism within the state’s LGBTQ+ community.

Chad Call, Utah Pride Center’s new executive director, said the group still anticipates the same number of people attending as before — 50,000 at the Utah Pride Festival and

more than 100,000 at the Utah Pride Parade.

The two festivals “are not in competition,” O’Brien said, adding that she sees opportunities for collaboration. SLC Pride has worked with Call, O’Brien said, and has arranged to borrow some equipment from the Utah Pride Center for the later event.

“We each have a niche, we each fill that role, and it also allows the community to prosper in all levels,” O’Brien said.

Redburn threw a kegger in 1975. It is considered Utah’s first pride festival. The event, and the Utah Pride Center, grew from there.

Utah Pride, building back

For many in Utah, O’Brien said, the Utah Pride Center has been an entry point into the wider LGBTQ+ community.

The Utah Pride Festival’s legacy goes back nearly 50 years, back when bar owner Joe

In recent years, though, frustration at the Utah Pride Center among the LGBTQ+ community has also grown, after years of turnover and, as center officials themselves acknowledged in 2023, “massive financial turmoil.”

C Meyer, a Utah therapist who specializes in helping nonbinary and transgender kids, said she has “attended Pride festivals in the past, [and] it hasn’t felt like it’s been about community. It’s been inaccessible, it’s been expensive.”

Meyer is the youth coordinator for the new SLC Pride event, which she said she got interested in because of the leadership’s influence and the knowledge that they “care about the community” — something, she

said, “Salt Lake City is specifically lacking.” Call said the Utah Pride Center’s board of directors are focused on getting “the center back on track with the financial struggles that they have.” The board was installed last fall after two rounds of staff layoffs, and after Call’s predecessor, Ryan Newcomb, took the executive director job with the goal of cleaning up the financial mess and restoring the LGBTQ+ community’s trust in the center. (Newcomb — who resigned due to health issues less than seven months into the job — and Call both have referenced an ongoing financial audit of the organization.)

“One of the main things that we do is we maintain a focus that Pride is a program before it’s a fundraiser,” Call said. “It is obviously a fundraiser for the organization, and we can bring a lot of revenue in that way. However, some years — and last year is a perfect example of that — if it’s not managed correctly, that doesn’t happen.”

Call said the center had “anticipated” local vendors might be hesitant to take part in Utah Pride this year, after many expressed frustrations with booth pricing last year.

“It wasn’t something that we were blind to,” Call said, adding that Utah Pride is offering “more accessible vendor pricing this year” and have “returned to our vendor pricing back to 2022 [levels].”

Call said there are more than 150 pricing options — based on such variables as tent size, type of organization or when the vendor registered — but that a general scale is that local vendors will pay $400 for a standard booth, and large businesses will pay $1,600.

Though he wasn’t able to provide final numbers in early May, Call said, “I’ve been really pleasantly surprised we are tracking really good participation, … right in line with where we were in 2022.”

SLC Pride, starting at the grassroots

At a planning meeting in early May for SLC Pride, 14 members of the festival’s 29-person committee gathered in an office space on South Temple. Some wore customized festival shirts that read “volunqueer.”

Among the group, Lopez told them, there’s more than 100 years of experience in planning pride events and involvement in the LGBTQ community.

The Salt Lake Tribune

PHOTOS BY BETHANY BAKER | The Salt Lake Tribune

Above and below • Organizers gather for a planning meeting for SLC Pride on May 7.

David

Archuleta has been telling stories through his music for years. Now he’s sharing his own.

The ‘American Idol’ alumnus talks about his music, his identity journey and being authentic to himself.

By PALAK JAYSWAL

When David Archuleta appeared on “American Idol” recently, he was in a very different place from where he was 16 years ago, when the country first heard the Utah teen’s singing talent on the show.

But some of the old feelings came back.

“When I perform, I feel a confidence when I’m in my own shows, but when I go back to a TV setting, I suddenly feel like I’m under a magnifying glass,” Archuleta said, a day after his performance.

As anyone who has kept up with Archuleta knows, the singing star

has gone through a quite public identity journey since he came out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community in June 2021. Part of that journey involved leaving The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in which he grew up.

On April 22, Archuleta returned to “American Idol” — the show where he was runner-up in 2008 — to perform his new song, “Hell Together.” The song captures the reaction his mother, Lupe, had when he came out, and her eventual decision to leave the Latter-day Saint faith, too. While he sang, photos of Archuleta and his mother cascaded across the stage’s backdrop.

The music video for the song, released a few days after, was filmed

an empty church, with Archuleta at a piano and dancer Olivia Cava performing while he sings.

At the end of the video, which is dedicated to Lupe and includes home movies of mother and son,

Archuleta leaves the church and steps into bright sunlight.

When he’s performing on TV, Archuleta said, he gets in his own head, feeling anxiety over being scrutinized or not doing well. This time, he said he went back and watched his performance — something he usually doesn’t do. Being on the stage also reminds him of overanalyzing and critiquing “every little moment,” he said.

“The point is not about perfection right now, it’s about being vulnerable .., [At] the end of it, it’s the story,” he said. “I’m trying to connect with people through the story that I’m telling in the song. I’m really glad that I got to tell my story.”

Aside from the catchy dance jam, “Afraid to Love,” that he released last August, “Hell Together” is the one of the few times

in

The Salt Lake Tribune

RICK EGAN | Tribune file photo

David Archuleta performs at Loveloud at the Delta Center on Nov. 3.

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Archuleta

Archuleta has directly addressed his coming out experience through his music.

In the past, like at Utah’s LoveLoud Festival, he has remarked about his sexuality and his journey. At last year’s LoveLoud, he changed a lyric from his hit song “Crush” from “girl” to “boy.”

“It’s interesting because I was introduced to America and millions of other people as a 16-year-old and then 17, while I was on ‘Idol,’” Archuleta reflected. “To not know who I was yet, but still have to show people who I was, and then having to grow up in front of an audience.”

Growing up in front of an audience has also had other effects in his life.

David Archuleta says his goal with his music is to be authentic to who he is, in all stages and eras of his life.

“A lot more people know me than I know them personally in Utah, so they were invested in how my personal life was going to unfold,” Archuleta said. “Like, random strangers would come up to me and be, like, ‘So, who are you dating?’ … They feel like I am their son, nephew, grandson or cousin …”

It was especially difficult, Archuleta said, getting to where he is now from being a “conservative boy who was very religious and devout to his faith.”

Archuleta also said he tried to do what he was “supposed to do” by trying to get married — breaking off three engagements in the process.

“When it didn’t work, I was really starting to get scared,” he said. “Because I was realizing this isn’t going to fix the thing that I know about myself. And I’m terrified that people are not going to see me for what I really am. Because I couldn’t fix it.”

‘Sharing who I am’

One thing that hasn’t changed, Archuleta said, is his goal with his music: To be authentic to who he is, in all stages and eras of his life.

“I’m doing what I’ve always done, and that is sharing who I am,” Archuleta said. “It’s part of my journey. I used to talk about my faith all the time.”

Archuleta said he is aware of the comments left on his social media posts about his music and identity — many written by members of the Latter-day Saint faith, and objecting to his decision to live authentically. He has often shared such comments, explaining himself further to the people writing them.

