By Molly McCoy
September 21st, the first day of Fall and a memorable day for Stephen Sanchez fans as he brought his Connie Co Show tour to the Sandy Ampitheater in Salt Lake City. His show was moved from the Great Saltair, and personally I loved the change. The Ampitheater is in the heart of the city and has gorgeous mountains surrounding it. After attending the show, I think the change was the right call as the natural beauty that surrounded the venue tied in perfectly to the evening full of fun and music.
To kick off the evening The Brooks and The Bluff took to the stage. I loved them as openers, their music is like Stephen Sanchez, and it was not a complete change of genre. The crowd was still filling in through their set so I felt like they did not get the interaction that they probably should have from the crowd as they performed. My favorite songs of the night were “Everything Is a Mess” and “Bad Bad News.” Despite the crowd still coming in they did do a good job of getting those that were there to sing and dance along with them. I would love to see them come back and play their own show here one day as they have a great sound and good chemistry on stage.
As the sun set behind the mountains the excitement in the crowd only grew. Fans came prepared, many dressed up in sixties attire while others were just wearing cute dresses and bows. Handmade signs were found sporadically throughout the crowd and the energy was almost tangible. The tour’s name is The Connie Co Show, which seems to resemble the Ed Sullivan Show that was popular throughout the 50s-60s. As a girl who grew up on Classic Rock music I was in heaven, Connie came out on stage to introduce the bands, 60’s music played over the speakers as house music, and everyone, everyone was wearing suits. Including the photo/video team that is touring with the band. The band came on stage, the stage wall turned to reveal Stephen Sanchez, he came out and immediately started singing “Evangeline.”
I go to a lot of concerts, a lot. Whether I am covering them as a photographer, attending them just for fun or going to local shows in my hometown, I have been to more than a few concerts. So, I feel certified in saying that this is one of, if not the best concerts that I have been to in a long time. It does not even feel right to say concert, it was a show, it was a production and at the heart of it was pure talent and skill by Stephen Sanchez. The entire night I found myself in some form of awe, whether it was his vocal performance, dancing, or stage presence I kept waiting for the captivity to die down, but it never did. The whole night my eyes were on the stage and my jaw was on the floor.
After the first three songs were over, I went to find my seat, he went on to sing “Be More,” while his songs are current and popular today Stephen has a way of singing that makes me feel like I am at a concert from the 60’s. He brings an originality and classiness to the stage that I have not seen other artist do, while his tour offers a great production his talent is what steals the show. When an artist can have so much emotion on stage that it bleeds into the audience, it sets them apart, it creates a bond between the audience and the artist that will last forever.
As I mentioned before I grew up listening to classic rock so hearing Stephen cover classic songs like “Put Your Head on My Shoulder” and “Oh, Pretty Woman” I was in heaven as it felt like I was at a concert back when they were originally released. After a few songs, the stage changed again to reveal a desk with Connie Co himself and a chair, set up for an interview. Stephen went and sat down as the talk show portion of the show commenced.
The talk show included a fun game where Stephen drew a song title and Connie picked a person he would impersonate as he sang it. This time, he sang a cover of Chappell Roans “Hot to Go” as Bob Dillon. Given that Hot to Go is one of Tik Toks’ biggest sounds and an immensely popular song the crowd devoured this cover. He also mentioned that Salt Lake City has the loudest crowd for 3 years in a row, and that he and his band loved coming here. That statement of course came with a loud eruption of cheers from the crowd.
Next Connie asked Stephen questions from the crowd, one person asked what his favorite meal was, to which a concertgoer yelled out “You.” With a laugh Stephen just said, “Let’s just leave it at that I guess.” Then he was asked how he liked touring. He confided to the crowd that touring is hard for him and that it is not natural for a human to be glorified the way pop stars are. I appreciated this response as it gave a glimpse into the humbleness of Sanchez, Connie prompted a little and asked if he writes songs while on the road. Stephen replied that he did and offered to sing an unreleased song to the crowd titled, “What Love Did to Us.” I am sure that I speak for most when I say that I cannot wait for this song to be released. Stephen sang it on the couch with his guitar and the crowd was silent as he sang.
After the Connie Co show segment was over the concert continued with Stephen singing, dancing, and interacting with the crowd on stage. At one point he ran out into the crowd to sing “High” on a platform above the sound booth. I have said it before and I will say it again, I was in awe watching him perform, he gave off almost an Elvis esq vibe as he performed, but in his own original way. The crowd screamed every time he looked over at them, he held the microphone stand up to the crowd to sing along before ending the song. As he passed through the crowd fans eagerly held out their hands to him as he made his way back to stage.
The end of the set included his widely popular songs “Until I Found You” and “Shake.” After “Shake” he once more, and it appeared to be an impromptu decision based on the reaction of security, ran off the stage back on to the platform to sing and dance with a handheld tambourine before returning to stage for one final bow.
There is always a bittersweetness to the end of a really good show, fans now have this new memory to hold on to and appreciate, maybe new fans were made along the way for those who went with friends not knowing the artists. Then there is of course the bitter side, not knowing when and if your favorite artist will come back to your town, or they will “get big” and the next venue will not be as intimate as the one before. Whatever the case, I would argue that the memories from this night are mainly sweet.
Luckily for those reading this, there is still time to see this amazing show. With Stephen and his band making their way east there are still shows until the end of October. If you do not know any of his songs, if you only know one, I recommend buying a ticket today as this is not a show you will want to miss. As for Stephen Sanchez and his band, September 21st was a perfect night for those in attendance, they gave their all on stage and the fans gave it back in return. Whether it is in a year or two years, Utah fans are excitedly awaiting your return to the beehive state!
Photo Gallery : The Brooks and The Bluff – Sandy Amphitheater (09.21.2024)
Photo Gallery : Stephen Sanchez – Sandy Amphitheater (09.21.2024)
