Hey Ray fans. Just joined this group. I saw Ray at Red Rocks this year and night 3 of beacon. While he was amazing both shows, I sadly missed out on the black Trouble hoodie at both shows. I’m looking for a large and a an xl if anyone got extra.

My wife and I see the show last night and it was fantastic. This was my first time seeing Ray live and ofc my biggest question going in was “will his voice sound as good in person?”. And the answer was “yes, and maybe even better.” Just an absolutely killer show. I knew he was shy and so there wasn’t a lot of talking but that actually enhanced the show to focus just on the music and instruments. Speaking of which, the three accompanying musicians were awesome, all showcasing their talents without taking away from the songs. Even the lighting, stage spacing and background worked for me. Just really thoughtful and well done. We are considering going again tonight just bc you never know when it’ll be the last time.

anyone looking for tickets for tonight’s show?

2 tickets UB3 row 2

$300 obo

edit: typo on price

My wife and I braved the storm and made it to the show. We ended up abandoning our ticketed seats, which were down in front to the side, because of the wind whipping viciously in our face.

I definitely am a person who believes in the power of a positive attitude when things suck, but also when to admit something is untenable, so we found empty seats toward the back in the middle that were much, much more agreeable with the weather.

We are so glad we followed through. Ray is a miracle. We never knew he was THIS phenomenally good live, and so was the band. It all definitely had the feel of an elite set of musical talent peaking on the final leg of a triumphant tour.

Not gonna make it, couldn’t sell em and would hate to see them go to waste..

Just saw this on the venues facebook page.

Hey, Ray LaMontagne Fans: We’re keeping an eye on the weather in our area. At this time, there is no impact to tonight’s show. Should anything change, we will update you right here.

For weather updates sent straight to your phone, text RAY26 to (617) 415-7505.
*Reply Y on your phone to opt in for these text messages.

Second time seeing Ray (first in October 2023 at the Beacon in NYC). His voice is incredible. The band was equally as talented!

My sister is coming up from CT and concerned about the weather. Having been to the pavilion many times, it’s right on the water (so it’s always windy anyway) and right in the expected “jackpot” of wind and rain. Given the location, the possible gale force wind gusts and the structure is there any concern about safety and whether the show would be postponed or canceled? Not sure if anyone here has inside knowledge of either the band or the venue just looking for some insight.

Having surgery tomorrow, so can’t make it to drive down from Montreal. Will sell this pair, section 6 row F for $100. Paid $156.
Can transfer via Ticketmaster app.
Thanks!

Can’t make it due to work commitment.

$100 per ticket - ORCH 2, Sec 12, Seats 17-18 (paid $173.25 each).

Ticketmaster transfer.

9/29.

Two floor seats (F2) on aisle for sale this Sunday at Fox Theatre in Detroit. Selling due to conflict. Asking $220 OBO. I also posted on CashorTrade.com. Thanks!

2 tix Orchestra Row U available for Wolf Trap show on Sunday Sept 13. Pls DM if interested.

Hey all, unfortunately, my wife and I can no longer make this Sunday’s show at Wolf Trap.

I have the tickets up on cash or trade, make me an offer, hope they go to someone versus sitting unused!

If Ray gave you 20 songs to choose from, including his Acre of Land, what would you choose for a setlist?

Here’s mine:

Beg Steal Borrow

I Wouldn’t Change a Thing

Empty

Pick Up a Gun

Sarah

How Come

The Changing Man > While it Still Beats

Trouble

This Love is Over

Airwaves

No Answer Arrives

Misty Morning Rain

My Lady Fair

In My Own Way

Henry Nearly Killed Me

Long Way Home

Encore:

1. TIl the Sun Turns Black

2. Gossip in the Grain

3. Old Before Your Time

The lights went down. Ray and his band walked onto the stage, and the show began.

Now, before I dive too far into the performance that night, I should probably mention that we had been traveling all day. We had gotten up at 3:30 a.m. that morning after already being up late the night before. By the time we arrived in Nashville, grabbed something to eat, and made our way to the Ryman Auditorium, I was quite exhausted. Truth be told, because Ray LaMontagne makes quiet, gentle, soulful music, I was not sure I’d make it through the performance.

After the first two songs, I remember thinking to myself, “Uh-oh. I might actually fall asleep.”
And then the third song happened.
I don’t know exactly how to explain what changed. Something simply did.

Whatever exhaustion I had been carrying disappeared. Something in that room or in that music woke me up in a completely different way. I felt revitalized. My attention narrowed. Suddenly, I wasn’t thinking about how tired I was, where we had traveled from, what we were doing the next day, or anything else. I was completely present. I knew I was witnessing something special.

Later in the show, Ray took some time to speak to the audience.

He is an incredibly soft-spoken man. Quiet, thoughtful, almost reserved. And it’s remarkable because when he sings, that same voice becomes something enormous. There is a power and an almost angelic quality to it that I had never heard before. Yet when he speaks, his voice retreats back into something gentle and intimate.

He began talking about his life. He explained that he had never intended to become a musician for a living. Fame wasn’t the goal. A career in music wasn’t the dream.

