Gray and LaMontagne: A Jewel Of Show In A Jewel Of A Venue

It was a typical Las Vegas summer of entertainment. There were the big arena shows - Lady Gaga, Dylan and Mellencamp among them, the resident shows like Jersey Boys and Phantom (both wonderful), Cirque shows and the stars who have found homes on Las Vegas stages and play here regularly. Among those are Donny and Marie, David Copperfield, Tom Jones….the list is a long one, a good one. Las Vegas is - if you're not looking for a lot of traditional theater or opera (yes, we do have ballet!) - a great place to find entertainment.

Friday night was no exception. The Labor Day weekend kicked off with the double header of David Gray and Ray Lamontagne at the Pearl Theater at The Palms Resort.

Oddly, Tift Merritt opened for them but she wasn't advertised. Too bad, as many people missed her. She's got a lovely voice. Wish I could have seen her.

Anyway, the house was pretty full and, while the audience skewed 30-ish, there were lots of people older and others who looked as if they'd just made the 21-and-over cut for the venue.

I had, in truth, gone specifically to see LaMontagne. He came on with his band, the Pariah Dogs and for more than an hour he mesmerized the crowd. LaMontagne's show isn't fancy; isn't about flash and chatter. It's about his music. 

Standing on a dimly lit stage,he plays his guitar, occasionally a harmonica, and sings - sings his heart out. The tour serves to promote God Willin' & The Creek Don't Rise, his new album (#9 on the Billboard chart this week),  but he sang from all of his albums and each song was greeted like a welcome friend by the audience.

If you don't know LaMontagne you should check him out. His voice has been called "raspy" and "Joe Cocker-like." It is a voice that, while not "traditionally" pleasant or (thank heaven) crooner-like, demands to be heard. His lyrics are personal and endlessly interesting. Coming out of a childhood that may accurately be compared to a Dickens novel, his music, full of the joy of life while detailing some hazards along the road, is deeply informed by his experiences.  Beg, Steal Or Borrow, for example, talks of the realization that escape can be necessary and life-saving. 

Okay, I really like LaMontagne and his music. My only two quibbles with his show were, first, that the stage lights are so, so low. His songs shed a great deal of light on the human condition and some more light on the stage while he's singing them wouldn't be such a bad idea. Second, he needs someone to show him the joys of the greatest city in the world and, perhaps, he'll stop singing   New York City's Killing Me. I like the song, but I just wish it were about another city. In my mind, I substitute "Detroit" or "Milwaukee" or someplace else for "New York City."

The crowd, anxious to see David Gray, nonetheless didn't want to let LaMontagne go and he did come out for an encore that included a rousing, You Are the Best Thing.

In an interview the other day, he told me, "I judge everything from the live shows. That's what's real to me. That's reality. The reaction I get from the audience whether it's to earlier or newer work in the live show is real. That's really it for me."

Judging from Friday night's audience, he should be very pleased.

Gray, too, is a very interesting singer. A troubadour in a suit, Gray is all over the stage, playing guitar, piano and generally jumping around. He brought the audience into the show, too. Where LaMontagne said barely more than a couple of "thank you's," Gray talked to the audience and coaxed them to stand and take part. And, though I am not obsessed with lighting, Gray's lighting was the polar opposite of LaMontagne's. But that wasn't always good. The use of "audience blinders" was quite bothersome to the people sitting next to me. I am sure they weren't the only ones. That whole style of lighting should, I believe, be rethought whenever it is used. It does distract from the doings of the performers.

Highlights of Gray's set included Nemesis,, Soft Cell's Say Hello Wave Goodbye and Please Forgive Me. His take on Van Morrison's The Mystic was lovely

It is clear that Gray, who has lots of awards, has sold millions of albums and who has a very solid fan base, is not going to rest on his laurels. That he is a hard worker on the stage is crystal clear. That he loves what he's doing is clear, too. The love was returned in full measure.

And I, for one, look forward to the return of these two performers and would encourage you to see them as soon as you can.

(As a postscript to this review, I want to add a word about the venue, the Pearl Theater, well-named (without the pretentious "r-before-e" in "theater") because it is, truly,  a jewel. The acoustics and sight lines are perfect, the seats are comfortable, the aisles wide. It is an ideal place to see a show. You should check it out.)

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