Editor’s Note: Welcome to The Last Show, a new Vanyaland series where we talk to performers about their last traditional live appearance before the pandemic hit. As we slowly make our way out of this mess, and a return to stages appears to be coming (eventually), here are the stories of bands, artists, comedians and others who performed their last live gig in front of an audience around this time last year. These are their shows, their stories, their memories.
Brother. [Provo, Utah]
Vanyaland: When and where was your last show before the pandemic?
Chuck Emery of Brother.: Our last show was March 11, 2020 at Soundwell in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah.
Who else was on the bill?
We played with our good friends Moodlite and Stephanie Mabey.
What was notable about the show?
It was actually the first night of our biggest tour to date. We were headed out to LA, SXSW in Austin, and Treefort in Boise and wanted to kick off the tour with a killer show in our hometown.
What do you remember the most about the show?
We had actually just bought our own tour van after renting for all our previous tours. We were making our way to the venue and ended up getting into a car wreck totaling our van but we made it to the venue just in time for our set. All the while, the rest of our tour dates were being canceled. I remember feeling so defeated about the tour and our van, but the show really made up for that. It was such a fun show!
If someone told you live music would be going away for at least the next year, what would you have thought?
I would have thought that they were crazy! I would have told them that there’s no way shows would just go away. Someone would find a way. It’s definitely not the same but livestream shows are a great alternative.
If someone told you live music would be going away for at least the next year, what would you have done differently?
I would have tried to relax and take it easy a lot sooner. It was a hard adjustment to not book, play, or even go to a live show but it’s been nice to slow down.
What do you have coming up or coming out:
We actually just released a new single called “EZ” and are planning to release more music via a new album. Really excited to get this new music out in the world!
Follow Brother. on Instagram @brother.official, and listen to “EZ”‘ below.
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