We have somehow already reached the end of Kilby Block Party 2024! The 25th-anniversary celebration for Kilby Court in Salt Lake City went practically as well as it could, and the final day included some legendary performances from rare acts (some generally, others regionally). How did we spend our final day at the Utah State Fairpark?
We started at the Kilby Stage for Panchiko’s midday set. The British indie rock five-piece had been out of music and disbanded for nearly twenty years when some message boards discovered their debut EP, D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L. Found in a “charity shop in Sherwood, Nottingham,” D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L was being shared online from 2016 to 2020 when a fan found and contacted frontman Owain Davies. From their live performance alone, you would never believe that Panchiko is comparatively new to this. From the first moment of their first song, Davies and the band sounded immaculate, and their performance was tight. Covering ground from D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L to their most recent release, 2023’s Failed At Math(s), Panchiko looked like seasoned veterans in the live music scene. Here’s hoping that this time, they’re going all-in.
What followed Panchiko was easily the cruelest schedule overlap of the entire festival weekend. Yves Tumor took the Lake Stage at the same time CSS took the Desert Stage. What do you do when a legend in the making (seriously, if you didn’t see my Outside Lands 2021 coverage, Yves Tumor is incredible) plays opposite a recently regrouped dance punk band on their first US tour in twelve years? You split time and hope it’s worth the time split. May I just say: this was completely worth the time split.
Yves Tumor took the Lake Stage and torched it within the first two songs, “God Is A Circle” and “Echolalia” from their 2023 album, Praise a Lord Who Chews but Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds). They weren’t done, though. Immediately sliding into the opening track of 2020’s Heaven to a Tortured Mind, “Gospel for a New Century,” Yves Tumor and their band got the entire crowd headbanging and channeling the most cathartic rage in every conceivable way. Following up “Gospel for a New Century” with “Jackie,” the absolute heater from 2021’s The Asymptomatical World EP, was nearly enough for us to break with the split.
We understood the importance of the CSS show, though, and made the difficult decision to head over to the Desert Stage. The Brazilian band had been on hiatus from 2013 to 2019, but after regrouping for São Paulo’s Popload Festival, the band decided to come back completely. Frontwoman Lovefoxxx reminded the crowd, “We started this band in 2003, and now we’re doing this reunion tour. We’re nearing the end of our American tour dates, and we’re glad we made it here.” The crowd was glad they made it there, too, dancing with reckless abandon on the concrete blacktop and safely and courteously crowdsurfing two members of the crowd and Lovefoxxx herself. After the incredible closing performance of their 2006 hit, “Alala,” Lovefoxxx expressed the band’s gratitude in a way that only she could: “Thank you so much! We are CSS from São Paulo, Brazil! Do you like to party?” The house music then shifted to Vengaboys’ hit, “We Like To Party! (The Vengabus),” as the band conga-lined offstage. That set will hopefully become the stuff of legend. CSS are back.
After that most ridiculous schedule overlap, things got a bit simpler. We grabbed some CSS merch, refilled our water bottles, and rested for a while at the pavilion near the Desert Stage until it was time for Pond. The Australian psych-rock band began their afternoon performance with 2019’s “Daisy,” before they cut off the song midway through to ensure that the crowd and security had taken care of someone who passed out in the afternoon sun. I feel like this could go without saying, but having the two most prominent members of a band – in this case, frontman Nick Allbrook and guitarist/vocalist/keyboardist Jay Watson – completely stop their band’s performance to ensure crowd safety should become the norm again. Kudos to Pond for that and also the rest of their setlist. Including some of the best songs from their discography as well as new tracks like “(I’m) Stung” and “Neon River,” the only real problem during their set was that Allbrook’s microphone seemed to be completely off in some instances. The instruments sounded incredible, though, so it could be considered a wash.
After Pond, we headed back to the Kilby Stage to secure a decent spot for LCD Soundsystem. We just had to make it through 100 Gecs’ crowd to make it happen. When Dylan Brady and Laura Les took the stage, though, that became a nearly impossible task. Props to a rabid fanbase where it’s due, but we need to remember the rules of moshing, particularly when the sun is still blazing down and people are getting dehydrated. 100 Gecs put together an amazing set, and it genuinely would have been a more enjoyable time if not for the genuine safety concerns experienced in the wake of Lollapalooza 2021 (scheduling Playboi Carti right before Miley Cyrus) and in the wake of Astroworld. At a certain point, we need to have a collective conversation about how to safely rage at a concert again.
At long last, after taking an hour of hits from the crowd to protect the people on the side rail, after being accused of trying to steal said side rail spots when trying to stabilize myself by one of the only rude patrons we experienced the entire weekend – seriously, shoutout to 99.9% of the people at Kilby Block Party for being insanely chill, respectful, and welcoming – LCD Soundsystem took the Kilby Stage with their typical set-up: seemingly endless instruments, a giant disco ball, and the man himself, James Murphy, standing near the front of it all. It had been seventeen years since the band played in Utah, last playing a half hour south of Salt Lake City on the Sound of Silver tour, and they gave the Kilby Block Party crowd the hits they had been waiting for. Opening with “Get Innocuous!,” sliding into “I Can Change” and “You Wanted A Hit,” and covering all bases until closing with “All My Friends,” James Murphy and company gave Kilby Block Party 2024 one last chance to dance. This was the start of their “Kinda Tour 2024,” and it was a great start.
And that was Kilby Block Party 2024! Massive thanks to the festival for having us. Thank you to 99.9% of the crowd, thank you to Just Squeezed for the lemonade, and thank you to Salt Lake City for being amazing. Keep your eyes peeled for one more piece, though! I’m nothing if not consistent.