Maggie Lindemann’s show in Salt Lake City last weekend wasn’t just another stop on her I Feel Everything tour, in some ways it was like a homecoming.  Lindemann once called Salt Lake City home, and she returned to that home with a packed venue welcoming her back as one of their own, where she delivered a performance that mixed pop vulnerability and rock catharsis. 

 

Opening the night Ayleen Valentine wasted no time winning over an already packed crowd.  With her strong stage presence and knack for engaging the crowd and storytelling between songs, Valentine elevated the opening from just another opener to someone setting a high bar for what was to come. Valentine’s set showcased a rising talent who took the time after her set to go out and meet new fans who are sure to push this artist into a brighter future.

 

By the time the stage change was done, and the lights went dimmed for Lindemann’s arrival the anticipation was visible.  As the band took the stage the roar of the crowd echoed off the walls creating an instant reaction from Lindemann who wore a giant smile plastered over her face as a reaction from the crowd.  Lindemann leaned into that reaction from the crowd and opened the night giving everyone a big taste of her latest music with the first seven songs coming from her latest album.  It was a bold move front loading a setlist with new material, but fans loved it and the move paid off, showcasing the sound of her evolution as an artist before giving the crowd an older sampling and igniting a frenzy in the crowd with “Self Sabotage” being the next song up.  As the rest of the set progressed, it followed the new material with fan favorites thrown in with each familiar track eliciting cheers from the crowd. 

 

What stood out throughout the performance wasn’t just the music, it was the sound of it.

 

Lindemann’s live performance leaned into a heavier edge than her earlier material or the way it sounds on record.  The heavier guitars and punchier drums along with a raw vocal delivery gives the show a touring rock act feel to it.  The sound of her show is just like Lindemann herself, blending pop with rock/emo/alternative and heavy sounds, refusing to stay within just one genre, and that is what makes it all work.

 

Lindemann’s music taps into themes that clearly resonate with her fans.  Songs like “She Knows It”,” which explores the frustration of unrequited feelings, which in Lindemann’s case was a woman who she felt led her on, and “Self Sabotage” a brutally honest song about pushing away good things and rejecting them before getting hurt are just two of the songs that deal with topics that ring with not just her fans but people in general.

 

Throughout the night, the connection between Lindemann and the crowd never broke.  It wasn’t just about the music, it was about shared experience, vulnerability and release.  By the end of the night that was the lasting impression.  An artist who gives voice to everything that we are feeling.

 

If the Salt Lake City stop proved anything, it’s that Maggie Lindemann has fully stepped into her next evolution, louder, heavier and more emotionally raw than ever before.