Overall Rating
3.2
By Debbbarry
Ray was SO alluring!!
I really had only heard a couple of his songs so at the concert was just amazed at his range. He just pulls you in. Also...if I could go to every concert and listen while laying on a blanket...I'd be in Heaven.
By BrownEyedBetty
Ray : where were you?
We went thinking we would hear some faves tunes from Ray’s list of hits. Turns out what he’s really doing is launching a Pink Floyd Tribute band with music presumably (& exclusively) from his new CD. He addressed the crowd once to introduce his band and did so without smilIng or engaging on any level with his audience. It felt like he didn’t even want to be there. Or give folks a return on their expectation from the price of admission. A supreme disappointment from beginning to end. Won’t bother with any more of his live gigs.
By Anonymous
Very disappointing. Played new material which was garbled and uninspired. NONE of his greats
By qqqqWWWWqqqq
Ray LaMontange--Madison, WI, 7/6/18
Breese Stevens Field was excellent. Back half of the field was set up for people to spread out blankets to sit and relax. Front half was for those who wanted to stand. Easy to get to a beer stand and to a port-a-pottie (there were plenty of both). Two large screens allowed for video viewing (though the goofy '80s-style effects the video people used were annoying). Sound system was adequate with nice sound the further from the stage one got. The concert, however, sucked. I stood in the front half but was surrounded by people who'd rather talk than see a show. Ray LaMontange's voice was drowned out the crowd. Admittedly it's better to see him in a more intimate place versus a high school football field, but to have a crowd that cared more about their workplace projects or their narcissistic social media posts is just sad. I left after seven songs. I saw five concerts that week. This was easily the worst.
By LittleVillageIdiot
Part of The Light tour
Second show I have seen (Ouroboros) and just as great as the first. One song in the middle was far and away worth the admission. I didn’t have this album yet, it is arriving tomorrow !
By CheeseNation
Garden Party Flashback
I’ll start by qualifying, I like the changes Ray has made to his music and writing through the years but I still love the first stuff he did. Brought s friend and felt bad they had never seen him and I don’t believe he played a single song from his first three albums. I won’t be paying this much to see him again and the last time I went to breeze Stevens it was super cheap and didn’t have the added ticket master fees increasing he price by 65%
By Jeelbee
It Happened twice!
We saw Ray on his last tour and it was like a Pink Floyd reunion tour. Assured that that wouldn't happen again, we bought tickets for this tour and it did happen again!! After two shows I still have not heard old favorites like "Beg, Steal or Borrow" or "For the Summer". It won't happen again.
By MadCityWI
Disappointing Ray concert
Although the concert started at 7:30, Ray did not start playing until 9:15. There was 45 min. of nothing between the opening band and Ray. That's unacceptable. The acoustics were disappointing as well. The back up was louder than Ray. Bummer.
By Anonymous
Great venue but a disappointing show.
Should have researched more before booking these tickets. Ray played none of his fan favorites. Gorgeous venue but really disappointing show. Saw Darius Rucker here last year and thought he did a great job of mixing old and new in his set. I get trying a different direction, but people still like to, and expect to, hear a few faves.
By MadisonSteve
Nothing like the original
Saw Ray last time he was in Madison, because my wife wanted to go, and he was pretty good. Not my taste in music, necessarily, but the show was good. This was completely different. He has certainly gone in a more rock direction. Not the acoustic type of show that he performed the before. More psychedelic and a lot more electric guitar. The music wasn't bad, but not what was expected. In addition, there was ZERO interaction with the audience. The energy of the band was reflected in the crowd and all but those right up front were just standing and watching. We were on a blanket with friends further back and had a nice, relaxing social gathering, with pleasant but uninspiring music playing in the background. It was a nice evening, but not worth half of what I paid for the tickets.
Ray Lamontagne is no stranger to the world Folk music. His fourth album, "God Willin' & The Creek Don't Rise," released in 2010, won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk album, and he subsequently embarked on the 2011 Pariah Dogs Summer Tour, so named after his new band The Pariah Dogs. With a soulful upper register and a breathless falsetto that adds hints of R&B to otherwise straightforward folk arrangements, LaMontagne's voice is always at the center of his performances. The typically reticent singer keeps banter to a minimum at his concerts, pouring his concentration into the songs, at times even singing with his eyes closed.
LaMontagne's journey to the spotlight has been anything but conventional. Though he released his debut album "Trouble" in September 2004, it didn't receive popular attention until nearly two years later, when it made a top five entry in the UK charts and eventually went on to sell over 250,000 units in the US alone. By the time of his second release, 2006's "Til the Sun Turns Black," LaMontagne was fast becoming a household ticket, his songs appearing in television shows like "Rescue Me," "Grey's Anatomy," and "Bones." Once again teaming with producer Ethan Johns, LaMontagne's critically-acclaimed third album "Gossip in the Grain" entered the Billboard charts at No. 3, his highest entry to date, entering the Billboard charts at No. 3.
Though not a radical departure from his earlier output, God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise marked a subtle changes to LaMontagne's sound and recording process. He opted to self-produce the album at his home in Massachusetts, and it marked the first collaborative release with his band the Pariah Dogs. While a few songs venture into slightly more aggressive territory (bookends “Repo Man” and “Devil's in the Jukebox”), the album is otherwise characterized by hazy Americana instrumentation and LaMontagne's yearning vocals.