It’s an honor to hear Ray LaMontagne live. But, as quiet as his songs are, one rude conversation can ruin them. That’s why it’s no wonder last week’s show at the Cumberland County Civic Center was his last with Guster: Guster fans have no qualms talking through Ray’s entire set. And very loudly. Even the Boston Globe’s review of his August 11 Bank of America Pavilion show commented on the loud chatter drowning out Ray’s ballads.
Thank the gods of rock that Ray went on first. I and at least a hundred others left before Guster went on. His live show is subtly beautiful, fragile, and heartbreaking and belongs in a much more intimate venue than Portland’s favorite ’70s monstrosity. I want to hear every whisper and every breath. His vocals are flawless — it’s obvious there is no vocal enhancement on his recordings. He is never out of key. Never off pitch. Never out of rhythm. It’s a shame Guster fans can’t appreciate this.
His three bandmates (guitar/keyboard, bass, and drums) accompanied Ray’s songs gently, allowing his vocals to take center stage. They opened with “Hold You In My Arms,” from Trouble, which was surprising and a little disappointing, because I was anxious to hear his new stuff. But it’s Ray: he could sing the Declaration of Independence and I’d still listen like it was the last moment before permanent hearing loss. I was sure he’d open with “Three More Days,” which is in regular radio rotation, but he saved that one for second. It makes sense, I guess, if the first song was chosen in appreciation of his fans.
He didn’t play another from Till the Sun Turns Black until his encore, when he spoke to the crowd at length for the first and only time. Ray doesn’t say much, and when he does he kind of mumbles, so with the crowd’s relentless chatter, you could only make out “it’s good to be home” before he played “Can I Stay.” For this song, anyway, he was alone with an acoustic guitar. “Can I stay here with you til the morning?/I am so far from home and I feel a little stoned” he sang perfectly. Desperately. He was ready to go home, which explains why his set was so short — not even an hour did he play. I would have been more disappointed had I not also wanted him to go home to his family, which seems to be what he so desperately yearns for, judging by the lyrics of his new songs.
Hopefully, Ray will return to Portland soon and headline the State Theatre (if it ever reopens), or better yet the Merrill Auditorium. Now that would be a show to see.
