Spencer Sutherland -Live in Salt Lake City
As I arrived at The Depot in downtown Salt Lake City, dozens of fans were lined up to see Spencer Sutherland back in Utah. VIP members in one line and general admission in the other, more than two hours before the doors were set to open. The energy almost made the cold April day feel warm. Our performance of Spencer Sutherland’s The Drama Tour took place on a snowy April 1st, 2025. Sutherland was joined on this tour by Cloe Wilder and Stacey Ryan.
This is not Cloe Wilder’s first time touring with Spencer Sutherland, having opened for him on the In His Mania tour in 2023. I was thrilled to see Wilder perform live again, she has such a fun, bubbly energy and charming stage presence. Her connection with her band and the love on stage was brilliant. All this is without mentioning how incredibly talented Wilder is, her vocals are strong, controlled and extremely beautiful. Stacey Ryan brought a completely different vibe to the stage for her set. She took the stage for a one-woman show, playing guitar, bass and piano throughout her set. Ryan had a very mysterious energy around her, she wore all black and sunglasses on stage. Quickly after her first song, Ryan showed her true colors, a charismatic girl who’s excited to tell you her stories through song. Her songs have a more jazzy vibe and her vocals are truly stunning with an incredible range. I look forward to seeing both Cloe Wilder and Stacey Ryan perform live again.
The Drama Tour is set as a modern rock opera. Spencer Sutherland whipped out the theatrics for this show, setting the stage with a throne built for a king. Sutherland took the stage with a burst of energy, wearing a yellow, bedazzled suit that stood out against the blue lighting and drew your eye to him. The show started strong with performances of Alive (The Drama), Everybody (In His Mania) and Let Me Loose (The Drama). We were even lucky enough to experience his song Modern Heartbreak (The Drama) as he performed it from the audience. The crowd couldn’t resist Sutherland’s infectious energy, everyone was jumping and singing throughout the entire show.
Multiple times throughout his set, Spencer Sutherland stopped to thank his fans, he needed to make sure we knew just how grateful he is to be able to do what he does. He told a story about how he had always wanted to be a singer, “there was no backup plan.” Thank goodness there wasn’t, Sutherland has one of the most stunning voices in modern music, with incredible range and control. One could also argue that not many are doing it like he is today, writing and performing rock music much like you would see from the likes of Queen, one of Spencer Sutherland’s biggest influences. Sutherland even performed an incredible cover of Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now. The smile on his face while performing this song brought such joy to his fans.
The night ended with a spectacular performance of the title track Drama. Let’s just say, yes, Spencer Sutherland was indeed doing it for the drama. The crowd was just as lively at the end of the show as they were at the beginning, and honestly, so was Sutherland. I firmly believe that, given the opportunity, both parties would have continued the show all night long. Before leaving us for the night the band came back out for one final song, Place Like This, and sent us on our way. This show was so beautifully done, Spencer Sutherland deserves his spot on the throne on the stage. Having been lucky enough to attend both the In His Mania Tour and now also The Drama Tour, I have to say that Sutherland has topped himself, and I believe he will do it again and again every time. This is a show and a set of performers that I would highly recommend to anyone, regardless of their taste in music, as it is an experience that I hope everyone is lucky enough to have at least once in their lives.