Kilby Block Party 2025: Four Days and a Whole Lotta Heart

By TFV Guest Contributor | May 30, 2025

Kilby Review written with sunburned shoulders, muddy shoes, and a full heart by Gabrielle Logozzo.

I live just a mile and a half from the fairgrounds, so when Kilby Block Party rolls into Salt Lake City, I don’t just attend, I feel it. I could hear the soundcheck from my house. And getting there was super convenient, I zipped to and from the festival every day with zero stress on a Lime scooter.

What makes Kilby even more special is where it’s held. The Utah State Fairpark is such a beautiful, underrated little gem tucked between the city and the mountains, with wide open lawns, quirky vintage buildings, and a charm that makes it feel like you’ve stepped into another world. It’s not some mega-festival setup it’s intimate, welcoming, and low-key magical, like a little secret locals get to share with the rest of the country once a year.

It’s my favorite kind of festival: intimate but big, vibrant but chill, and this year It was on a whole new level.

Four full days. 75 artists. Four easy-to-navigate stages. And the energy started strong and only built from there. I checked my health app at the end of just one day and apparently danced, jumped, and walked 14.5 miles. I’d do it all again in a heartbeat.

The weekend opened with Devo and New Order, who brought synthy, dancey nostalgia that set
the tone for everything that followed. The stages made bouncing between sets a breeze. The Mountain Stage, tucked inside the stadium coral, let you get up close or enjoy a birds-eye view from the stands.

And the Lake Stage gave you stunning mountain sunsets that made every performance feel cinematic.

Been Stellar kicked things off for me Friday and I sprinted to the rail. After finding out they had opened for Fontaines D.C. in NYC and D.C., I had really hoped they’d open for them in SLC too but they didn’t. So when I saw them on the Kilby lineup, I was so excited. Their seven-song set was nothing but heat it was grungy, high-energy, and had the whole crowd headbanging from the first chord.

Perfume Genius totally switched the energy in the best way. Michael Hadreas was just mesmerizing crawling, dancing, spinning, totally owning the stage like it was a theatrical performance. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. Car Seat Headrest followed, and we were all just bouncing together like one big, sweaty indie rock wave. Then Beach House closed the night in the most dreamy, perfect way. Their set was emotional and melodic and moody in that signature Beach House way. Everyone was swaying, arms around each other, eyes closed. It was kind of magical like we all collectively exhaled after a wild day.

Saturday somehow took it up a notch. I didn’t expect Montell Fish to be so high energy he was everywhere! Playing different instruments, running back and forth, hyping up the crowd. It felt super raw and spontaneous, and I loved that. Then came Toro y Moi, who brought the funk. His set had me dancing from start to finish, and when he closed with The Difference, his collab with Flume, I had to escape to the back of the crowd just so I could let loose and dance like nobody was watching.

And then St. Vincent happened. Is somebody gonna match my freak? Because Annie Clark did ten times over. Her set was everything: unpredictable, theatrical, seductive, and strange in the best way. She had us all on our toes the entire time. One second you’re swaying, the next you want to crawl on the ground in a trance, not even sure if it’s the music or the moment taking over. It was gritty and gorgeous
and so full of power. Big “girl crush” energy.

Wallows, as predicted, opened with Your Apartment, and I went full fangirl immediately. Like, full hands-in-the-air, scream-singing-every-word fangirl. I couldn’t wipe the grin off my face the entire time. Dylan Minnette even signed a fan’s guitar mid-set. During OK, they jumped right into the crowd, and people lost it. They played three songs off their new EP: Deep Dive, Coffin Change, and Hide it Away. Their sound was locked in, confident, and joyful it felt like a band hitting their stride and inviting us along for the ride. But the real moment was when they closed with Are You Bored Yet? just as the sun was setting, and it couldn’t have been more perfect. Singing “’cause we could stay at home and watch the sunset” while the actual sunset glowed behind them? Straight out of a movie.

Weezer ended Saturday with a 22-song set that had something for everyone. They played their entire Blue Album. Yes, the whole thing and the crowd (which ranged from 8-year-olds to 60-year-olds) sang every word. It felt like a giant generational group hug, and I never wanted it to end. Their set was a masterclass in nostalgia, and you could feel how much fun they were having too.

Sunday brought the rain, but no one left. There’s something about dancing in a downpour that
just feels liberating. That’s exactly what I did during Lime Garden’s set. They’re a genre-blurring indie pop band from the UK, and their sound was perfect for the moment. I fully embraced it soaked, smiling, and headbanging. Afterward, I got to interview them, which was such a cool moment. They told me, “We love festivals because 50 percent of the people there might know you, but you’re trying to win over the others.” And they absolutely did. Their set turned casual listeners into instant fans. There’s a charm and wit to their performance that felt fresh, they made the rain feel like a main character.

Then came Suki Waterhouse, who honestly had me in tears, especially during her song Moves
She was the artist I was most excited to see, and somehow, she was even more magical than I
imagined. There’s something about her presence so angelic, so grounded, so effortlessly beautiful. I was
completely mesmerized. And I wasn’t the only one. The crowd, especially the girls, were right there with her, singing along in unison, fully locked in with the emotion she poured out. You could feel it in the air this collective, cathartic moment of connection.

She brought such raw, graceful energy, swaying, gliding across the stage, singing right into the crowd, making eye contact, and reaching out. The gratitude was written all over her face. It felt intimate, emotional, and unforgettable. Just a truly special set from someone who knows how to hold a room or in this case, a whole field of people in their feelings.

Nation of Language brought me right back to the Mountain Stage and right into my feels. I got super close to the front again, and they had me weak in their light. Their synthy, nostalgic sound just washed over the crowd in waves, and everyone was moving. It wasn’t the kind of dancing where you go wild, it was more like this hypnotic sway, like their beats were syncing with everyone’s heartbeat. Their stage presence was cool and collected. It felt like being transported to another era, but in the best way. There’s something so captivating about the way they balance vulnerability with rhythm it’s dreamy and pulsing and emotional all at once. Being that close made the whole set feel super intimate, even in a big space.

And then… Justice.

The French electronic duo closed out Kilby with a set so powerful, it felt like we were all transported to another planet. It was the perfect way to end the weekend. I showed up to that set with makeup smudged from the rain, grungy, curly hair that hadn’t seen a comb in hours, and not a single care in the world. The lights were Mesmerizing. Their visuals were hypnotic, and every beat drop was in perfect sync with the crowd’s energy. It wasn’t just a concert it felt like a full-body release. Every emotion felt throughout the weekend every high, every tear, every rush, just exploded into that final set. By the end, I wasn’t ready for it to be over. I caught myself googling flights to their next show, just chasing that high. Justice didn’t just close out Kilby they sent us off on another dimension entirely.

Kilby Block Party 2025 was a movie. Four days of music, emotion, connection, rain-soaked dancing, and sunset singalongs. It was sweaty and chaotic and a little feral and I wouldn’t change a single second. Tucked into the heart of Salt Lake City, the fairgrounds felt like this perfect little secret a space that somehow held thousands of people but still made every moment feel personal. It’s the kind of festival that doesn’t just bring great music it brings a feeling. One that sticks with you long after the last set ends.
If you’ve never been to Kilby, let this be your sign. I’ll see you at the rail next year.