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Luke Onstott and Allysa Hansen were some of the first people to get into Pioneer Park for this summer's first show of the free Twilight Concert Series.
Onstott, 21, of Draper, and Hansen, 18, Sandy, attended 2010's Twilight opener, with Modest Mouse, that drew an estimated 40,000 people.
"It was insane," Onstott said. "I think they didn't anticipate the number of kids who showed up."
"I'm afraid it will be like that tonight," Hansen said.
Some of Hansen's worries came true, as more than 25,000 people crowded into Pioneer Park on Thursday to see headliner Explosions in the Sky with opener No Age.
Before the concert, Twilight founder Casey Jarman, of show presenter The Salt Lake City Arts Council, said he had purposely booked lesser-known acts for the first show as way to stem the number of people who came for the opening show.
But it was apparent that even a mechanical monkey clanging the cymbals would have drawn a crowd. Most people came to people-watch, picnic or soak in the mild warmth on the perfect summer night.
No Age, a Los Angeles-based noise-rock duo of drummer-singer Dean Allen Spunt and guitarist Randy Randall, opened the night with an hour-long set that dumbfounded the eerily silent crowd. It was the most abrasive set I have ever seen at a community concert, with Randall's guitar reveling in feedback and distortion and Spunt pounding his simple drum kit with a vengeance and shouting indecipherable lyrics. Many older people and families headed for the exits, as No Age proved to be just as anathema as Lord Voldemort is to Harry Potter.
After a too-long 45-minute intermission, the Texan rock band Explosions in the Sky took the stage and were a welcome relief as their instrumental tunes weaved into one another, making their set seem like one long but compelling song. I had doubts that a band with no singing would be a captivating experience, but the band converted disbelievers, although the four didn't show much stage presence. The trouble with these shows, though, is that the size of the crowd and the crowd noise makes it difficult to enjoy the music from a decent vantage point.
If you don't count the annoyance of being jostled at every step, it was a night with few of the hiccups that marred the Modest Mouse show. One problem developed at the start of the show, as the park's largest and most popular entrance, at the northwest corner, didn't allow people in until nearly 30 minutes after the advertised time of 5 p.m., while other entrances were allowing people in right as the clock struck five.
Even scarier than No Age and all the villains that seek to destroy Harry Potter is the fact that next week's Twilight show featuring The Decemberists — whose 2011 album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard album charts — should bring in much more than 25,000 people.
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Explosions in the Sky with No Age
R Huge crowd didn't stop Explosions in the Sky pulling out great night of music
Where • Pioneer Park, Salt Lake City
When • Thursday, July 14