By Molly McCoy
Bringing his (Un)Commentary tour to Salt Lake City, Alec Benjamin won over the hearts of all that were in attendance. With about 7 shows left of this tour, I would recommend grabbing tickets fast as this is sure to be a show you don’t want to miss. Fans were lined up around the block waiting to get into the venue on Wednesday night, countless people all excited to see Alec Benjamin play. Before going into the venue I was talking with a couple and they mentioned that seeing Alec is one of their traditions since they started dating. In fact they drove down to Salt Lake from Boise to attend this show, so as not to miss out on one of his tours.
Claire Rosinkranz is the opener for this tour, I had never listened to any of her music before this but I recommend listening to her immediately. The energy she brought on stage was contagious and she instantly was able to connect with the crowd. Something I found super cool is the fact that she makes all her music with her dad who happens to be the bassist for her band. While I liked all of her songs, my personal favorite was definitely the song “Frankenstine”. She taught songs to the audience quickly so they could sing along, and overall did a fantastic job, she is definitely one to watch out for.
One of my favorite parts at a concert is the very beginning. I love when they play intro’s right before the band walks on stage. This particular opening was one of my absolute favorites. They started with the song, “The Devil Doesn’t Bargain” and it was perfect, the flashing of the lights and the intro blaring through the speakers did a great job of raising even more excitement from the crowd before Alec finally came on stage. I have listened to Alec’s music for a few years now and while it’s great music, the transition from recorded to live is crazy. Not only can you see the enjoyment that Alec has while performing on stage but his band is just as charismatic and you can tell that they all thoroughly enjoy performing each song. I also want to point out, whoever designed the stage lighting did an incredible job. The lighting fit the feel of the album perfectly and was overall very aesthetically pleasing to watch.
A few of my favorite highlights from the show is when Alec dedicated his song “Shadow of Mine ” to his friend Jaden, a girl in the crowd who let him play in her living room on his very first tour in Salt Lake City. One of my favorite things that Alec did was definitely his interaction with the crowd and their signs. One fan brought a white board so they could make personal signs to Alec as the show progressed. Once he realized what they were doing he had a good laugh and acknowledged them for their creativity. Something else that stood out to me was how much he talked throughout his set, he did a great job of talking about his songs and the inspiration behind them; during his song “Jesus in LA” he explained that he moved to LA in hopes of finding himself only to realize that you have to find whatever you’re looking for within yourself, not a place. He spoke about a few of his songs and it definitely added a lot of personal value to the show.
Throughout the show he was sure to mention how much he and his band enjoyed coming to Salt Lake because of how fun the crowd is. This was nice to hear as I’m sure I can speak for many when we wish Alec a speedy return. As for those who have yet to see Alec Benjamin and his band live I encourage you to buy tickets quickly as I promise this is not a show you’ll want to miss.
