A rare dream transpired in these increasingly chilly parts this most recent Hump Day past: The Crash Test Dummies performed for a happily sold-out Salt Lake City crowd at The State Room Wednesday night (February 12, 2025).
Once it wrapped up (after what felt like too brief a time together), it was difficult to tell who was more appreciative of that kind of a rare midweek turnout, whether it was those responsible for creating the hard-to-categorize music in the first place or those who’d attached so much of the band’s music to their own nineties-born memories. Applause was constantly met with appreciative smiles, and it was a give-and-take that worked for all. Those who’d fallen in love with the dark poetry attached to songs like “Superman’s Song,” “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm” (and, for what it’s worth, even their cover of “The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead”) were beyond satisfied by what they heard. Their concert was a gift nobody expected to get in 2025. And while we do appreciate the good things given, this was a cut above, one of the best things even.
The Crash Test Dummies have been in the business of performing for more than 30 years, and yet they still manage to feel like a secret, one some might know of without totally understanding it. They’re hardly music for the masses, but that’s the point: if they’ve made it this far by refusing to follow convention, they get to keep following that path. That includes rocking a keytar unrepentantly and playing an accordion like it’s as commonplace as playing a lead guitar. The often uncool gets its place of acceptance. It’s embraced.
The band was solidly likable and easy to adore. The greatest pleasure of all was hearing Brad Roberts’ uncommonly deep (and immediately recognizable) vocals and discovering his ability to drop to the very bottom of his register has hardly waned. He allowed the trip along their nostalgia train to feel and sound like we hoped it might. There was at least one unveiled song written in 2024, too, so don’t give in to believing this is a last hurrah. A new song can beget a new album and can beget a future tour. If anything, it’s a big red arrow pointing to what’s set to come next, a flashing marquee with a solid and satisfying promise: COMING SOON.
Photography by Stephen Speckman
Looking for more live music this month? Check out these eight shows we’re looking forward to in February.
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