Around the turn of the century, a young man getting ready for work at a Lewiston, Maine shoe factory, had a life-altering experience. On his alarm clock radio, Stephen Stills’ “Treetop Flyer” rang through the morning air. This was enough for a young Ray LaMontagne to quit his job, and begin a career in a field that not many people find success in. Since then, he has released nine studio albums and has been touring all over the world for more than two decades.
Released in July of this year, his new album “Long Way Home,” features an array of sounds that showcase the chops he has picked up along the way. Folk, Americana, country, R&B, and soul influences are prominent throughout the record. He is currently touring the album, which took him through the Scenic City. On Monday September 23rd, he performed to an attentive Memorial Auditorium crowd that was enthralled from start to finish. His opening act, The Secret Sisters – a Muscle Shoals duo that are incredibly talented – commented about how respectful the crowd was. They were right. LaMontagne’s fans were there to listen and be fully enveloped by the dreamy sounds of his raspy voice.
LaMontagne opened with “It Takes Me Back,” before asking The Secret Sisters to join him on stage to play the next six songs with him, which was an absolute treat. “Yearning,” which is on the new album was a highlight of this stretch of songs. He also made it a point to give an honest and humble “Thank you” between just about every song. This stood out to me, because you could tell he meant it. One concertgoer yelled out to confess their love to him, which prompted him to politely respond with, “I love you, too. While we’re chatting, we just want to thank everybody for coming, because we know money is so tight right now. It means a lot to all of us that you would still buy a ticket to come to this show.”
He ended the set with new material, a beautiful instrumental that blended folk with psychedelia called, “So Damned Blue,” which almost acts as an intro to the album's title track, “Long Way Home.” He quickly came back for a three-song encore that included fan favorites “Jolene” and “Trouble.”
This guy is an absolute professional. His setlist was well-rehearsed, and his band was tight. LaMontagne played so effortlessly, and somehow still showed a passion for his craft that is unmatched by any of his peers. It was an impressive show, and a great crowd. If Ray LaMontagne is near your city, it would behoove you to go check it out.
Here are the rest of his Long Way Home tour dates!
Sep. 27 – Fort Lauderdale, FL – Au-Rene Theater
Sep. 28 – Orlando, FL – Steinmetz Hall
Sep. 29 – St. Petersburg, FL – Mahaffey Theater
Oct. 1 – North Charleston, SC – Firefly Distillery
Oct. 2 – Asheville, NC – ExploreAsheville.com Arena
Oct. 4 – Cincinnati, OH – Andrew A. Brady Music Center
Oct. 5 – Indianapolis, IN – Everwise Ampitheater
Oct. 6 – Franklin, TN – FirstBank Ampitheater
Oct. 8 – Baltimore, MD – Pier Six Pavillion
Oct. 9 – Charlottesville, VA – Ting Pavillion
Oct. 11 – Atlanta, GA – Cadence Bank Ampitheater
Oct. 12 – Charolette, NC – Skyla Credit Union Amphitheatre
Oct. 13 – Raleigh, NC – Red Hat Amphitheatre