“People are upset about that,” he said. “Why is that so upsetting to you that I’m learning to be OK with who I’ve always been?”

While promoting “Hell Together” he’s been even more vocal on his social media platforms. Archuleta has participated in TikTok trends, like a video that repeats the theme “I’m an ex-Mormon,” and another that recreates a discussion trend with his mother, who eventually left the church.

When he served a mission in Chile from 2012 to 2014, Archuleta said he was proud to share that experience. “As a public figure, I’m going to share the things that are meaningful in my life. And whoever comes

across it, I’m not going to control what comes into your face or not,” he said.

One part of “Hell Together” that people have been particularly vocal about, he said, is the title lyric — “We’ll go to hell together” — which came directly from his mother. People made disparaging comments before the song even came out, he said, just because of the title.

“That’s just what my mom said, It’s my story. It’s my life. As songwriters, and artists, you can talk about your life,” Archuleta said.

In the Latter-day Saint faith, Archuleta noted, family is the “first and most important thing.” Latter-day Saints believe, Archuleta said, “Families can be together forever. And so my mom was just, like, ‘OK, what’s the point of me living forever if I can’t have my children who are everything for me?’ … If that upsets people, that’s fine, but it’s my story, and I can say whatever I want and tell my story.”

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IRVIN RIVERA | @graphicsmetropolis

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Kick back and relax at these 5 SLC patios this summer

Bonus: All of these patios have been approved to welcome dogs.

By KOLBIE PETERSON

Summery weather is finally here, and all that warmth and sunshine means patio season has finally arrived, too.

Nothing says summer leisure like kicking back outdoors with a drink in your hand and something to nibble on. And you can’t beat watching the late-setting sun go down on a warm summer evening from a prime vantage point on a patio.

Salt Lake City has many patios, but here are five that stood out to us because of their location, amenities, beauty, views and other characteristics.

Bonus: All five of these patios have been approved to welcome dogs, so you can bring your canine friend for some patio lounging this season as well.

Fisher Brewing Company

Fisher Brewing Company has only grown since it opened in 2017 at 320 W. 800 South, in Salt Lake City’s Granary District. With several outdoor spaces including two front patios, a back patio, a central patio and, now, a brandnew rooftop patio, guests have more places than ever to kick back with a beer at Fisher.

Co-owner Tim Dwyer said that the rooftop patio is the conclusion of an expansion effort that began in 2021 and included adding a second main-floor bar, canning production area, and event spaces in a nextdoor building, as well a patio along the front of that building.

The rooftop patio features a shipping container that has been repurposed into a bar, retractable awnings for shade, tables, benches and “really killer views” of downtown and the surrounding mountains, Dwyer said. Favorite beers for the rooftop bar will likely be the Fisher Beer and Fisher Cerveza, Dwyer said.

Also check out Fisher’s latest mixed-fermentation beers made with brettanomyces, a type of yeast that makes for a “funky” brew, Dwyer said, along with Fisher’s new freshsqueezed housemade margarita mix. A rotating cast of food trucks provides a variety of food options.

If you visit the back patio, make sure to watch for the mural that says “Welcome to Fisher,” made by a group of local artists including Josh Scheuerman, Gailon Justus, Chuck Landvatter, Trent Call, Mike Murdock, Dave Doman, Chris Peterson and Skyler Chubak.

leaving months of warm weather just waiting to be filled with patio lounging.

The surrounding mature trees, strings of lights, large shade umbrellas and numerous places to sit make this patio a serene spot to linger with a cup of tea, a glass of wine from the rotating list, or a bite to eat. Tea Zaanti just started carrying bagels from The Bagel Project on the weekends.

While the weather is warm, Tea Zaanti will be hosting live music on the patio every Friday at 5:30 p.m. Every other Thursday night they hold a wine tasting, and the $15 admission includes a menu item and a sampling of two different hard-to-find natural wines. Attendees are welcome to sit outside for the wine tasting.

For the duration of the construction, 1100 East will be only northbound; you can turn left from there into Tea Zaanti’s parking lot. Or you can access the lot from the back by turning east onto Hollywood Avenue from 900 East then turning north onto McClelland St.

Sugar Space Cafe

Tucked away at the end of a dead-end street, in an elbow formed by Interstate 15 and Interstate 80 that’s just inside the Fairpark neighborhood’s boundaries, lies a green oasis at Sugar Space Arts Warehouse, at 132 S. 800 West.

Sugar Space has been a west-side hub for events since 2015, but owner and executive director Brittany Reese opened the Sugar Space Cafe after COVID-19 in an effort to activate the space when events weren’t going on. The cafe is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Reese added a cute patio to the front of the Sugar Space building at the end of last summer, and it’s still somewhat of a hidden gem, with little foot traffic. With its potted plants and flowers, strings of lights, small round tables and a view of the large green island in the center of the street, all surrounded by trees, this patio is a calming place to hang out.

It’s interesting how lowering a patio into the ground just a little bit and adding planters of tall green grasses would make the patio at Tea Zaanti feel like it’s in a cozy forest, but the effect is pleasant.

This tea and wine bar at 1944 S. 1100 East in Sugar House has some construction happening out front on 1100 East, and you can occasionally hear it from the patio. But Scott Lyttle, who co-owns the cafe with his wife, Becky Lyttle, said he expects the construction to be wrapped up by the end of June,

On Sundays, brunch is available all day, with menu items including options like the breakfast burrito, classic pancakes, pulled pork sandwich and more. There’s also an extensive coffee and tea menu, and since Sugar Space has a full liquor license, it also serves several house cocktails, cocktail specials, spirits, beer and wine.

An apartment building has been under construction next door for years, and you can hear that construction from the patio, except on Saturdays and Sundays when workers take a break. Reese said the side of the building that faces Sugar Space is almost done, however, so any noise should be moving to the south end of the complex this summer.

Tea Zaanti

The Salt Lake Tribune

PHOTOS BY BETHANY BAKER | The Salt Lake Tribune

The patios at Sugar Space Cafe, above and Fisher Brewing Co., top, in Salt Lake City on May 17.

TF Brewing

When Kevin and Britt Templin opened TF Brewing in 2018 at 936 S. 300 West in Salt Lake City’s Granary District, the patio was a key component of their vision, said co-owner Britt Templin via email.

The patio started out much smaller than it is now, but once the Templins acquired the building west of the brewery in 2019, they were able to enlarge their outdoor space into the wide-open expanse it is today.

Filled with long wooden tables, Adirondack chairs, shady umbrellas, trees, potted plants and fire pits, and decorated with strings of lights, this patio doesn’t have a bad seat.

During the weekends, the patio fi lls up quickly, Templin said, “but if you fi nd your spot, it’s tough to leave.”

A typical evening on the TF Brewing patio features people chatting and playing games like

will appreciate. There’s now enough seating for about 200 people, and the addition of extra bathrooms, shade sails, umbrellas, landscaping with trees, and sidewalks enhances the overall experience.

The stage has also been moved from the west end of The Garten to the east end, which Carleton said should help attract more attention from the street. The Garten hosts live music every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and every Tuesday is bingo.

cornhole, chess and Jenga; music playing; and dogs lounging.

Grab one of TF’s many lagers or other beers, a cocktail, or some food from the food truck, then relax and sit for a spell.

