Something about the words “Fust Live” doesn’t quite scream video arcade.
That’s what happened in Salt Lake City, though. Wednesday was my first step inside Salt Lake’s Quarters Arcade Bar. Not to play Ms. Pac Man but to see Fust and Merce Lemon on their co-headlining national tour. More later on my Child of the 80’s review of the arcade itself. Let’s focus first, as we should, on the music.
Fust live in SLC included a quick, satisfying set
Three bands played this bill, with opener Walker Rider supporting co-headliners Fust and Merce Lemon. The net result is that with three bands, we only got 45 minutes from the Fust live performance. Aaron Dowdy and company ran through eight songs from 2025’s Big Ugly and 2023’s Genevieve.
One of the coolest parts of the show was the (not so) secret weapon of Libby Rodenbough’s dueling fiddle with Dowdy’s guitar. The two have a natural chemistry on stage that elevated the performance. On “Sister,” the band stepped back as Rodenbough contorted those traditional string sounds for a dissonant, 90-second fiddle solo. It formed a natural bridge to closer “Spangled,” where Frank Meadows helped with a crashing, discordant close by repeatedly mashing multiple keys with his knuckles.
Here is the set list. I didn’t even think to try to grab a paper copy. In fact with eight songs there might not have been paper. Don’t remember seeing cheat sheets.
- “Gateleg” (Big Ugly)
- “Jody” (Big Ugly)
- “Rockfort Bay” (Genevieve)
- “Open Water” (Genevieve)
- “Mountain Language (Big Ugly)
- “Bleached” (Big Ugly)
- “Sister” (Big Ugly)
- “Spangled” (Big Ugly)
Feedback was a bit of a challenge at first with a longer soundcheck needed before the band could launch into opener “Gateleg.”
In retrospect, the minor tuning problems during the soundcheck were predictable. The stage at Quarters is tiny, maybe 16 feet wide and 12 feet deep. The Fust live show had to squeeze inside that space all six band members, three microphones and two wedges. Not to mention pedals, cords and the kit. It was tight. You can’t perfectly EQ or notch every potential problem with that many monitors, mics and mains crammed into a 16 foot wide space. To their credit, the band and sound guy figured it out quickly.
Fust live: Aaron Dowdy missed connection
One more note, it was on my way out of the arcade after the show when I spotted Aaron Dowdy. He was coming back in the front door after getting some fresh air or a change of clothes. I hoped to congratulate him for the show and offer a 30-second story of growing up in West Virginia near the town after which he named his album, Big Ugly. (Okay, I DROVE BY Big Ugly. It’s not exactly a destination for most people). But someone else grabbed him and the opportunity was lost.
Super show, friendly guy and talented band. Especially for a video arcade.
Quarters Arcade Bar mini-review
A few quick thoughts on Quarters the video arcade.
I was suprised how small Quarters is. Small enough that I wondered how much sense it made to have 30% of the space set aside for a music venue. It probably functions as something of a loss leader, bringing another 50 people inside who wouldn’t otherwise be buying alcohol. But with so many missing games…(see below)…
Game selection is spotty. Just being real here. In my quick walkaround before the show started, I felt like there were several notable games missing. Unless I missed them, just a few included Dragon’s Lair, Tempest, and Pole Position. Having said that, I was amused to see more obscure hits like Joust and Burger Time. Lots of pinball machines.
My kingdom for a quarter. When I bought a beer (which was very cold – nice touch), I asked the bartender if I could put quarters on my tab, ie add $2.00 and give me eight quarters. I feel like that made a ton of sense. But you could only use a dollar bill changer and ATM. In a cashless age of credit cards and Google Wallet, this seems figure-out-able for Quarters management.
