All photos by Dutch Doscher
A grand 6000-capacity theater sits on Madison Ave in New York City: Radio City Music Hall. It’s sold out. Lines snake around the block waiting to get in to see Ray Lamontagne and his Just Passing Through Acoustic Tour.
There is a hushed anticipation in Radio City, it’s his first show at the historic venue in ten years. This tour is just Ray Lamontagne, a guitar and Wilco bassist John Stirratt. The tour focuses on songs from Ray’s entire seven album career, including the under-appreciated Pariah Dogs record and his new album Part of The Light, which was released via RCA Records in May.
This is an artist who lets his songs do all the talking. He gracefully floats from one to another, adding only a whispery “thank you” after the applause of a song.
The first big crowd pleaser of the night is A Pariah Dog’s song “New York’s Killing Me,” where the audience joins Ray on the chorus’ singing loudly. He closed the night with an extended version of “Trouble.”
In such a large gorgeous venue, the show felt intimate and as the show went on you felt like they were just there with you, like you were special.
Hopefully, he will release these stripped down versions of this tour because if you are a fan, you’ll want him singing to you in your living room too.
Ray LaMontagne setlist
1. No Other Way
2. Beg, Steal or Borrow (Pariah Dogs song)
3. Lavender
4. Burn
5. Old Before Your Time (Pariah Dogs song)
6. Such a Simple Thing
7. In My Own Way
8. New York City’s Killing Me (Pariah Dogs song)
9. Ojai
10. Empty
11. It’s Always Been You
12. Shelter
13. To the Sea
14. Like Rock & Roll and Radio (Pariah Dogs song)
15. Trouble
Encore
16. Let’s Make It Last
17. Jolene
18. Wouldn’t It Make a Lovely Photograph
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