USANA Ampitheatre - West Valley, Utah

Summer-time, sweltering heat, packing the car to go tour, stretching out in the lawn watching a show, $7.50 beers, giant video screens…to paraphrase the Donovan song “It’s the season of the shed”, and by sheds I mean those large outdoor amphitheatres that combine the ability to seat an audience or strand it seemingly miles away on the lawn. Some of these places are corporate dumps named for a phone company or some credit card, only saved by the (sometimes) great music they showcase on stage throughout the summer. Some of these venues though are truly awe-inspiring locales to witness a show. The huge red sandstone rocks standing sentry along the stage at Red Rocks in Morrison Colorado, the cliffs overlooking the Columbia River at the Gorge in Columbia, Washington, or walking through the woods on the way to the stage at SPAC in Saratoga Springs, New York, are the places that come immediately to mind.

The USANA amphitheatre (named for a leading developer and manufacturer of high quality nutritional, personal care and weight management medicines) located on the outskirts of Salt Lake City, Utah, in West Valley City, may be able to join that list as well. The Wasatch Mountains serve as a backdrop for the stage, vying for your attention with their imposing beauty. The stage itself is rather small, not extending to far out to either side with the front façade and the sides of the stage built to resemble the mountains. The stage seems to blend into the range behind them and blur the line between the actual landscape and the stage. There is no roof or covering over the seats allowing both those in the seats and on the lawn a clear view of the Wasatch Mountains. The stage faces almost due west, so the setting sun casts long, strange, dancing shadows across the stage over the range. The setting sun can even be distracting for the bands as well, with it’s overpowering light show.

When Phish played their now (almost) legendary show there July 15, 2003, they had just finished “Two Versions of Me” and the band was chattering on stage, when drummer Jon Fishman remarked that, “I was just watching the sun set.” Trey Anastasio says to him, “Then let’s play “Secret Smile” for the sunset.” With it’s completely appropriate line, “The Wind dies down, the setting sun, crochets the clouds with yarn so fine.”

Fishman replies, “I would like that”, and you can almost hear the smile on his face. (To hear this exchange for yourself, get a copy of Live Phish7/15/03, and listen closely at the end of track 6, after “Two Versions of Me.”) The show that evening was much more than just a comment about the sun though.

Having been lucky enough to have driven cross country, from Baltimore to Salt Lake City, to visit friends, it was an added bonus that Phish would be in town the same time I was. The show took place just over two weeks after the USANA amphitheatre opened in 2003 – when it still reeked of newness, when chalk lines were still visible on the ground marking out locations where seats would go, when the grass still had not completely grown in – Phish broke out another can’t miss Utah show, similar to their effort on 11/2/98 when they shocked everyone with a post Halloween surprise and played Dark Side of the Moon in it’s entirety. While not quite on that legendary status (remember I said almost), the show was still one of the best post hiatus shows and the 2nd set can hold its own with some of the all-time best.

Starting off with a thirty plus minute extremely exploratory “Mr. Completely” (marking the Phish debut, of the Trey Band standard), the 2nd set turned into a segue-fest that recalled days long gone, pre-hiatus when dinosaurs roamed the earth (think fall 1994-’95). “Mr. Completely” was followed by a full-on “Low Rider jam”, that eventually gave way to a “Big Black Furry Creatures from Mars” > “Buried Alive” > “Big Black Furry Creatures from Mars” > “Ha Ha Ha” > “Big Black Furry Creatures from Mars” combo, that finally wrapped up things with what got the set started, “Mr. Completely”. While all this was going on I was looking around and remember I was amazed at how empty it was maybe half full on the lawn and little more than half full in the seats.

With 7,000 reserved seats and room for another 13,000 on the lawn, the USANA used a special metal wall panel system that allowed the entire amphitheatre to built in just four months. It is currently the largest out-door and music event center in Utah, but that is little like being valedictorian of your night school class. Many larger acts do not make the stop there due to its remoteness and fans on tour tend to skip it as well. Its location has caused some complaints from those who actually to go to shows there as well. While the surrounding area and landscape adds much personality to both the show and the venue. The small road leading in and out, can lead to some nightmarish traffic at times. For you East Coast folks think of Nissan Pavilion in Bristow, VA.

Despite these complaints, the USANA amphitheatre is a place that needs to be seen, like Wrigley Field, Fenway Park, Red Rocks, or the Gorge. Perhaps one day you will be lucky enough to visit some friends while a bands in town, catch the show and watch the sunset dance across the Wasatch Mountains.