City Weekly Best of Utah 2018

Best of Utah 2018: Music & Nightlife

11 reader-voted winners in music & nightlife, from the City Weekly Best of Utah 2018 poll.

Ask Ave: What won Best of Utah 2018 for Music & Nightlife

• Best All-Ages VenueKilby Court

  Over the past 15 years, the fine folks at Kilby Court have worked hard to turn a small converted garage into a cherished fixture of Salt Lake City's music scene. From local upstarts to… — Runners-up: The Complex, Diabolical Records

• Best Backcountry DriveBurr Trail

  Any drive billed as the best in Utah will catch an adventurer's eye. The only passage over a geological formation that vexed pioneers for decades? That puts the Burr Trail into a category…

• Best Club Culture BoosterJesse Walker of New City Movement

  Jesse Walker's brand of cool wraps you in a warm, welcoming embrace—an inclusive characteristic central to his 25-year reign in SLC. Moving from Idaho in 1993 on the tailwind of fashion…

• Best Concert of the YearLoveLoud

  Being part of a great show is one thing; being a part of a movement is something else entirely. For the second year, Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds brought together a great lineup of… — Runners-up: Chris Stapleton, Pink

• Best DJDJ Bad Hair Day

  Defending his 2017 win in this category is only the latest achievement for the artist born Andre Adams, who has spent the past decade building a résumé that has taken him from hosting rap… — Runners-up: John Florence, Brad Wheeler

• Best Gentlemen's ClubTrails

  A must-see men's club on the West Coast circuit, Trails has all the pomp and circumstance of a high-end strip joint combined with two full-service bars and a restaurant offering lunch and… — Runners-up: American Bush, Southern Exposure

• Best Live Music VenueUsana Amphitheatre

  Every place has its downside, and while some of the logistics of getting into and out of Usana continue to prove challenging, it's hard to argue with the experience patrons have when… — Runners-up: Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre, The Depot

• Best Local Band/GroupRoyal Bliss

  Few bands exemplify resilience like this quartet, as they soldier into their third decade. Neither landing, then losing, a major record deal, nor vocalist Neal Middleton's brush with… — Runners-up: Imagine Dragons, Pixie and the Partygrass Boys

• Best Music FestivalBonanza

  The potentially high-stress environment of a massive music festival can't help but feel more laid back when the attendees get to sleep where they're partying. The edge of the river in Heber… — Runners-up: Das Energi, Reggae Rise Up

• Best Pampered Concert ExperiencePremium Seating at The Depot

  Sometimes you want a live-music experience that's all about being in the middle of a pulsing crowd; sometimes, you just want to enjoy your favorite artist with a bit less stress. The Depot…

• Best Route to Zion National Park for an AgoraphobeU.S. HIGHWAY 89

  As the saying goes for those stricken with wanderlust, "It's about the journey, not the destination." The best way to live out the alleged Emerson quote is the backroads to Utah's Zion…