grouplove 2014
Grouplove on the Red Butte stage

It’s been more than couple of years since I’ve seen Grouplove in concert. It was at a smaller club and the show was great, as they always put on a great set.

This year, they returned to Utah at the Red Butte Gardens Amphitheater, making this outdoor show both fun and challenging.

Challenging because it has been very rainy here in Utah and the threat of rain on an outdoor concert was imminent. But luck was on our side this night. Not a drop until after the show was over.

grouplove 2014
Hannah Hooper leading the band

The band jams very well together. Their vocals, stage movements and everything was spot on, as always. The hour set included most of their hits like “Colours”, “Lovely Cup”, “Tongue Tied”, “Ways To Go”, “Hippy Hill” and even a Beyonce cover of “Drunk In Love” thrown in there. Even a bonus track on their most recent album showed up in the form of “Beans On Pizza”. They squeezed as much as they could in a shorter than normal set.

grouplove 2014
Christian Zucconi, on guitar and vocals

The only change in lineup since the last time I saw them live is new bassist Daniel Gleason, who replaced the original bassist Sean Gadd last year. Of course, Christian Zucconi was killing it with his riffs and moves.

I have never been disappointed by a Grouplove show and my only wish is that they would play a longer set the next time I see them live.

Portugal.The Man

portugal the man
The band kicking into their set, in the dark

The headlining band was Portugal. The Man. Their style of music is very heavy on the psychedelic side of things. Images behind the band matched the mix of guitar and bass, with heavy drum beats. I knew a good amount of the songs, but not song titles. I’d obviously heard them on various formats like CD, SiriusXM Alt Nation and my daughter’s collection of their albums.

portugal the man
Focus on guitarist John Gourley

Sounding strong, I really enjoyed their hour 10 min set. One of my favorite songs they played was the slightly profanity-laden “Creep in a T-Shirt” which was more of a jam with easy to sing lyrics. The hits I knew were “Modern Jesus”, “Purple, Yellow, Red and Blue” and “People Say”.

portugal the man
Close up and jamming

I will for sure go see them again live, given they come back to Utah. A lot of bands are skipping this state lately, so it’s refreshing when a favorite band like Grouplove still makes it a point to travel here.