Dispatch concert, lyrics go beyond entertainment at Red Butte
Dispatch performs at the Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre on Tuesday, June 19, 2018, in Salt Lake City.
Chad Stokes Urmston of Dispatch performs during a concert at the Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre on Tuesday, June 19, 2018, in Salt Lake City.
Brad Corrigan plays the bass guitar during the Dispatch concert at Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre on Tuesday, June 19, 2018, in Salt Lake City.
Matt Embree performs during the Dispatch concert at Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre on Tuesday, June 19, 2018, in Salt Lake City.
Brad Corrigan hugs Raye Zaragoza as she joins Dispatch on stage for one of the final songs of the concert at Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre on Tuesday, June 19, 2018, in Salt Lake City. Zaragoza was one of the opening acts for the concert.
Chad Stokes Urmston points to the crowd during the Dispatch concert at the Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre on Tuesday, June 19, 2018, in Salt Lake City.
Tim Snider waits to play during the Dispatch concert at the Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre on Tuesday, June 19, 2018, in Salt Lake City. Snider, who performs with Nahko and Medicine for the People, joined Dispatch for a song.
Chase Makai performs during Nahko and Medicine for the People's set at the Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre on Tuesday, June 19, 2018, in Salt Lake City.
Nahko brings his hands together in a sign of prayer during the concert at the Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre on Tuesday, June 19, 2018, in Salt Lake City.
Nahko and Medicine for the People perform at the Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre on Tuesday, June 19, 2018, in Salt Lake City.
Dispatch performs at the Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre on Tuesday, June 19, 2018, in Salt Lake City.
An attendee of the Dispatch concert takes a video during the performance at the Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre on Tuesday, June 19, 2018, in Salt Lake City.
Nahko, left, Brad Corrigan, center, and Raye Zaragoza, right, close out the performance at the Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre on Tuesday, June 19, 2018, in Salt Lake City.
Raye Zaragoza sings with Dispatch during the concert at the Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre on Tuesday, June 19, 2018, in Salt Lake City.
When Dispatch took the stage at the Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre on Tuesday night, it was only the second time that the band has played in Utah.
The band remained true to its history and brought its storytelling lyrics with topical songs that speak to the trials of our current time to the forefront of the concert. By writing and performing music that speaks to heavier topics that impact all of us — gun violence, the opioid epidemic, and immigration — it shows how the band members continue to push beyond entertainment and work for change they believe in through their music.
The opener, “Be Gone,” from the latest studio album, “America, Location 12,” kicks off with a strong guitar riff that sets the tone for the rest of the song. It’s a bit heavier than some of Dispatch’s more known songs, but it sounds clearly like the Dispatch with storytelling lyrics that had the crowd singing along to the catchy chorus.
As the concert progressed, songs from past albums dotted the set list, with “Other Side,” “Bang Bang,” and “Elias.” Many of these older songs balanced the tone of the evening with more dreamy sounds and softer lyrics that speak to peace and adventure.
The mixture of songs offered insight into how the band’s focus for lyrics has been morphing with the world around it and from personal experiences. Chad Stokes Urmston, an original member of Dispatch and oftentimes lead vocals for the band, introduced “Out Loud” as a song dedicated for a friend of his and for “anyone who’s lost loved ones too soon.” Personalizing topics impacting society makes the music relatable and allows listeners to put their own experience into the lyrics.
Not only is Dispatch willing to write music that speaks to the times, but the band is willing to make changes to the lyrics after new information comes to light. In Dispatch’s recent radio hit “Only the Wild Ones,” for example, a line in the song has changed from the original recording. The line previously mentioned Charlie Rose, a former CBS anchor who was removed after allegations of sexual misconduct, but now is sung as Rosie O.
The blending of new and older songs demonstrated how even though nearly a quarter of a century has passed since the band started in 1996, there continues to be a consistency in tone and topics that remain congruent with the band’s beginnings.
Even though the band’s lyrics are what stick with you after the show, the evidence of the musical talent is clear. As the band members rotated between instruments and other instruments appeared for a song or two, the sound never lacked, but offered a variety for the attendees. The willingness to trade off instruments during the show suggests trust with one another. This trust has been a process for the past couple years, since one of the original members, Pete Heimbold, has still been unable to join in the tour, so he can focus on his battle with depression.
Toward the end of the set, Dispatch brought out the two lead singers from the opener, Raye Zaragoza, and second act, Nahko, to participate in the final song. The hugs on stage and laughter between the artists showcased the camaraderie that has already developed in this early leg of the tour. After this final song, the musicians made their way off the stage, but an encore brought the members of Dispatch back out to play “Letter to Lady J,” in what was described by Urmston as “a protest song, but it’s also a song of people coming together,” to stand up against the family separation taking place at the border with Mexico and how we can’t let this type of action represent us as a nation.
With that in mind, the band rocked what appeared to be the final song of the show, but as the song ended, a funky rendition of “The General,” the band’s most defining song, sounded in the amphitheater. It was a perfect way to wrap up an epic second performance in Utah, leaving the crowd with conversation starters for the many pressing issues that surround us.