Most Sundays during warm weather, you can hang out on the patio and enjoy Slow Pour Sundays, a DJ set featuring only records.

Mountain West Cider

Mountain West Cider’s patio, The Garten, at 425 N. 400 West, is one of the few outdoor gathering places in Salt Lake City’s Marmalade neighborhood. And recently, it got a bit of an update.

Cidery co-owners Jeff and Jennifer Carleton closed The

Garten at the end of 2022 with the aim of opening a restaurant in that space in 2023, Jeff Carleton said. But the plans for the restaurant fell through, and The Garten remained, opening officially for the season with the Queer Food Feastival earlier in May.

The Garten has got a new look, though, that patio lovers

The full-service bar in The Garten features Mountain West ciders like Ruby and Desolation Prickly Pear, as well as cider from other local producers, including Scion Cider and Etta Place Cidery. Try the grapefruit-infused cider Pom Paloma this summer season. The bar also comes stocked with local beer, plus spirits from local distillers. A rotating variety of food trucks provides food options.

Watch for The Garten’s new neon sign, coming soon.

Courtesy of Dee & Cory Productions

At left • Michael Brunker and Kelsie Rook eat lunch on the patio at TF Brewing in Salt Lake City on May 17.

At right • Mountain West Cider’s patio — The Garten — is shown on May 10 during the Queer Food Feastival.

BETHANY BAKER | The Salt Lake Tribune

How to catch the big concerts in Utah this summer

From the Delta Center to the Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre, from a festival in Torrey to shows outdoors in Park City, these are the major shows of summer 2024.

By SEAN P. MEANS and PALAK JAYSWAL

The Salt Lake Tribune

Somehow music sounds different under the stars — particularly in Utah, where venues are sometimes nestled among the mountains, allowing the rhythms to reverberate and the melodies to linger in the thin summer air.

The summer of 2024 promises a full plate of musical offerings — from the wide-open spaces of the recently renamed Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre and the venerable Red Butte Garden to the indoor venues of the Delta Center and Maverik Center. Some shows are part of concert series, like the Twilight offerings in both Salt Lake City and Ogden, or festivals ranging from Fort Desolation in Torrey to the Country Fan Fest in Tooele.

Here’s a rundown, by venue, of the major concerts scheduled to play along the Wasatch Front — and a few other places — through the summer into the early fall. It’s nearly 200 shows in all. Enjoy the music.

Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre

5150 Upper Ridge Road, West Valley City. For ticket information, go to livenation.com. Thursday, May 30 • Country duo Brooks & Dunn, with David Lee Murphy and Ernest opening.

Friday, May 31 • Folk-rock legend James Taylor.

Wednesday, June 5 • Rock icons Red Hot Chili Peppers, with Kid Cudi and IRONTOM opening.

Thursday, June 6 • Pop-folk singer Sarah MacLachlan, with Feist opening.

Friday, June 14 • Pop legend Janet Jackson, with Nelly opening.

Thursday, June 20 • Indie rock band Cage the Elephant, with Young the Giant and Bakar supporting.

Tuesday, June 25 • Rock band Third Eye Blind, with Yellowcard and Arizona supporting.

Wednesday, June 26 • Classic rock bands Foreigner and Styx, with John Waite opening. Saturday, June 29 • ‘80s pop stars New Kids on the Block, with Paula Abdul and D.J. Jazzy Jeff supporting.

Tuesday, July 9 • Americana/folk singer Noah Kahan, with Jensen McRae opening.

People enjoy a concert at Red Butte Garden on May 18, 2022. The summer concert season in Utah is offering nearly 200 different shows.

Thursday, July 11 • Pop-rock band Hootie and the Blowfish, with Collective Soul and Edwin McCain supporting.

Thursday, July 18 • “Barbie: The Movie” in concert, featuring Macy Schmidt and the Barbie Land Sinfonietta.

Saturday, July 20 • Pop singer Niall Horan. Sunday, July 21 • Rock band A Day to Remember, with opening acts The Story So Far, Four Year Strong and Scowl.

Monday, July 29 • Rock legends Neil Young & Crazy Horse.

Tuesday, July 30 • Indie rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars, with support from AFI, Poppy and KennyHoopla.

Wednesday, July 31 • Rock band Bush, with support from Jerry Cantrell, Candlebox and Tim Montana.

Thursday, August 1 • Pop-rock singer Alanis Morissette, with support from Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and Morgan Wade.

Saturday, August 3 • Country singer Sam Hunt, with Russell Dickerson and George Birge supporting.

Thursday, August 15 • Reggae/hip-hop bands Slightly Stoopid and Dirty Heads co-headline, with support from Common Kings and The Elovaters.

Friday, August 16 • The Australian Pink Floyd Show, tribute act.

Sunday, August 18 • Rock band Limp Bizkit, with support from Bones, N8noface, Corey Feldman and Riff Raff.

Tuesday, August 20 • Americana/folk musician Tyler Childers, with support from Shakey Graves and Bella White.

Wednesday, August 21 • Classic rock bands Santana and Counting Crows co-headline.

Thursday, August 22 • Hard-rock legends Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper co-headline on the “Freaks on Parade” tour, with support from Ministry and Filter.

Saturday, August 24 • Three alt-rock co-headliners: Blue October, Switchfoot and Matt Nathanson (who rotate the order with each show).

Sunday, August 25 • Rock band Falling in Reverse, with support from Black Veil Brides, Dance Gavin Dance, Tech N9ne and Nathan James.

Thursday, August 29 • Pop-rock bands Train and REO Speedwagon co-headline, with Yacht Rock Revue opening.

Friday, August 30 • Classic pop-rock band The Doobie Brothers, with Steve Winwood opening.

Saturday, August 31 • Folk-rock musician Hozier, with Allison Russell opening.

Thursday, September 5 • Alt-rock band Glass Animals, with Eyedress opening.

Friday, September 6 • Rock band Creed, with 3 Doors Down and Finger Eleven supporting.

Saturday, September 7 • Country singer Jason Aldean, with Hailey Whitters opening.

Tuesday, September 10 • Classic rock band Def Leppard, with Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening opening.

Friday, September 13 • Country singer Lainey Wilson, with Jackson Dean and Zach Top supporting.

FRANCISCO KJOLSETH | The Salt Lake Tribune

Summer concerts

Friday, September 20 • Country duo Dan + Shay, with Jake Owen and Dylan Marlowe supporting.

Wednesday, September 25 • Hip-hop/ R&B star Pitbull, with T-Pain opening. Thursday, September 26 • Southern rock legends ZZ Top and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Saturday, October 5 • Rock bands Breaking Benjamin and Staind co-headline, with support from Daughtry and Lakeview. Friday-Saturday, October 11-12 • Arena-rock band Imagine Dragons.

Friday, October 18 • Electro-house musician Porter Robinson, with ericdoa opening.

Red Butte Garden

Red Butte Garden, 300 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City. For ticket information, go to redbuttegarden.org/concerts.

Tuesday, June 4 • Jamaican reggae musician Burning Spear and Australian singer-songwriter Xavier Rudd.

Thursday, June 13 • American jam band Umphrey’s McGee will perform, with support from Nashville singer-songwriter Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country.

