OGDEN — Twilight comes tonight.
The wildly popular Ogden Twilight concerts begin a new season this evening, with Dillon Francis leading off the summer of music in the Ogden Amphitheater. Special guests Bangarang, and JPAN, will also perform during the night.
Francis is a colorful Los Angeles-based EDM (Electronic Dance Music) DJ and producer. David Jeffries of AllMusic.com writes that Francis is known for “attacking the dancefloor with speaker-ripping electro and a snarky sense of humor.” He is best known for popularizing the moombahton genre, a fusion of house music and reggaeton.
“We try to have a balanced lineup every year — everything from electronic to folk,” said Jared Allen, Ogden Twilight series co-founder and curator. “Dillon Francis is on the far end of electronic, and the only deejay we’re bringing this year.”
Christy McBride, with Ogden City Arts, is anticipating this year’s first concert.
“We’re super excited,” she said. “We’re really happy about the length of the series, and how its spread out throughout the whole summer — instead of jamming it all into June.”
McBride reminds those attending the concert that no outside food or beverage is allowed. They are encouraging audience members to bring an empty water bottle, that can be filled once inside the venue.
“It can be hot, so we want people to stay hydrated,” she said.
Another forbidden items: No blankets or chairs.
“We hit our capacity at 7,000, and it’s definitely shoulder-to-shoulder, standing-room-only in the amphitheater,” McBride said.
The Ogden Twilight summer concert series, now in its fifth year, has continued to grow in popularity, evidenced by ticket sales this year. General admission season tickets have already sold out, and VIP season tickets are all but gone, according to Allen.
Allen said there have been some surprises in ticket sales this year. Ticket sales for the Of Monsters and Men concert, scheduled for Sept. 17, are doing “way better” than he thought they would, as are ticket sales for the Aug. 17 Phantogram show.
The slowest-selling show at this point, according to Allen, is the June 20 Nick Murphy concert. But then, Allen says that’s to be expected.
“He had a name change,” Allen explained. “He was known as Chet Faker, and built a huge success under that name, but then he decided to change his name to Nick Murphy. I think some people don’t realize he’s the same artist.”
As of press time there were still tickets available for the Dillon Francis show, but Allen said ticket sales for the artists popular among the youngest crowds tend to do well at the last moment.
“We noticed with the EDM artists, when we try to get a younger audience, ticket sales usually peak a day or two before the show,” he said. “The older artists we present tend to sell out a lot earlier, the younger ones like Dillon Francis don’t.”
For example, Allen said the Sept. 5 Nationals concert, the Aug. 21 Iron & Wine and Calexico concert, and the July 18 Flaming Lips concert — all popular among a slightly older audience — are the top three sellers thus far.
And although general admission season tickets are sold out, as well as most VIP seats, there are still single-show general admission tickets available for all 10 shows. However, Allen believes there’s a “real possibility” that seven of the 10 shows this year could sell out.
“It’s been our best year for ticket sales so far,” Allen said, “but then we also spent more money than we did in past years.”
Allen’s looking forward to the first concert.
“This is our big dance party,” he said. “Lots of lights and high energy to kick off Ogden Twilight.”
