By Michael Luce
Photos by Nicholas Ioan Lazaroae
If I had to sum up this year’s Kilby Block Party experience in one word, I think I might choose “personal”. Now, admittedly that is a weird choice for a festival that pulls in 90,000 music fans over three days, but I think given the era we’re living through right now, personal experience, personal connection, and other ways of bringing the personal back into life is something music and art is uniquely qualified for.
For example, in recent years, there’s been a push towards the physical, the tangible, and the real within music. Vinyl, cassette, and CD sales are all way up, and things like AI and streaming have soured the digital optimism found within music communities since the dawning of the internet. People want real, tangible, and genuine. It may just be coincidence, but that same emphasis was woven into KBP this year, with a discman featured front and center on the posters, the banners above the main stages, and more.
Before we get lost in philosophizing the festival, a practical recap may be in order. Kilby Block Party was a fantastic time, but I’m not sure what else you could expect from three days of music featuring everyone from household names and international all-stars to hometown up-and-comers. Like I said last year, it was such a strong validation that the music community we have here in Utah is special and incredibly talented. For many of the local groups, it’s a literal dream come true.
“It was big,” Davis McBride of Wilbere told me, explaining his feelings when he found out they were accepted. “I wanted to play the fest for a long time – I remember coming when I was in high school to the block party.” He recalled thinking, “One day, it would be awesome to play on a stage like this. I think the stage [we played] was bigger than the main stage of that other one!”
“We were excited, you know? You dream about it and you dream about it, being a local band and all,” Kyler “Kilow” Low of Bad Luck Brigade shared. “It’s a very validating; it’s an imposter syndrome killer.”
Both groups had incredible sets that counted among some of my favorites of the weekend. Wilbere played out some new music that should be coming to fans relatively soon, and Bad Luck Brigade commanded a sizable crowd for being the openers on Sunday. “I liked seeing all the era of shirts that we’ve made,” Kilow said. “You can’t play this festival unless you have people that root for you and come along with you. That’s just like that’s a huge f*cking signifier that we’ve been doing what feels like the right thing for quite some time.”
That sense of community extended beyond the crowd. Even in conversations backstage, the artists seemed eager to hype others up, even if they weren’t performing that weekend. Even as we were discussing his dream come true of playing KBP, McBride made a point to shout out AUXO. as a local act he hopes gets their own chance at the festival in coming years (I can’t say I disagree with his choice!)
Other highlights for me included Magdalena Bay (my most anticipated set of the weekend), Automatic (criminally underrated), the DJs hard at work in the silent disco, and three of the most emotional, dare I say personal, sets I think I’ve ever seen courtesy of Lorde, The xx, and Hayley Williams.
Lorde’s performance closed the weekend out, and it was hard not to be swept away by her stage presence. Her set seemed to tell a story of learning to love herself in the face of the pressures from both inside and outside. She told the crowd she felt like this tour was the one where she could finally put on the show that she had wanted to for so long, and it was clear the art she was sharing was deeply vulnerable and cathartic.
One night previous, The xx took the headliner slot. Now, The xx are a group I admittedly don’t think I would have ever picked out as one that I would want to go see, but I’m so glad to have had the chance. The mastery with which they owned the stage on Saturday night was nothing short of incredible – the lighting, the ambiance, the camaraderie, the musicality, all of it. This was one of the first live sets that the group had played in eight years, and they made the most of it. They shouted out a fan in the front row by name who had been going to their shows since the very beginning, played songs celebrating each of their solo careers, and left a lasting impression of love of music and for each other. If there’s one set that has reshaped my listening habits since KBP, it’s unquestionably The xx.
Last but not least in emotional haymakers I want to highlight, Hayley Williams’ set was a fantastic display of sheer connection between her and the audience. This was her first set at a festival under her solo name, and the amount of excitement and adoration from the crowd clearly took her by surprise. Even if she hadn’t explicitly said as much while on stage, I heard a rumor that her merch sold out on day one and they had to ship more in overnight because her team wasn’t expecting such a massive turnout. The desire to connect was clearly mutual, as Williams had done her research on Utah before arriving. While I didn’t catch all the references in her backing visualizations, it was clearly a love letter to Utah past and present. From clips from SLC Punk! to photos of Kevin O’Leary with “NO” pasted over his face, Williams and her team did their homework to make sure Utah felt seen and known.
Speaking of which, multiple other acts used a portion of their time on stage to voice discontent with the Stratos data center project, Utah leadership, and O’Leary’s dismissive claims. Bad Luck Brigade later shared that it was one of the highlights from their own set, joking that they had bussed in all their fans and maybe Kevin O’Leary should have been coming after them instead. Music and art have the power to create movement and change, and this was a weekend where people believed in that power to give voice to the issues they were concerned about, be it the environment, abuse of power, marginalized groups, or a cry for community. Again, despite it being a large festival, it felt like everyone there – fans, bands, vendors, journalists, and so on – were able to make it personal.
And I think for many, those personal moments are what are going to last the longest in memory. All weekend I saw countless festival attendees with disposable film or digital point-and-shoot cameras, taking off-center selfies and grainy videos like we did before smartphones dominated our pockets and attentions. Now sure, there were still plenty of phones out to record, but in any given crowd, there was someone capturing the moment in a much more personal, imperfect way. And so, with KBP 2026 in the rearview, I hope future festivals, shows, community meetups, and jam sessions are able to keep this sort of vibe going, because it’s what we need now.
Speaking of the future, be sure to follow Wilbere and Bad Luck Brigade to catch future releases coming from both bands, and follow Kilby Block Party for updates on next year’s festival. Check out “MY GOD…” from Bad Luck Brigade while you’re at it!