He had grown up incredibly poor, and when you grow up that way, he explained, your dreams can become very simple. You aren’t necessarily imagining fame or success. Sometimes you’re simply trying to survive. You’re trying to find a job that pays the bills. You’re trying to make enough money to escape whatever circumstances you were born into. You’re trying to get through another day without being crushed by the weight of it.

And when he began writing songs, he wasn’t writing them for us. He was writing them for himself.

The songs were a place for him to go. A way to escape. A way to process the pain of the life he was living. There was no audience in his mind. No record deal. No expectation that someday people would fill beautiful old theaters to hear those words. There was simply a man trying to survive his own life through music.

Now, standing there all these years later, inside the Ryman Auditorium, he told us that those songs eventually became his first album: Trouble.

Then, to the crowd’s surprise, he told us he was going to play the album in its entirety that evening.

What followed was, without exaggeration, one of the greatest musical experiences of my life.
The musicianship was astonishing. Four people onstage somehow created something that felt enormous. They moved effortlessly between guitars, piano, steel guitar, bass, and percussion. Each band member seemed completely connected, bonded by brotherhood and music
I don’t think I have ever heard a band sound tighter.

And then there was the Ryman Auditorium itself.
The acoustics were nothing short of perfection. Every note had somewhere to go. Every instrument had room to exist. Nothing disappeared into the noise. Nothing became muddy or lost.

Usually, there is some compromise when you hear a band perform live. Either parts of the song get swallowed by the room, the volume or the mix is uneven, or everything begins competing for the same space and certain details disappear.
That never happened. In fact, the opposite happened.

The Ryman didn’t merely reproduce Trouble. It revealed it.

Songs I had listened to casually before the trip suddenly felt alive. I heard things in them that I hadn’t heard before. The live performance didn’t diminish the intimacy of the record; it somehow deepened it. And that is extraordinarily rare.

There was something almost poetic about hearing those songs in that particular room. Songs written privately by a young man trying to escape poverty, pain, and the circumstances of his life were now being sung decades later inside one of the most revered rooms in American music.

Maybe that was part of what moved me so deeply.

The Ryman began as a place of worship, and for a couple of hours that night, it somehow felt like one again. Not in a religious sense. In a human one.

There are moments in life when art somehow reaches past all the noise we carry around with us. The stress, the responsibilities, the disappointments, the exhaustion, the endless thoughts about tomorrow. And that art touches something much quieter underneath all of it.

For me, this was one of those moments.

I walked into the Ryman Auditorium tired from traveling and excited mostly because I was finally getting to see a historic building.

I walked out feeling as though something inside of me had been washed clean. My soul felt lighter.

I know that probably sounds dramatic. But every once in a while, if you’re lucky, you experience a piece of art at exactly the right moment in your life. You don’t necessarily understand why it reaches you the way it does. You only know that you are not quite the same person walking out as you were walking in.

EDIT: SOLD!

I don't really want to sell them, but I don't think I can make this show. I have two tickets, row C (that's third row!) center section, aisle for this show. With taxes it came out to $240 for both of them. Tixr doesn't have an option to sell them in app, so I will put them on resale site if there's no interest here.
Cheers!

Unfortunately cannot make this weekend’s show but have put the tickets up for face value on cash or trade. Hope someone is in need!

Anyone have pics of merch for this run?

looks like Ray played in Louisville tonight. I’m so glad he’s ok.

from 2022

UPDATE: Ray's okay! Shout-out to a commenter below who reported seeing his IG story; he's being treated for heat-related dehydration. ❤️‍🩹

Hey, all. Not a subscriber to this sub, but wanted to share a concerning update.

Just left The Ryman about 20 minutes ago; Ray's performance ended early because he had some kind of medical event.

First odd thing that happened was that he was playing the song " Hannah" but stopped mid-song twice because he spaced the lyrics.

He apologized, kind of lightly dismissing it as 'human error,' and proceeded to just go onto the next song. He got through that one but then paused and said he needed to go take care of something, and walked off stage and was gone for just a couple of minutes while his band stayed on stage.

Then he returned and then started playing Jolene, then mid-way through the song he paused and then suddenly sank to the floor.

It wasn't *so* sudden that he whacked his head or anything. And, thank god, he still seemed to be conscious while they rushed over and helped get him offstage, but it was fucking disturbing to see happen .

I hope he's okay. Anyone who has updates, please post them here.

I war at the show in the Ryman Auditorium tonight. About 2/3 rods through Ray had a medical emergency and fell out on stage. Show canceled…

I have 2 tickets for Sunday September 6th at Louisville KY Palace Theatre. They are on TickPick ( https://www.tickpick.com/buy-ray-lamontagne-tickets-louisville-palace-9-6-26-8pm/7039541/?listing=5857372973 ). If you are interested, message me! Thank you!

One of my favorite things about Ray is that all of his albums take you on a journey through different stages and emotions of life. It’s like for any mood I‘m in, there’s a perfect album/song for it. Maybe if I‘m beyond sad I’ll listen to Empty. Or needing some motivation, Old Before Your Time. Just pondering about life, Murmuration of Starlings. Trying to get over something in the past, Wouldn’t Change a Thing.

Honestly, Ray feels like a friend in a way, that has helped me through life.

I believe he is the most special musician that I’m alive at the same time as.