Monday, June 17 • Icelandic rockers KALEO, with pop-folk musician Vincent Lima opening.

Wednesday, June 19 • Folk-pop artist Mat Kearney will play, with support from “laid back grooves” artist Donavon Frankenreiter.

Wednesday, June 26 • American jam band

The String Cheese Incident.

Sunday, July 7 • Blues-rock band Blues

Traveler and Southern soul rock band JJ Grey & Mofro will co-headline.

Wednesday, July 10 • Country singer Lyle Lovett and His Large Band.

Sunday, July 14 • Rock band Portugal. The Man headlines; rock band Spoon Benders is opening.

Monday, July 15 • New Orleans rock band

The Revivalists, with support from American folk band Hiss Golden Messenger.

Tuesday, July 16 • Slash presents the S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Festival, featuring Keb’ Mo’, Samantha Fish and Jackie Venson. This is a tour put together by the Guns N’Roses guitarist to celebrate the blues.

Tuesday, July 23 • Indie band Lake Street Dive, with support from R&B and soul singer Celisse.

Thursday, July 25 • Genre fusion artist Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, with rapper Big Boi in support.

Monday, July 29 • American singer-songwriters Melissa Etheridge and Jewel will co-headline.

Wednesday, July 31 • Rock couple Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, with support from pop/soul/rock band The Vindys.

Monday, August 5 • Retro-rock band Stray Cats, with support from New Wave country band The Midnight Cowgirls.

Tuesday, August 6 • Americana and country singer-songwriter Charley Crockett.

Sunday, August 11 • Blues guitarist Gary Clark Jr.

Thursday, August 15 • “Progressive bluegrass” group Yonder Mountain String Band, Americana band Railroad Earth and jam band Leftover Salmon share the bill.

Friday, August 16 • Rock band O.A.R. headlines, with support from pop band Fitz and the Tantrums.

Sunday, August 18 • Legendary surf-rock band The Beach Boys.

Monday, August 19 • Blues, folk, country and rock artist Shakey Graves.

Tuesday, August 20 • Catalan band The Gipsy Kings featuring Nicolas Reyes. Tuesday, August 27 • Genre-crossing band Pink Martini featuring China Forbes.

Thursday, September 5 • Los Angeles rock band The Airborne Toxic Event.

Sunday, September 8 • East Sussex alternative rock band KEANE.

Monday, September 9 • Cuban music group Buena Vista Social Orchestra. Thursday, September 12 • Australian singer-songwriter Vance Joy headlines, with support from Boston folk-pop group Tiny Habits.

Tuesday, September 17 • Folk-rock duo Indigo Girls and American singer-songwriter Amos Lee co-headline.

Wednesday, September 18 • Australian/New Zealand rock band Crowded House.

Tuesday, September 24 • Mexican acoustic guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela.

Granary Live

The outdoor venue in Salt Lake City’s Granary district, at 742 S. 500 West. Tuesday, June 18 • Alt-rock bands Mother Mother and Cavetown co-headline, with Destroy Boys opening.

Courtesy Red Butte Garden

Melissa Etheridge will co-headline with Jewel at Red Butte Garden on July 29.

Summer concerts

Friday, June 21 • The “Country Music Cookout,” headlined by Pecos and the Rooftops, with support from Giovannie and the Hired Guns, Colby Acuff, Kenny Feidler and Dan Spencer.

Saturday, June 22 • Reggae band The Movement, with Aurorawave opening.

Sunday, June 23 • Rock bands Hawthorne Heights, I See Stars and Anberlin co-headline on the “20 Years of Tears” tour, with support from Armor for Sleep, Emery and This Wild Life. Friday, June 28 • DJ/producer Alesso, with Joshwa opening.

Friday, July 19 • Soul/hip-hop band The Roots. Saturday, August 10 • Country singer-songwriters Billy Currington and Kip Moore co-headline, with Randall King opening.

Tuesday, August 13 • Indie-rock band Mt. Joy. Saturday, August 17 • Reggae/pop group Iration and reggae-rock band Pepper co-headline, with Denm and Artikal Sound System supporting.

Friday, August 23 • Pacific Island reggae musician Kolohe Kai, with Iam Tongi, Hirie and Sammy J supporting.

Saturday, August 24 • Global pop band Khruangbin, with Peter Cat Recording Co. opening. Sunday, September 29 • Indie-rock bands The National and The War on Drugs co-headline, with Lucius opening.

Tuesday, October 8 • Indie-pop band Goth Babe, with Utah’s own The Aces opening.

Thursday, October 10 • Indie-pop performer Still Woozy, with Gus Dapperton and PawPaw Rod supporting.

Sandy Amphitheater

Under the stars at 1300 E. 9400 South in Sandy. For tickets and information, go to sandyamp.com

Thursday, June 20 • Americana string band Old Crow Medicine Show.

Saturday, June 29 • The Magic of Queen, a tribute band.

Wednesday, July 10 • Bluegrass band Nickel Creek and indie-rock artist Andrew Bird, with Haley Heynderickx opening.

Thursday, July 11 • Direct From Sweden: The Music of ABBA, a tribute band.

Wednesday, July 24 • Indie-rock band The Decemberists, with Ratboys opening.

Thursday, July 25 • Pop/jazz/folk musician Norah Jones, with Hurray for the Riff Raff opening.

Thursday, August 1 • ‘70s pop legends Air Supply.

Saturday, August 3 • Comedian Demetri Martin.

Friday, August 9 • Country-rock musician Koe Wetzel, with Kolby Cooper and Kat Hasty supporting.

Saturday, August 10 • Hotel California, an Eagles tribute band.

Wednesday, August 14 • Country-pop singer Walker Hayes, with Kylie Morgan opening.

Friday-Saturday, August 16-17 • New Wave acts Howard Jones and ABC co-headline, with Haircut 100 opening.

Thursday-Saturday, September 5-7 • The Piano Guys, Utah-based piano/cello duo.

Saturday, September 14 • Utah folk-pop band The National Parks.

Wednesday, September 25 • Country legend Wynonna Judd.

Delta Center

301 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City. For tickets and information, go to deltacenter.com.

Monday, May 27 • Rock legend Stevie Nicks.

Saturday, June 29 • Comedian Kevin James.

Thursday, July 11 • Rock band Blink-182, with opening act Pierce the Veil.

Tuesday-Wednesday, July 16-17 • Alt-rock band AJR.

Saturday, July 20 • Bachata act Aventura.

Wednesday, July 31 • Pop singer Olivia Rodrigo, with opening act PinkPantheress.

Sunday, August 11 • Mexican musician Peso Pluma.

Sunday, August 18 • Indie-rock band Twenty-One Pilots.

Wednesday, August 21 • Rap act $uicideboy$, sharing the bill with Pouya, Haarper, Shakewell, Ekkstacy.

Sunday, August 25 • Mexican party-music band Grupo Firme.

Tuesday, August 27 • Country star Jelly Roll, with opening acts Warren Zeiders and Alexandra Kay.

Wednesday, August 28 • Rap acts Future and Metro Boomin.

Saturday, August 31 • Puerto Rican singer Chayanne.

Friday, September 6 • Regional Mexican act Fuerza Regida.

Saturday, September 14 • Rap act Childish Gambino (the performance name of Donald Glover), with opening act Willow.

