SALT LAKE CITY — It's hard to beat the pleasure of sitting outside on a warm Utah summer's night while listening to good music. And, lucky us, there is no shortage of outdoor concerts in June around the state to keep us busy all month long. We've highlighted some of our favorites, and because we couldn't help ourselves, have also included a selection of pretty great indoor shows happening this month as well.
Please note that this list is not all-inclusive.
OUTDOOR SHOWS
June 6: Jenny Oaks Baker and Family Four/Dallyn Vail Bayles/Utah Valley Symphony
Summer is here and to celebrate, theSCERA theater in Orem is putting on a Summerfest that will include an outdoor community concert featuring the local talent of violinist and Juilliard School graduate Jenny Oaks Baker and her four children, actor/singer Dallyn Vail Bayles and the Utah Valley Symphony.
June 6: Steve Aoki
This year’s Salt City Sounds concert series consists of three installments of Gallivan Center shows through a partnership with Park City Live. The series kicks off Wednesday, June 6, with DJ/hip-hop artist Steve Aoki, who has more than 8 million followers on Facebook. The two other performances are Swedish DJ and record producer Alesso (June 20) and hip-hop group Bones Thug-n-Harmony (June 27).
June 7: The Flaming Lips
Prior to a Salt Lake show in 2000, The Flaming Lips founder Wayne Coyne spoke about his passion for the band with the Deseret News, saying, “I can easily see me doing this until the day I die. And I hope I live to be at least 103 years old.”
Now, 18 years later, the Grammy Award-winning rock band is headlining this year’s Twilight Concert Series in Ogden. The band, which formed out of Oklahoma in the 1980s, will kick off the month-long series Thursday, June 7, at theOgden Amphitheater.
June 9: The 5 Browns
Just a few days after sharing their story through the documentary “The 5 Browns: Digging Through the Darkness,” the Utah piano group takes the Kenley Amphitheater stage in Layton on June 9. “Digging Through the Darkness” provides an intimate look into the sibling pianists’ lives — their rise to stardom and then, years later, working through the difficulty surrounding their father’s sexual abuse. The 5 Browns will bring their piano virtuosity and energy to Layton’s summer concert series, put on by the Davis Arts Council, this Saturday.
June 15: Terry Fator
Ventriloquist Terry Fator will also perform at Kenley Amphitheater this month. Fator was 42 years old when he emerged the season two winner of “America’s Got Talent” in 2007, but his history with the unique skill dates back to fifth grade when he came across a book about ventriloquism in his school library, according to Vegas Insider Daily. Fator began doing ventriloquism at 10 and got his first puppet at 12. Fator brings his close-mouthed singing, comedy and celebrity impressions to Layton on June 15.
Other acts coming to the Kenley Amphitheater in June: Twisted Broadway (June 20), Jenny Oaks Baker, Lexi Walker and Nathan Pacheco (June 23).
June 16: David Archuleta
David Archuleta found fame in 2008 when he became the runner-up on season seven of “American Idol,” and the 27-year-old singer from Murray continues to perform frequently for fans in his home state. He performed in April at Tuacahn Amphitheatre and will perform this time at the Sandy Amphitheater on June 16.
Other acts coming to the Sandy Amphitheater in June: Sandy Amphitheater’s summer concert series kicks off June 9 with a local highlight: American rock and bluegrass group Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband. Other performances include Home Free (June 23); Billy Dean (June 28); and Night Ranger (June 29). Note: Night Ranger will also perform the following night, June 30, at the Kenley Amphitheater in Layton as part of the Davis Arts Council summer concert series.
June 16: Kesha and Macklemore
Even if you’ve “only got $20 in (your) pocket,” it might be worth it to splurge and check out a co-headlining tour with singer Kesha and rapper Macklemore — although tickets are relatively cheap, beginning at $30.50. The tour kicks off June 6 in Phoenix and will visit 29 cities — including USANA Amphitheatre in West Valley City on June 16. Titled “The Adventures of Kesha and Macklemore,” the tour is in support of Kesha’s third studio album, “Rainbow,” and Macklemore’s second solo studio album, “Gemini,” both released in 2017.
Other acts coming to USANA Amphitheatre in June: Steely Dan with The Doobie Brothers (June 10); Chicago and REO Speedwagon (June 19); Kenny Chesney (June 28); Vans Warped Tour — including Reel Big Fish, Simple Plan and Bowling for Soup (June 30).
June 18: Barenaked Ladies/Better Than Ezra/KT Tunstall
Barenaked Ladies doesn’t have Steven Page anymore, but the band continues to tour and give fans its wide range of hits from the 1990s and early 2000s, including “One Week” and “Pinch Me.” It’s been about 20 years since the band released those radio hits, and Salt Lake City’s Red Butte Garden is getting into the spirit of that music with a night featuring Barenaked Ladies, alternative rock band Better Than Ezra and rock/pop singer KT Tunstall — whose hits including “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree” and “Suddenly I See” were radio staples in the early to mid-2000s. Called the “Last Summer on Earth 2018,” the tour kicked off earlier this month and visits Salt Lake City on June 18. Note: This show is sold out, according to redbuttegarden.org/concerts.
Other acts coming to Red Butte Garden in June: Ryan Adams, sold out (June 12); Violent Femmes, sold out (June 13); Dispatch (June 19); Michael Franti and Spearhead, sold out (June 27).
