My wife and I went to see Ray LaMontagne this weekend at The Tabernacle in downtown Atlanta. We had fun and Ray sounded great. The band was, as they say, “really tight.” He brought the house down with perfect renditions of his hits “Trouble”, “Hey, Me, Hey Mama,” and “Jolene.”
But I have one caveat to my endorsement of the show. Ray didn’t look at the audience once during the entire performance. And it bothered me.
He had his band arrayed around the stage in a semi-circle. He stood off to the right and faced stage left.
The result was that he looked like he was singing to his steel guitar player.Â
Now I suppose I understand what he was trying to do. I guess he felt like “It’s all about the music man.”
And I agree his music was great. And the joint was rocking.
But I get his music from his albums. When I come to a concert, I want something more than music. I want to feel a personal connection with the artist. And part of that connection comes from him simply looking at me as he sings.Â
Sure it’s about the music. But it’s also about the connection . . . man.