Friday-Sunday, September 27-29 • Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, circus performance.

Wednesday, October 2 • The Christian ministry Elevation Worship.

Thursday, October 3 • Indie-pop band Cigarettes After Sex.

Sunday, October 13 • Hard rock band Korn, with Gojira and Spiritbox supporting.

Friday, October 18 • Metal band Iron Maiden, with opening act The Hu.

Maverik Center

3200 S. Decker Lake Drive, West Valley City. For tickets and information, go to maverikcenter. com.

Friday, June 7 • Brit Floyd, Pink Floyd tribute act.

Thursday, June 13 • Mexican bands Caifanes and Café Tacvba.

Saturday, July 15 • Pop-electronic violinist Lindsey Stirling, with opening act Walk Off the Earth.

Sunday, June 30 • Comedian Theo Von.

Thursday-Friday, August 1-2 • Mexican Grupera band Los Temerarios.

Friday, August 16 • R&B singer and rapper Jhené Aiko, with support from Coi Leray, Tink, Umi and Kiana Ledé.

Saturday, August 17 • Metal bands Megadeth and Mudvayne, with opening act All That Remains.

Saturday, August 31 • Mexican pop singer Gloria Trevi.

Jazzy Olivo as opening acts.

Friday, July 19 • Folk duo Watchhouse, with support from Branson Anderson and another artist yet to be determined.

Courtesy Ashley Obsorne / Concord records Pop-electronic violinist Lindsey Stirling will perform July 15 at the Maverik Center.

Friday, September 13 • Musica Mexicana band Grupo Frontera.

Friday, September 20 • Legendary rock bands Heart and Cheap Trick.

Saturday, September 21 • Norteño band Los Tigres del Norte.

Monday, September 23 • “Gold Over America” tour, gymnastics exhibition featuring Simone Biles.

Thursday, October 17 • Christian rock musician Zach Williams, with support from Cain, Matt Maher and Ben Fuller.

Friday, October 18 • Comedian Gabriel Iglesias.

Eccles Theater

131 S. Main, Salt Lake City. For tickets and information, go to live-at-the-eccles.com.

Thursday, May 30 • Comedian Hasan Minhaj. Friday, May 31 • “Sesame Street Live!,” children’s stage show.

Saturday, June 1 • Comedian Leanne Morgan. Sunday, June 9 • Mexican pop-rock act Reik. Friday, June 21 • Pop cellist Hauser. Tuesday-Wednesday, July 16-17 • Broadway star and pop singer Ben Platt, with opening act Brandy Clark.

Thursday, July 18 • Pop-classical group Il Divo. Thursday-Sunday, September 26-28 • “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” a concert version of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical.

Tuesday, October 15 • Folk singer A.J. Croce, performing songs of his father, Jim Croce.

Wednesday-Sunday, October 23-27 • Comedian Jim Gaffigan, performing six shows in five nights.

Twilight Concert Series

Gallivan Center, 239 S. Main St., Salt Lake City. Tickets available at 24Tix.com; season passes are sold out. Go to saltlakearts.org/twilightconcertseries for more information.

Friday, June 21 • Icelandic singer-songwriter Laufey, with support from Grace Enger and Utah artist Anna Beck.

Thursday, June 27 • Soul band Thee Sacred Souls, with The Mañanas and Utah jazz artist

Wednesday, August 7 • British dance music project Jungle, with support from Balthys and local band The Plastic Cherries.

Friday, August 16 • Indie pop group The Marías will headline (at Library Square, 200 E. 400 South, Salt Lake City), along with Automatic and Salt Lake City band Homephone.

Wednesday, August 21 • Indie singer-songwriter Alex G, with support from julie and local artist Cannibal Queen.

Ogden Twilight Concert Series

Ogden Amphitheater, 343 E. 25th St., Ogden. Tickets available at 24tix.com. Go to OgdenTwilight.com for more information.

Saturday, June 22 • Indie-pop band Cannons, with Washed Out opening.

Friday, July 5 • Dance/electronic musician Ben Böhmer, with Tinlicker opening.

Saturday, July 6 • Dance/electronic producer Diplo, with Gioli & Assia opening.

Thursday, August 8 • Hip-hop acts Killer Mike & The Mighty Midnight Revival and Hippo Campus co-headline.

Wednesday, August 14 • Alt-pop icon St. Vincent, with Eartheater opening.

Friday, August 23 • Indie-pop band Alvvays, with The Beths opening.

Thursday, August 29 • Dance/electronic act Thievery Corporation, with Dirtwire opening. Friday, September 6 • Indie rock band Broken Social Scene.

Friday, September 13 • Dance/electronic act Tycho.

Deer Valley

Snow Park Amphitheater, 2250 Deer Valley Drive South, Park City. For tickets and information, go to deervalley.com.

Saturday, July 13 • Country-rock band Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit, with Adeem the Artist opening.

Sunday, July 14 • Reggae icon Ziggy Marley, with Lettuce opening.

Wednesday, July 31 • Rock/soul/reggae act Michael Franti & Spearhead, with Citizen Cope and Bombargo supporting.

Saturday, August 10 • Folk-bluegrass band The Dead South, with The Builders and the Butchers opening.

Thursday, August 29 • Folk musician Gregory Alan Isakov, with Josiah and the Bonnevilles opening.

Summer concerts

Concerts on the Slopes

The annual series in Park City, presented by the Park City Institute, this year held at Canyons Village, 4000 Canyons Resort Dr., Park City.

Tuesday, July 9 • Country-funk jam band Blitzen Trapper.

Friday, July 12 • Classic pop band Starship featuring Mickey Thomas; Taylor Dayne opening. Friday, July 19 • Reggae-pop band UB40, with Inner Circle and Maxi Priest supporting.

Saturday, July 20 • “Lead Singers of Classic Rock,” featuring Jason Scheff (of Chicago) and Tommy DeCarlo (of Boston).

Wednesday, July 24 • Country singer Randy Houser.

Friday, August 2 • Rock band Guster.

Saturday, August 10 • Classic jam band Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

Sunday, August 11 • Alt-rock band Spoon.

Friday, August 23 • Alt-pop/dream-rock act Aly & AJ.

Saturday, August 24 • Country/gospel singer Josh Turner.

Friday, August 30 • The “I Love the ‘90s” tour, with rap, hip-hop and R&B stars All-4One, Rob Base, Tone Loc, Color Me Badd and Young MC.

Saturday, August 31 • Country singer Sara Evans.

Music festivals

Friday-Sunday, May 31-June 2 • The Ogden Music Festival, featuring Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, Sarah Jarosz, Celisse, Hayes Carll, Say She She, Las Cafeteras, Pixie & The Partygrass Boys, Twisted Pine, The Slocan Ramblers, Wyatt Ellis, Josie O and The Big Six, and Mariachi Aguilas de la Esperanza. The location is back at Fort Buenaventura, 2450 A Ave., Ogden. Tickets and information at ofoam.org.

Thursday-Saturday, June 6-8 • Fort Desolation Festival, featuring Black Pumas, Sierra Ferrell, Paul Cauthen, The Record Company, The Lil Smokies, Jamie Wyatt, Pokey LaFarge, Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band, Olivia Wolf and Cory Mon. Cougar Ridge Resort, Torrey. Tickets and information available at fortdesolation.com.

