Review: Ray LaMontagne @ Red Rocks

Repo Man and Henry Nearly Killed Me both brought the sitting crowd to its feet. As LaMontagne belted vocals and blew harmonica through a Roadhouse microphone, Henry Nearly Killed Me was one of the few times that the calm crowd showed signs of verve. From time to time one or more members of The Pariah Dogs would leave the stage, and Ray would play a tune with the quiet accompaniment of the rhythm section. For a couple of songs, including a cover of Merle Haggard’s Mama Tried, they were joined by the light country voices of the Secret Sisters, the Alabama duo who opened the show (Brandi Carlile was also an opener). And at other times, LaMontagne stood alone on stage.

The most impressive aspect to note though, is the simple fact that the quintet sounded as crisp as you could possibly imagine them – even more than on the album recordings. Each note from each instrument could be heard as a perfect blend in every song – the small drum kit of Jay Bellerose never once overpowered Jennifer Condos’ acoustic bass, and Eric Heywood and Greg Leisz each wove their guitars into the fold subtly yet powerfully (the two each switched between acoustic, electric, lap steel, pedal steel, and resonator guitars throughout the show). Though you may have always thought of Ray LaMontagne as a solo artist, his songs are only made stronger by this band.

It wasn’t until the end that LaMontagne took a moment to speak to his sold out audience. He reminisced on his previous time at Red Rocks – when he was invited to open for Warren Haynes about five years ago – and made note that he never expected to be standing there on his own haunches. He knew there was not much to say, and that to make the impact he wanted to all he had to do was play well. So as he closed the evening alone on stage with the song Like Rock and Roll and Radio, we had not much to do other than listen.