Music floats above the crowd and all eyes are fixated on the stage as the bands at Live and Local play song after song. While dancing together, students flock toward the stage to get a closer look. Local vendors and food trucks line up on the side selling their wares to eager customers.
This is Live and Local, an event so loved by students at Utah Tech University that they hold it biannually.
“After the first time the event happened, students requested to have it twice a year,” said Asher Anderson, a senior marketing major from Mesa, Arizona, and director of live events for Utah Tech Student Association.
Live and Local is an opportunity for students to sit and enjoy local music and browse the booths of community businesses such as Dinkers Glazed Nuts, Silverspoon Rings, Desert Gems and Hawley Trucker Hat Bar. It is a calmer setting than the more dynamic events such as the carnival hosted on the previous Monday or the Foam Dance last Friday.
“It’s a way for students to feel connected to St. George, a way to bring the city onto campus,” Anderson said.
At Live and Local, students have the opportunity to explore local artists and businesses they previously didn’t know about, encouraging them to recognize the talent within their area by bringing the products to them.
Kennedi Drake, a senior elementary education major from Tooele, said, “I think it’s an important event because it highlights people who go to school here and their music.”
Students lay their blankets on the grass and talk to their friends while exploring new music.
Braelyn Millward, a sophomore exercise science major from Denver, said, “This is probably one of my favorite events… just everyone getting involved and getting out of their shells and meeting new friends and just listening to music.”
Bands such as Reverence, Poolhouse, Flower House and Lovingly Clad played. They each were within the Indie music genre but had their own takes on what that meant. Reverence had mainly slow songs and long instrumentals while Poolhouse leaned more upbeat with more lyrics.
“I think it’s a fan favorite because there are different types of music,” Joshua Knowlden, a senior criminal justice major from Kearns, said. “It’s not all one type, so that way there is music for everyone to enjoy.”
During Reverence’s performance, a crowd formed at the front of the stage while clapping and nodding their heads to the beat. They stayed there until the night ended.
“I think it’s fun once everyone starts to get comfortable and goes to the front and starts acting like it’s a real concert,” Drake said.
The bands play and the students at the front dance as they work in tandem to create a concert-like atmosphere.
“I think the significance of the event is the way it gives the students a break from school and gets them together,” Journey Catlett, a junior marketing major from Wasilla, Alaska, and member of UTSA, said. “I feel our main goal is to make sure the students are happy and feel they belong here.”
Live and Local is meant to bring students and their community together. From the music to the vendors, to moshing in front of the stage, according to these students, Live and Local has earned its spot as a campus favorite.