Friday-Saturday, June 14-15 • The Utah Blues Festival, featuring Tab Benoit, Annika Chambers & Paul Deslauiers, and Larry McCray on Friday (running from 5 to 10 p.m.); and Southern Avenue, Sue Foley, D.K. Harrell, Cash Box Kings, Dennis Jones and the UBF Youth Blues Band on Saturday (from noon to 10 p.m.); Mitch Woods plays the aftershow at Club 88 both nights. Gallivan Center, 239 S. Main St., Salt Lake City. For tickets and information, go to utahluesfest.org.

Friday-Sunday, June 28-30 • The Utah Arts Festival, featuring all media of art — visual, dance, music, spoken word and more. The

national music headliners are: Steely Dead and Seo Jungmin on Friday; Andy Frasco & The U.N. and Cool Cool Cool on Saturday; and Utah bands future.exboyfriend and The Plastic Cherries on Sunday. Library Square, 200 E. 400 South, Salt Lake City. Go to uaf.org for tickets and information.

Wednesday-Saturday, July 24-27 • Country Fan Fest, with headliners Riley Green, Bailey Zimmerman, Jon Pardi, Chase Rice, Tracy Lawrence, Neal McCoy, 49 Winchester, Aaron Watson, Corey Kent, Wyatt Flores, Ella Langley, Carter Faith and Stephen Wilson Jr. Deseret Peak Complex, 2930 Utah Highway 112, Grantsville. Tickets and information available at countryfanfest.com.

Thursday-Saturday, August 15-17 • Park City Song Summit, with a variety of performers (including Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, My Morning Jacket, Mavis Staples, Larkin Poe, Eric Krasno & Friends, Cimafunk, Ivan Neville and Anders Osborne). Canyons Village and other locations, Park City. Go to parkcitysongsummit.com for tickets and information.

Other big shows

Friday-Saturday, June 7-8 • Country star Luke Combs headlines; Friday’s bill includes Cody Jinks, Charles Wesley Godwin, Hailey Whitters and The Wilder Blue; Saturday’s lineup features Jordan Davis, Mitchell

Tenpenny, Drew Parker and Colby Acuff. Both shows at Rice-Eccles Stadium, 451 S. 1400 East, Salt Lake City, on the University of Utah campus. Tickets available at TicketMaster.com.

Saturday, June 29 • Country stars George Strait and Chris Stapleton co-headline, with Little Big Town opening. Rice-Eccles Stadium, 451 S. 1400 East, Salt Lake City, on the University of Utah campus. Tickets available at TicketMaster.com.

Thursday, July 4 • Stadium of Fire, with the boy-band trio Jonas Brothers headlining. LaVell Edwards Stadium, Brigham Young University campus, Provo. Tickets and information at at freedomfestival.org.

Tuesday, July 16 • Country star Kenny Chesney, with support from Megan Moroney and Uncle Kracker, at America First Field, 9256 S. State St., Sandy. Tickets available at seatgeek.com.

Thursday, August 8 • Comedian Jerry Seinfeld, at Abravanel Hall, 123 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City. Tickets available at saltlakecountyarts.org.

Friday, September 27 • Celtic Thunder, the Celtic-themed music group; at Capitol Theatre, 50 W. 200 South, Salt Lake City. Tickets available at live-at-the-eccles.com.

Saturday, October 12 • Comedian Wanda Sykes, at Abravanel Hall, 123 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City. Tickets available at saltlakecountyarts.org.

How to enjoy Utah’s summer arts — from Shakespeare to the symphony

Utah’s major arts organizations often go outdoors to perform in the summertime.

By SEAN P. MEANS

Even lovers of highbrow arts tend to loosen up a little in the summer — often enjoying their theater and symphony outdoors in a festival setting.

Here are details on two of Utah’s more popular summer events — the Utah Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City and the Utah Symphony’s Deer Valley Music Festival in Park City — as well as a roundup of what other arts groups are doing on their summer “vacation.”

Utah Shakespeare Festival

The beloved celebration of William Shakespeare fills Cedar City with theater lovers every summer. This year’s festival runs from June 17 to October 5. Go to bard.org for ticket information. This year’s plays are:

“Henry VIII” • (June 17-September 5) Shakespeare’s historical drama, which hasn’t been performed at USF in nearly 30 years, follows the king as he considers defying the church and divorcing his first wife.

“The Winter’s Tale” • (June 18-September 6) When Leontes accuses his wife, Hermione, of infidelity with his closest friend, bad things follow, in Shakespeare’s romantic drama.

“The Taming of the Shrew” • (June 19-September 7) Shakespeare’s comedy about the fierce Katherina and the blustering Petruchio is one of his best known works — adapted in everything from “Kiss Me Kate” to “10 Things I Hate About You.”

“Much Ado About Nothing” • (June 21-October 5) More romantic comedy from Shakespeare, with the lovers Hero and Claudio planning to marry — if only they can get their feuding friends, Beatrice and Benedick, to come to the inevitable conclusion that they, too, are meant for each other.

“The 39 Steps” • (June 22-October 5) Playwright Patrick Barlow adapts this classic mystery from John Buchan’s novel and Alfred Hitchcock’s movie.

“Silent Sky” • (July 12-October 5)

Lauren Gunderson’s play follows the true story of Henrietta Leavitt, the 19th-century scientist and astronomer who changed the way we see the universe.

“The Mountaintop” • (July 13-October 5) Katori Hall’s play presents a fictional account of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life, in the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, preparing a speech and engaging in conversation with a hotel maid.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream”

• (July 30-August 3) A short run of Shakespeare’s fantasy-based romantic comedy, part of the festival’s artist exchange program with the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

Deer Valley Music Festival

The Utah Symphony’s annual summer program — at the Snow Park Outdoor Amphtheater, 2250 Deer Valley Drive South, Park City — celebrates its 20th anniversary. Tickets and passes, as well as information about the festival’s more intimate chamber music concerts, at deervalleymusicfestival.org.

The Maypole dance is shown as part of “The Greenshow” at the Utah Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City on July 3, 2021.

Friday, July 5 • “Patriotic Pops,” a selection of works celebrating America and American composers. Evan Roider conducts the Utah Symphony, with vocalist Lisa Howard.

Saturday, July 6 • “Christmas in July,” with music of the yuletide. Conner Gray Covington conducts, with William Hagen on solo violin. Thursday, July 11 • “The Music of Whitney Houston,” with Broadway performer Rashidra Scott singing Houston’s hits, with Brent Havens conducting.

Friday, July 12 • “Trailblazing Music of Joni Mitchell, Carole King and Carly Simon,” celebrating the ‘70s singer-songwriters. Ted Sperling conducts; Morgan James, Capathia Jenkins and Shayna Steele are the vocalists.

Friday, July 19 • The iconic ‘60s band The Rascals — known for such songs as “Beautiful Morning” and “How Can I Be Sure” — performs with the Utah Symphony, conducted by Martin Herman.

Saturday, July 20 • “Disney in Concert: Once Upon a Time,” featuring songs from Disney films, with Jerry Hou conducting the symphony.

