Back in March, you may remember that I won tickets off the radio to go see Ray LaMontagne. Well, the time finally came (and during, literally, my busiest week of the year). Andre and I got casually dressed up and spent the evening in Atlanta. We hardly ever go on dates, like ever, so it was a really special night for me. We both really enjoyed ourselves.

For the first stop of the night, we hit up Shake Shack. Neither of us had never been, so I was super excited to try it! When Orange is the New Black came back on in June, they mentioned Shake Shack in an episode, and I looked to see if there was one in Atlanta, and there was! I'd been dying to try it every since. I was hoping it would be more like In-N-Out Burger, but it was good either way. It was a little pricey for what it was, but granted, I did get a milkshake and Andre got a Shake Shack Shandy, so there's that, too.

After dinner, we walked around a little bit and then headed to the Fox Theatre around 7. The show wasn't set to start until 8, but we wanted to park and find our seats before the show (which really didn't start until 8:30). Living about 45 minutes west of Atlanta, I've been to the city more times than I can count, but this was my first visit to the Fox. I wish I'd take more photos inside, because it is absolutely stunning. I'd love to do one of the tours of the theatre!


The show was really unlike any other kind of concert I've ever been to. One of the major differences was that there were no other performers. It was just Ray LaMontagne (and My Morning Jacket, but I'll get to that). He started off by playing some of his older stuff in an acoustic set, which was really great. I really enjoyed hearing those slow, beautiful folk-y songs. Then he talked a little bit about his new album, and his passion. It was really inspiring. I love listening to people talk about those things they really love.


Here's where it gets really different. Ray's most recent album, Ouroboros, is performed with My Morning Jacket as his band. I wouldn't call it a backup band, because the music of this album is really creative. It's really something. It's very reminiscent of Pink Floyd. Truly, the best way to describe it is spacey, trippy music. The show kind of verified that for me. He played Ouroboros in its entirety from start to finish, which was something kind of profound and beautiful. Behind him and the band was an enormous screen of the moon (for the first half of the show) that changed to different phases. Later, it looked more like the inside of a lava lamp. The music really felt like it was inside you and you could just close your eyes and float around. I know that sounds insane, but that's really how it will make you feel.
Andre wasn't a big fan of the older music, but he really enjoyed the entire Ouroboros album and has been listening to it lately.



Most people I've talked to haven't heard of Ray LaMontagne. I guess he's more of "adult alternative." If you've ever watched the show Parenthood, Adam Braverman loves him and is always listening to his music in the car. But also, he has a couple of pretty famous songs that you've probably heard in movies- most notably "You Are the Best Thing," which was Andre's and my first dance song. Unfortunately, he didn't play it- :( - but that's okay. We really had a great time. Whenever we go to a live show, I always remember why I love live music and how wonderful it can be to feel an art like that within your soul.

Listen to Ray LaMontagne on Spotify below.

Who's the last artist you saw live?