Sometimes I get a little overzealous when it comes to buying concert tickets, especially during Red Rocks season. It’s not like they release the schedule all at once and allow me to pick and choose what shows I want to go to. The line-up leaks out over a couple months and I buy ticket as they are released, not ever knowing what else might be going on that week. By the time June rolls around, I find myself with a stack of tickets and a calendar chalk full of plans. This can get overwhelming at times, as it did over the past couple weeks. It got so overwhelming that Ray LaMontagne was almost a causality of my enthusiastic ticket buying habit. We were exhausted from a full day of work, as well as bringing our daughter to Foster the People the night before, so it literally took everything we had to pack up the ice chest and head up to Morrison on Thursday night. It didn’t help that we weren’t able to get up there until around 7:00pm, so we found ourselves in the Lower South Lot with a hike in front of us and threatening black clouds behind us. There was a part of me that wanted to throw in the towel and cut our losses when it started to rain. I had seen Ray a couple times in the past, and as much as I knew it would be a good show, I just wasn’t feeling it…even despite the double rainbows leading the way.

There were also a few other things weighing on my mind as we hoofed it past the Trading Post, into the Upper South Lot and up the ramp into the amphitheater. The set list and the crowd were a concern. Some friends of ours mentioned that they were done going to shows where people would sit down and yell at people standing up the whole time. Now, I don’t have a problem with sit down shows. I believe there are many artists that are better enjoyed from the comfort of your own seat. But I had just attended a rock concert in the beginning of the week where people came close to blows over this debate. I didn’t want to be a part of that. Ray LaMontagne is an artist I could take sitting or standing, but I was afraid of this debate becoming a distraction to the show. I was also afraid that I wouldn’t like the songs Ray was going to play. His recent set lists had been heavy on Supernova, which was to be expected, but they also completely ignored Till the Sun Turns Black, which was almost a deal breaker for me. I had shown an interest because of Trouble, but I became of a fan because of Till the Sun Turns Black. And I really hadn’t listened to much of his material past Gossip in the Grain.

We got to our seats in the middle of the 33rd row a few minutes before Ray took the stage with his band. It was a simple setup, with a few lights and just the rocks as a natural backdrop, but as soon as the music started, all those concerns weighing on my mind followed Ray’s voice up into the night air. A long run of songs from his latest couple albums kicked off with “Lavender” and ended some 40 minutes later with “Smashing”. The rain came in heavy during “For the Summer”, but it had dispersed by the time Zoe was immortalized in the title track from Supernova. Everyone around us kept in their seats, with their full attention locked on the bearded singer in the fedora. No stage banter or audience participation was required for this part of the set. The new songs spoke for themselves, making me feel a little stupid for doubting their capability. It’s not often an artist can hold my attention with unknown material for that length of time, but Ray just has one of those voices that takes a hold and won’t let go.

Ray has extended his stage presence and range quite a bit since I last saw him. Instead of hiding himself in the shadows on the side of the stage, he now stands in the center light and let’s his voice travel up through the audience…across lost 70’s airwaves to the littered hobo alleys usually occupied by Tom Waits…and then back home again. As if that wasn’t enough to convince the audience of his confidence, he broke the barrier between man and artist just before taking us “way, way back” with a few old songs. “It makes me happy to say old songs…a lot of people said I was a flash in the pan…bullshit…love me or hate me, I’m not going anywhere.” I read about him kicking an engaged couple out of one of his shows recently because they were talking about wedding plans during his set, but nothing prepared me for the indignant, self-assured guy on the stage. When we saw him in Boulder in 2008, his face was rarely exposed and he didn’t speak a word to the audience. This new found confidence was becoming on him, and what followed made my night. “Burn”, “Trouble” (with some “Stand By Me” thrown in) and “Jolene” almost made me forget I wouldn’t be hearing my favorite songs from Til the Sun Turns Black. This trip down memory lane found me texting old friends from that time in my life…and remembering fondly my first introduction to the sounds of Mr. LaMontagne. It also caused everyone to stand up at exactly the right time. If any arguments were made, they were respectfully ignored.

A bathroom break during the one song that I cannot stand (“Meg White”) turned into an opportunity. Evidently I am not the only one who doesn’t like his ode to the White Stripes drummer, because people started flooding down the stairs and out into the night. This allowed us to take advantage of a couple recently vacated seats in the 4th row. And that’s where we were for the rest of the night. Literally face to face with the master of ceremonies. He literally could have sang show tunes at that point, and if he would have sang them with the same passion he had been singing all night, we would have been happy. Instead, we were treated to “God Willin’ & the Creek Don’t Rise” and a sing-along version of “Hey Me, Hey Mama”.

The set had started with the opening track to the new album, so it was only fitting that he end the encore with the last track. “Drive-In Movies” was just one more reason for me to give Supernova a shot. I was still singing along in my head as we made our down the ramp and into the Upper North Lot. We were just about to the Trading Post when he came back out for the second encore. We were disappointed that we had left a little too soon, but as the music followed us to our car, we knew we’d already received our money’s worth. Earlier in the night I had walked into Red Rocks wet, tired and prepared to be disappointed. I walked out dry, revitalized and completely satisfied. Sometimes being overzealous works out just fine.

Setlist:
Lavender
She’s the One
For the Summer
Pick Up a Gun
Supernova
Airwaves
Ojai
Repo Man
Smashing
Burn
Trouble/Stand By Me
Jolene
Like Rock & Roll and Radio
Meg White
Julia
God Willin’ and the Creek Don’t Rise

Hey Me, Hey Mama
Drive-In Movies

Shelter