The State Room in Salt Lake City, Utah is an interesting venue. When first entering where Knox would perform, I noticed the standing room only area to be fairly small, right in front of the stage with no area in between for security to stand and observe the crowd. Behind the standing area of the audience, there were seats made up of old church benches and seats that would be in a high school auditorium leading to the sound booth and other standing area.

I asked one of the security officers more about the venue and they said that this audience is one of the youngest they have ever seen occupy the venue, it is usually welcomed by individuals in their late thirties or older. The setup of where the audience is offered refuge for people who enjoy a performance but are unable to stand the whole time which I liked. This was my first time being at the State Room and I am most definitely going to pay more attention to the types of shows and performers who are scheduled there.

Onto the performance. There were no issues with the audio or instrumentals during the show. Knox and his band were very energetic and interacting with the crowd when they could including talking with people who were holding signs, teaching us parts of the songs to include us in the storytelling that he had in mind, or having a sound off between the right and left side.

I don’t know what it is, but any performance that includes a disco ball automatically makes me happier and I tend to pay more attention to the crowd. Disco is something that we don’t have in our time anymore, so seeing the light reflect off of the shining orb in the ceiling onto the walls and faces around the room is beautiful. It almost looks like fireflies or stars. The disco ball at the venue offered a differentiation between areas of the room and broke up the darkness that would normally cloud everyones faces until other lights were sining in the crowd.

Knox is most definitely a storyteller, every song that he played (every song that he has released) had a story relating to something he had dealt with and he included us all in his story. Something about smaller venues is that it makes people feel more comfortable and able to open up it seems. Any performance that I have been to at a more intimate venue has not only been that way because of the decrease in audience members, but there are more opportunities to see reactions, and learn about each person in the audience. There was definitely an array of people at this show. Some looked to be grandparents, some parents, some college students, high schoolers, and some middle schoolers. Again, the seating/standing arrangement accommodated many different fans.

During the show, there was a point where the opener joined Knox on stage and he was very transparent on his confusion when she entered from a different part of stage, and his thoughts throughout the whole show. It felt more like watching a local band who you’ve known for years than seeing a large celebrity. So many emotions were shared during the show, heartbreak stories were told, admiration was shared, and many others and you could tell that everyone could feel every emotion.

Review & Photos by: Miriam Wasden

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Knox Ignites the Crowd at The State Room in Salt Lake City