Ray LaMontagne @ Red Rocks, June 17
Words: Jonathan Kosakow
Photos: Matthew Speck
Nearly every concert at Morrison, CO’s Red Rocks Amphitheater finds the performer reaching for the right words to express his or her gratitude at playing such a spectacular venue. From their perch on Stage Rock, as they stare up at rows and rows of people framed by Ship Rock and Creation Rock – the two monoliths that stand together at an angle to form the perfect amphitheater, the perfect view, the perfect sound quality – each and every musician wants to say something unique. Somehow, though they are no less sincere than the person who came before them, it always ends up sounding the same.
[All photos by Matthew Speck]
Not that it matters – for those of us lucky enough to have Red Rocks as our backyard concert venue, we consider it a gift every time we climb the entrance ramp, find our favorite seat along the wooden benches, and watch the moon rise over Denver behind the stage. We understand the struggle to say the right words, it truly is not possible to express. It is beautiful. For Ray LaMontagne it was fairly simple, though: between each song, he’d lean in to his microphone and mumble six words: “Thank you very much. Thank you.”
Dressed in miner’s Sunday best, just as they were in the album art for the latest studio release God Willin’ and the Creek Don’t Rise, Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs stood in a semi-circle, facing the crowd but focused more on each other. LaMontagne stood on a small square of carpet to the left of his band members, and strummed his guitar and sang from just a little off center. In their 90-minute set, the song list was nothing to be surprised about: they played nearly all the songs you’d expect, sans You Are The Best Thing, and threw in a couple extras.
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