On a weekend where so many weekends leading up to it have been plagued with storms and heat waves, the weather for Ben Rector’s recent sold-out show at The Anthem was mercifully pleasant. Not too wet, not too hot — just the perfect night for dancing up a different kind of storm as Ben Rector and his band took the stage.
I have to admit that, though I’ve known Ben Rector’s music, namely hit singles like “Brand New” and “Love Like This,” I have never seen the singer-songwriter live. Well, that is until Saturday night when I walked into The Anthem. Looking around at the already filled club I was more than a bit surprised to see how wide the age range of his fans were, especially younger fans. I saw so many families with young kids wearing oversized ear protection, knowing this has to be exciting seeing your first concert (or one of your first concerts).
And maybe that’s sort of by design. Ben Rector has a way with music that’s accessible and fun and he doesn’t seem to take himself too seriously. From the lead-in music of The Beatles’ “Drive My Car,” which cheekily introduced Ben’s own single, “Drive” to a sneaky guitar lick from the television show Friends at the end of “Old Friends” this performance showed off some of Ben Rector and his band’s playful side. But maybe I’m getting ahead of myself here.
By the time the opening band The National Parks took the stage on August 16, the place already looked packed. Playing tonight as a trio, the Utah-based band matched the energy of the crowd with a fun set that included highlights like “Welcome to the Mountains” with a little bit of “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” and a great cover of the Fleetwood Mack tune “Landslide.”
Ben Rector and his band wasted no time getting to business as he started things off with one of his most popular songs, “Drive” from 2018’s Magic. Ben Rector has a way with a lyric — but the way he mixes in covers like going from “Love Like This” into Bob Marley’s “Is This Love” — or older song “When A Heart Breaks” into Bruce Hornsby’s “The Way It Is” — effortlessly and then back gave fans little extra surprises.
Taking a brief pause, Rector told the crowd “This is the last full band tour I’m gonna do for a little bit… not forever. So let’s make it really special.” And for this capacity crowd, it did feel special as each song seemed like a singalong.
And, as Ben humorously mentioned, he does have a new album out — the brilliant Richest Man In The World.
“Putting the setlist for the tour together, I wanted to play the songs you wanted to hear,” Rector said. “I always hate when I go to a concert and I’m there to hear the stuff I like and the person’s like ‘What about my entire new record?’.” But the funny thing is Richest Man is a great album with a balance of introspective moments and rockers like the bouncing “Forever (Doesn’t Quite Seem Long Enough),” a musing on the impermanence of life.
Watch the official music video for “Praying For Me” by Ben Rector featuring Mat Kearney on YouTube:
![Ben Rector - Praying For Me (feat. Mat Kearney) [Official Music Video]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bHLI9nZfg5Q/hqdefault.jpg)
I’m a sucker for a great saxophone-driven song; those kind of songs made famous by Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel. And some of the best tunes of the night had that feel. Using an oxymoron, the songs felt like the newly minted classics.
After a brief break, Ben Rector and his band finished the regular set with “Living My Best Life” before returning with his acoustic guitar. “It blows my mind that you guys are here… I didn’t think I’d do this job this long.” With the last song of the night, “Living My Best Life,” maybe it’s a little selfish on my part but I hope the well-deserved break feels short lived only to see these songs played again.
The setlist included:
Drive
Old Friends
I Got It Bad for You
Love Like This / Is This Love (Bob Marley & The Wailers cover)
When a Heart Breaks / The Way It Is (Bruce Hornsby cover)
It Would Be You
The Richest Man In the World
Forever Like That
When I’m With You
Sunday
Range Rover
Go the Distance / 30,000 Feet (Michael Bolton cover)
Forever (Doesn’t Quite Seem Long Enough)
Living My Best Life
Encore:
Sailboat
Brand New
Here are more photos of Ben Rector performing at The Anthem on Saturday, August 16, 2025. All photos copyright and courtesy of David LaMason.
And here are photos of The National Parks opening the evening at The Anthem:
