Nightly- Concert Review
By Colette Hanley
Have you ever left a concert and felt on top of the world, with energy like you just drank 4 coffees? That is exactly how I felt walking away on October 20, 2023, after “Nightly” performed at The Depot in Salt Lake City, Utah. The band is known for their high-energy stage presence and music that makes you move! Prior to the band's arrival, I had a moment to speak with two dedicated fans in the crowd. The two girls had waited in line for hours before the show to get as close to the stage as possible just to see their crushes up close. With a younger crowd, you can only imagine the audience’s eruption the moment a light-up telephone towards the back of the stage rang. Out came the 3 members of Nightly, sprinting towards the front of the stage with guitar licks and the brightest smiles across their faces. The audience was nothing short of amazed.
The band interacted with the audience leaving an intimate feeling as if you were being personally serenaded. The Depot makes it easier for the audience to feel connected as it has lots of visibility and options for different ages to view from different angles. The charm of lead singer Johnathan Capeci had girls throughout the entire building trying to get closer. He began to grab phones from the hands extending them to the stage, taking videos of the band members and audience giving their fans a keepsake they will never forget. It was quickly clear the mission of the band was to give their fans the best night of their lives and they did so, extremely well.
The lyrics Nightly sang had a sentiment that with each person in that room at one point or another. It could be felt by every employee, helping hand, and fan that these lyrics were far more than music. There was a deep bond. It was an honor to connect with a band as a photographer and capture such sweet moments shared between their fans and exhilarating to receive their energy from the stage, and their facial expressions. It was a performance yet the sound felt far more connected even through their body language. This is a band of people who love what they do and who they do it for—certainly looking forward to their return to Salt Lake City!