Friday, July 26 • Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture is the program highlight, along with two other of the composer’s works: His Piano Concerto No. 1 (with pianist Aristo Sham) and the Suite from “Swan Lake.” Steven Jarvi conducts the symphony.

Saturday, July 27 • Funk legends Tower of Power performs with the

Dylan, runs June 11-16. Then, from July 31 to Sept. 1, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton” returns for an extended run. Eccles Theater, 131 S. Main St., Salt Lake City. Tickets available at saltlakecity.broadway.com.

Utah Symphony, conducted by Steven Jarvi.

Friday, August 2 • The Boogie Wonder Band performs disco classics with the Utah Symphony, conducted by Martin Herman.

Saturday, August 3 • Singer-actor Leslie Odom Jr., best known for his Tony-winning performance as Aaron Burr in the original production of “Hamilton,” performs with the Utah Symphony, conducted by Enrico Lopez-Yañez.

Thursday, August 8 • “The Music of John Williams,” featuring the composer’s film scores, with David Newman conducting the Utah Symphony.

Friday, August 9 • Multi-instrumentalist Cody Fry performs with the Utah Symphony, conducted by Enrico Lopez-Yañez.

More performing arts

Ballet West • The troupe, one of America’s leading ballet companies, serves up one major event for the summer: The sixth annual Choreographic Festival. This year’s theme is “Asian Voices,” and features world premieres of works by choreographers Zhongjing Fang and Caili Quan, as well as Phil Chan’s “Amber Waves” and Edwaard Liang’s “Seasons. Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, 138 W. 300 South, Salt Lake City. Tickets available at BalletWest.org.

Broadway at the Eccles • The touring production of “Girl From the North Country,” a jukebox musical featuring 20 songs by Bob

Hale Centre Theatre • Utah’s durably popular community theater organization is programming yearround on its two stages. The Centre Stage has the country musical “May We All” running through June 5, followed by a new musical based on “The Nutty Professor” from July 1 to August 17, a special engagement of “Freaky Friday: The Musical” (the one-act version) from July 22 to August 2, and then the U.S. premiere of the musical “The Magician’s Elephant” from September 16 to October 19. On the Jewel Box Stage, an adaptation of H.G. Wells’ “The Time Machine” runs through July 20, followed by a musical tribute to Elton John and Billy Joel from July 25 to August 3, and “The Addams Family” from August 19 through November 16. Mountain America Performing Arts Centre, 9900 S. Monroe St., Sandy. Tickets available at hct.org.

Moab Music Festival • The annual series of concerts and related events happens at various locations in Moab and the neighboring red rocks — a unique pairing of music and nature. Runs August 28 to September 14. Go to moabmusicfest.org for information and tickets.

Salt Lake Acting Company • SLAC again spends the summer looking at the peculiarities of living in Utah. This year’s show, “Close Encounters in the Beehive,” follows two aliens sent to Earth to see if the planet is worth saving — and, of course, they land in Salt Lake City. The play, witten by Olivia Custodio, David Knoell and Penelope Caywood, runs June 26 to August 18. SLAC, 168 W. 500 North, Salt Lake City. Tickets available at SaltLakeActingCompany.org.

Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre • The long-running summer program this year includes productions of “Cats,” “Little Shop of Horrors,” “Guys & Dolls” and “Anything Goes.” The festival runs from July 5 to August 3, at the Ellen Eccles Theatre and the Utah Theatre in Logan. Go to utahfestival.org for information and tickets.

The Salt Lake Tribune

RICK EGAN | Tribune file photo

Archuleta

Overall, Archuleta said, “I’m kind of tired of people saying I should know better and [are] still treating me like I have to live according to their expectations and standards, when I’m in a different place of life now.”

The example of Miss Frizzle

Archuleta said after growing up “in a culture that taught me fear is a good thing,” he’s learned to detach himself from that. He’s taking risks — whether with his music, his clothing or other choices.

His inspiration, he said, is Miss Frizzle, the teacher from the children’s show “The Magic School Bus” — whose motto was “take chances, make mistakes and get messy” because “that’s how you learn, how you discover.”

“She doesn’t let anyone control her and tell her what to do, and by doing so she’s able to live a happy, exciting life where she learns more than anyone else does about how life works,” Archuleta said. “A lot of times when you’re in a fear-based culture, you’re taught, like, if you don’t fear, and if you take too many risks, you will put yourself in danger.”

Archuleta said he’s always waited to speak about things until he’s ready. Now, he feels like he is. On his last album, he started doing exactly that.

“I didn’t come out until I was ready to accept that about me, and then I had to figure

out how to be OK to talk about it,” Archuleta said. The new song, he said, is how he’s finally expressing himself.

“Where I was before in my religion, it’s not OK to talk about, to be OK with being gay,” he said. “That’s something people need

to realize, that’s why I have to talk about it. Because I’m trying to free myself and give myself the power to love myself and feel good in my own skin, I have to talk about this and I’m going to keep talking about it. … That’s how I find my own voice, instead of letting other people talk for me.”

Doing that, through song and through interviews, Archuleta said, is healing for him — and helps him find himself while he’s still struggling with confidence and judgment.

Archuleta said he still values a lot of the things he grew up with, and still has friends from the Latter-day Saint community. But, “I’ve been afraid of myself my whole life. I need to stop being afraid of myself, and I’m over it.”

“If I write songs that are honest about my journey, and that offends people, then OK, that’s fine, but it’s my life,” he said. “All I’m doing is being myself. I’m damn proud of being who I am. That’s all I’ve ever tried to be, and it’s just sometimes it takes time to figure out certain parts of who you are.”

—

David Archuleta is scheduled to perform four shows at The Egyptian Theatre in Park City, May 30-June 1. Tickets can be purchased online, at parkcityshows.com.

Courtesy Shaun Vadella

David Archuleta pictured on the set of his music video for “Afraid to Love.”

Pride festivals

It’s not their first meeting, nor the last. With just under two months before the event, the joke is that they are “5/7ths of the way there.”

The meeting, like much of SLC Pride’s planning, is thoughtful and intentional. They have a list of 160 line items that they have either completed or will complete to get the permits needed to hold the celebration. They talk about framing the event as a sober space, with some places for alcohol — instead of the other way around.

The committee, O’Brien said, is “pretty radical, incredibly involved with grassroots organizations.” Several members, she said, have been involved with Utah Pride Festival in past years, either as employees or volunteers, or through their own organizations.

“We’re a ragtag group of queers that really is open to a different level of education, uncomfortableness, conversation, and moves with marginalized communities and [that] supports all of the groups that are often left feeling like they’re unsupported,” she said.

O’Brien led the meeting, and encouraged those attending to bring their own tables, chairs and pens, if they can. There were white poster-paper signs hanging on one wall, for people to sign up for organizing events that require volunteers. O’Brien said she would be hosting a spray-painting session in her backyard to make signs.

Donations and sponsorships also are at a grassroots level. Committee members have encouraged each other to bring their friends to fundraising events at LGBTQowned bars and businesses. Even $10 a person can help, O’Brien told them.

SLC Pride is keeping track of where that money goes. A handout, also posted on the group’s Instagram account, outlines exactly what a donation will pay for, such as a book from a queer author, two hours of face-painting or sponsoring a drag story hour. Event sponsors also are posted online.

