I wanted ear plugs

Last weekend I took a road trip with my friend Carolyn (hi Carolyn!) to see Ray LaMontagne perform in Asheville, NC. And I wanted ear plugs... after the show. After listening to Ray, I wanted to plug up my ears as if I could somehow hold the music in. I wanted my audial memory (no, i don't know if that's really a word) to stay focused on the lingering notes of "All the Wild Horses" still in my head. To sum it up, I love Ray LaMontagne's music (and ok, his beard too) --- especially live.

**at this point you can detour to the bottom to get to my point, or read on and take a little trip down memory lane

I didn't always think that last part - the "especially live" part - would be true. We first bought tickets to see Ray when he played at the Charlottesville Pavilion 3 years ago. We wondered if it would be a good show. We worried that the music would be too mellow and sad to make a great live show. Unfortunately, in our enthusiasm as Ray fans, we wrongly assumed that well-of-course-Ray-is-the-headliner & it's-too-hot-so-let's-get-drink-inside-a-nice-cool-bar-during-the-opening-act. Sadly, Ray was the opener ... and we got there in time to hear only one song. Man, we were some sad pups. But the good news was we couldn't have been more wrong about his ability to put on a live show. That one song we heard was so good that for the next two years we checked his tour dates, determined to see him again. That one song was so good, last fall we drove to DC just for the evening to see him play at Strathmore Hall (amazing venue by the way - aesthetically and acoustically). And then to Asheville this spring.

From the first line sung "Baby it's been a long day" to the last line of the encore, "as for the clouds just let them roll, roll away, roll away," there wasn't a disappointing song, line, or even note. We both stopped drinking our beers because there was no way we were going to miss a minute of it for a bathroom break. You know how after a loud concert you can still feel the resonation in your ears... even a little vibration in your head... during/after a Ray concert you feel a resonation in your chest... call it your heart or your soul or your chakra, whatever you want ... but you just want it to last for awhile longer when the concert ends.

** for you detour-ers... here's the point: If you have a chance, Go see Ray LaMontagne in concert. The End.

So, you know, with this being a music blog and all, it wouldn't be right to end without a little musical gift from youtube.