JOHN CRAIGIE: BRINGING FOLK MUSIC TRADITIONS BACK INTO FOCUS

John Craigie performed his second sold out show at the State Room in Salt Lake City on February 5 as one of the final dates on his current tour.

John Craigie at The State Room in Salt Lake City, February 5, 2023. Photos by Paul Montano

Salt Lake City, UT — The lines moved quickly as people waited anxiously to see a rising star in the folk scene take the stage. With no bad seats in the house at The State Room, it was still hard to find a place to catch a glimpse of John Craigie, as he took his place center stage.

The show began with a song that seemingly set the tone of the whole night. “F**k Auto Pilot” gives the overall experience in the first few minutes. It’s a song with a serious message about us all getting a little lazier with technology and relaxing our own expectations because of this fact. Delivered with tongue in cheek lines about how Craigie takes a traditional folk approach to songwriting, it generally only requires a few chords to lay the foundation for his lyrics. 

As a first timer at a Craigie show, only having listened to his previously released live recordings, I was absolutely blown away. His charm, lyrics, and storytelling ability led to a night of a full range of emotions. His stories are not just hilarious, but each one carries a poignant message about how he sees the world. 

All in, Craigie made me laugh, cheer, cry, and sing along. I would definitely recommend taking the time out of your day and making a night out of his next show in town. I felt changed after I left The State Room. Not just as an audience member, but as a performer myself. Almost as if each time he takes the stage, it is to give us all a master class in humanity.

You can see John Craigie live at the 15th Annual Ogden Music Festival June 2-4 at Fort Buenaventura in Ogden, Utah.

Madeline Hawthorne joins Craigie for encore duet of “I Am California,” at The State Room, February 5, 2023. Photo by Paul Montano