“The goal,” Lopez said, “is not to make money, but to build community.”

What SLC Pride is offering

O’Brien said the members of the SLC Pride committee have been having conversations for years about the direction of Utah Pride — both inside and outside the Utah Pride Center — and only now have their ideas been turned into action with the new event.

“With the opportunity to really start a new local Pride, it allows everything that we wanted to ever happen, happen — because we’re the ones to make it happen [and] we can do it freely,” she said.

The LGBTQ businesses and organizations that SLC Pride is working with are almost entirely local — and include the NuaNua Collective, Seniors Out and Proud, Club Verse SLC, Sugar House Coffee and The Legendarium bookstore. (The notable exception is the Utah chapter of the Human Rights Campaign, the national LGBTQ+ advocacy organization.)

“The people that we’re collaborating with, there are things that they’re specifically hoping for or asking for,” O’Brien said, “and we’re just trying our absolute best to hear community members and then make that come into fruition.”

One thing SLC Pride doesn’t have to worry about, O’Brien said, is the overhead of having to sustain a nonprofit organization, the way Utah Pride does with the Utah

to those who pay for it, but also to community organizers — so they can facilitate dialogue among groups.

“We’re going to bring the people that are doing the groundwork … and then connect them with people [who] can fund their initiatives,” Lopex said. “If we can build a community that can transcend those barriers, then the community heals itself.”

SLC Pride will be featuring “just for YOUth,” a free space for young people. O’Brien said the youth space will feature a pop-up boutique by Project Rainbow — called Fashion Fluid — to provide clothing options, as well as makeup artists and QR codes that connect people to educational resources.

The committee, O’Brien said, has sought input from LGBTQ student groups at West High School and Salt Lake Community College about what they want in a youth space. “We’re going to go out and make that happen,” O’Brien said.

Meyer, SLC Pride’s youth coordinator, said the youth space will also feature crafts, and that Utah Valley Behavioral Health has donated money and will bring therapists to be available at the event.

Meyer is also in charge of the festival’s neurodivergent space, which will provide chargers, headphones, fidget toys and other items, and be “just a place where they can decompress.”

When the group started surveying youth about what they wanted, Meyer said, their requests were simple — like fancy water. “I don’t think anyone’s ever asked them that before,” she said.

Utah Pride focuses on ‘unity’

One area that people attending the Utah Pride Festival will notice a change, Call said, is in the entertainment, which he called “our biggest scale-back this year.”

Pride Center.

“We’re not stuck to having to support a center with hundreds of thousands of dollars of sponsorship,” she said, “We’re literally just there to celebrate community, to educate, and to highlight all of the groups that have a budget of zero to a thousand bucks.”

O’Brien said SLC Pride is designed to be financially accessible, too. Admission for adults over the age of 18 is $5, while youth 17 and under get in free. Vendors are being asked to pay between $150 and $250 for a booth.

“We want to allow full accessibility because we understand our community,” O’Brien said. “Those that have not been attending Pride — finances were a big part.”

As part of that accessibility, Lopez said, SLC Pride’s VIP area will be open not only

“Entertainment last year featured a lot of headliners [from] out of state,” Call said. One example was the drag performer Trixie Mattel.

Call announced in early May that Utah Pride will concentrate on local performers — and Call said he’s not going “to pretend” that the move isn’t “a financial decision.” He added that the center is ready to “celebrate the talent that makes up Utah Pride and showcase it.”

Utah Pride will feature between 25 and 30 acts, and is bringing back — by popular demand, Call said — the karaoke stage.

Utah Pride, Call announced in early May, will also feature a “Rainbow Alley.” Call described it as “a space where all of our local Pride festival organizations in Utah are invited to come together and share their stories and promote their events” — at no cost.

TRENT NELSON | Tribune file photo

The UTA booth at the Utah Pride Festival in Salt Lake City on June 3.

Pride festivals

Call said he hopes Utah Pride Center can be a resource to those Pride events, whether helping with permits or anything else.

SLC Pride also is making an effort to connect with other Pride events across Utah. They are tabling at other Pride events, and inviting those groups to do the same at SLC Pride — in what the group is calling a “Pride coalition.”

O’Brien said all types of Pride events are needed now, more than ever. She cited the April bomb threat at Mosaics, a Provo business owned by drag queen Tara Lipsyncki.

“That’s why Pride still happens,” O’Brien said. “A bomb threat is not acceptable. Our theme is ‘transform Pride,” and that’s what we’re trying to do.”

Call said he believes “the emergence of local Prides is a beautiful thing.” They speak, he said, to the evolution of the LGBTQ+ community, and the parts of it that “need something more or different from Pride that they’re not getting from

Utah’s large Pride celebration.”

“One of the things that keeps us moving through hardship and social change is the fact that we are unified together,” Call said. “We may be able to celebrate in very different ways, we may be able to have different core values around certain things, but our identity to the LGBTQ community is something that we do share in common.”

O’Brien noted that a pride celebration is meant to be a welcoming place.

“[Some] people are there because it is the only safe space for those few hours every year,” she said, “I don’t think we’ll meet everybody’s needs fully, but holy s---, we are going to do our absolute best.”

When Utah Pride and SLC Pride are happening

Schedule for the Utah Pride Festival and Parade

Friday, May 30 • Pride will kick off with an interfaith worship service at Congregation Kol Ami, 2425 Heritage Way, Salt Lake City, at 7 p.m. Admission is free.

Saturday, June 1 • Pride March and Rally at the State Capitol

starting at 10 a.m. The Utah Pride Festival will start at Washington Square Park, 400 South and State Street, Salt Lake City, at 11 a.m. and end at 10 p.m.

Sunday, June 2 • The Utah Pride Parade starts at 10 a.m. in downtown Salt Lake City, with continued programming for the festival at Washington Square Park from noon to 7 p.m.

Tickets • Passes for both Saturday

from 6 to 10 p.m.

Friday, June 28 • To mark the 55th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York, SLC Pride will partner with two bars, The Locker Room and Club Verse, to reflect on how far the community has come and where it still needs to go. The remembrance will also highlight transgender people of color.

and Sunday are $30 for people 12 and older, $10 for children ages 3-11, and $26 for seniors and military. Single-day tickets are $15 for people 12 and older, $5 for children 3-11, and $13 for seniors and military. Tickets are available online at utahpride.org.

Schedule for SLC Pride

Thursday, June 27 • Gender--Q, a queer rock and performance group, will host an all-ages, sober event

Saturday, June 29 • The main event runs from 3 to 10 p.m. at The Gateway, 50 S. Rio Grande St., Salt Lake City. Events include a silent disco (in the space formerly occupied by Sur La Table); panel discussions on such topics as how to pick a binder that fits, what it means to be Asian and queer, and sobriety in queer spaces; performances by community groups; and HIV testing and vaccinations by the Salt Lake County Health Department.

Sunday, June 30 • The event continues from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at The Gateway. Includes a trans-pancake breakfast on the green, from 10 a.m. to noon.

Tickets • $5 for adults 18 and older, free for people 17 years old and younger, each day. For ticket information, go to slc-pride.org.

CHRIS SAMUELS | The Salt Lake Tribune

New executive director of the Utah Pride Center Chad Call speaks to media at the center’s offices in Salt Lake City on May 1.