June 20: Belle and Sebastian
While Utah is no stranger to excellent summer concert series, a new one worth checking out at Sundance Mountain Resort, called Sundance Mountain Music, begins June 20. The resort has been home to the Bluebird Cafe Concert Series for 16 years, and the new Sundance Mountain Music series kicks off with Belle and Sebastian, the beloved Scottish indie-pop band out of Glasgow that emerged on the music scene in the 1990s.
June 22: Granger Smith
Ogden’s Twilight summer concert series fills the Ogden Amphitheater with a healthy mix of musical genres Wednesday nights in June, but on Thursday, June 22, country singer and Texas native Granger Smith, also known by his alter ego Earl Dibbles Jr., will perform at the amphitheater as a benefit for EnableUtah, which provides employment services for people with special needs, according to eventbrite.com.
June 22-24: Halsey/Wiz Khalifa
Now in its third year, the Bonanza Campout, is set to make its return to River’s Edge Campground in Heber on June 22-24. Featuring an eclectic mix of pop, hip-hop, EDM and indie rock, some of the festival’s headliners this year includes New York pop singer-songwriter Halsey and hip-hop heavyweight Wiz Khalifa, who has 40 million followers on Facebook.
June 25: Ned LeDoux
Ned LeDoux, the son of country singer-songwriter and rodeo champion Chris LeDoux who died in 2005, recently performed in Utah at Vivint Arena as a special guest for country star Toby Keith. Ned LeDoux returns to the Beehive State on June 25, but in a significantly different — although arguably more fitting — venue: the Lehi Roundup Rodeo.
June 25: Steve Augeri
When the lights go down in the city on June 25, former Journey lead singer Steve Augeri will just be gearing up for a night of the ‘80s rock band’s greatest hits. Augeri was Journey’s lead singer from 1998 to 2006, replacing Steve Perry and making his band debut with the song “Remember Me” that was featured on the movie soundtrack for “Armageddon.” Augeri will perform the large repertoire of Journey hits at the SCERA Shell Outdoor Theatre.
June 30: Patriotic Celebration starring Rachel Potter
Set against the backdrop of the Wasatch Mountains, the Utah Symphony’s Deer Valley Music Festivalstarts June 30 with a patriotic celebration featuring season three “The X-Factor” finalist and Broadway performer Rachel Potter. Potter will perform hits from Broadway and patriotic favorites alongside the Utah Symphony.
INDOOR SHOWS
June 7-10: Al Jardine
The Beach Boys have a strong connection to Utah — so much so that they even recorded the song “Salt Lake City” for their 1965 album “Summer Days (And Summer Nights)” and performed nearly every year at Lagoon between 1963 and 1973, according to the Deseret News. Founding Beach Boy member Al Jardine — who performed at Tuacahn Amphitheatre last month with Brian Wilson — will perform songs and tell stories from the early days of The Beach Boys at Park City’s Egyptian Theatre June 7-10.
Other acts coming to the Egyptian Theatre in June: The Yardbirds (June 21-23); and A Tribute to John Denver with Chris Collins and Boulder Canyon (June 28-30)
June 11: Dr. Dog
Songwriters Toby Leaman and Scott McMicken began jamming and writing music together more than 20 years ago while in eighth grade, and that formed the basis for the psychedelic/indie-rock group Dr. Dog, which performs at the Depot in Salt Lake City on June 11.
June 14: Creed Bratton
He might be best known as playing a fictional version of himself on the NBC sitcom “The Office,” but in real life, the ever-mysterious and eccentric Dunder-Mifflin employee Creed Bratton is a musician first, with a music career spanning nearly 50 years. Bratton is bringing an evening of music and comedy to The Complex on June 14.
Bratton isn’t the only one with a prominent acting career coming to The Complex this month. On June 30, Janelle Monae, known for her roles in the films “Hidden Figures” and “Moonlight,” will take the stage in Salt Lake City in support of her third album, “Dirty Computer,” which was released earlier this year.
Other acts coming to the Complex in June: New Found Glory and Bayside (June 9); and Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls (June 19)
June 16: Ziggy Marley
The oldest son of reggae icon Bob Marley, Ziggy Marley got involved in music at an early age as he would sit in on recording sessions with his father, according to the DeJoria Center event page. The eight-time Grammy winner and frontman for Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers — who performed the theme song for the classic kid's show “Arthur” — will take the DeJoria Center stage in Kamas on June 16.
Other acts coming to the DeJoria Center in June: Skid Row and Vixen (June 15)
June 22: Tedeschi Trucks Band
Now in its eighth year, the Grammy-winning Tedeschi Trucks Band is getting ready to bring its blues-rock jam music to the Eccles Theater stage. The 12-piece ensemble, led by the husband-and-wife team of guitarist Derek Trucks and guitarist-singer Susan Tedeschi, performs in Salt Lake City on June 22.
June 26: The Milk Carton Kids
Just days before releasing a new album, indie-folk The Milk Carton Kids perform at one of Utah’s newest venues, the Commonwealth Room, June 26. Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan form this harmonious duo, and their fourth upcoming album, titled “All the Things That I Did and All the Things That I Didn’t Do” was recently highlighted on NPR’s “All Things Considered.”
June 30: Fantastic Negrito
Fantastic Negrito was a teenage drug dealer when he discovered Prince’s “Dirty Mind” album. “Someone told me he was self-taught and that opened the door for me,” the artist told The Guardian. “I was 18 and getting into trouble. I was thinking, ‘What can I do that’s safe?’ So I started teaching myself how to play.”
Fantastic Negrito emerged as the winner of NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert Contest in 2015, selected from nearly 7,000 entries. The blues artist performs at the Urban Lounge in Salt Lake City on June 30.