Ray LaMontagne’s DIVA Behavior Cuts Show Short
RUMOR HAS IT THAT Ray LaMontagne cut his early set short last Monday at Atlanta’s Chastain Park due to chatter in the open amphitheater, reports a venue insider. Ray and his band performed several cuts off of his new album God Willin’ & the Creek Don’t Rise with his band to a largely noisy crowd and clocked roughly an hour. Since this is a co-headline tour with David Gray, Ray was the opener on this night (with singer-songwriter Serena Ryder opening for both artists).
This is not quite out of character for the famously moody artist. In fact, whenever I bring up Ray, my sister barks about Ray being a ”B*tch” for storming off stage at the Philly Seaport in 2K6 because too many people were talking.
I realize that Chastain Park is no intimate and personal Eddie’s Attic. I also realize that tonight, Ray was not closing the show, not to mention it was still daylight when he started performing. There’s no way of telling who was there for Ray, David Gray, or just there because they had season passes. Atlanta Music Guide published a more detailed depiction of Ray’s irritation here.
Ray fans know that he is not just another musician – but a religion all on his own. And that religion deserves some respect.
But it begs the question. Is it a Diva move or is he a true artist? (cast your vote below)
Clip from Elvis Costello’s interview of Ray on Sundance Channel’s Spectacle about being the center of attention. At the end of that particular interview, he said “It’s not that I don’t like people. I just don’t like a**holes.”:
As I write this, I’m on a plane to Denver to see the show again, but this time, in Red Rocks. Stay tuned for Part 2…
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It’s diva behavior, but I actually don’t blame him. I refuse to ever see a show at Chastain again for this exact reason. I understand that it’s an easy way for them to fill seats, but season passes for the social set just ruins what should be a great show.
Great point, Paul. Thanks for your comment-
I don’t blame him either. I saw Neil Young perform “Greendale” in 2003 at Chastain, and the chit-chat was so bad that he stopped and chastized the audience. Artists want you to pay attention to the art they’re creating, not talk about what happened during your last ALTA tennis game or the most recent episode of “Hoarders.” What’s the point of spending all that money on tickets to see a show if you’re not going to get into the music?
Talking during concerts (other than full-on rock concerts, where the sound is loud enough to drown it out) seems to be an endemic issue in Atlanta. My friends in the band Oryx & Crake played at the Earl a couple of weeks ago, and the reviews that came back basically said, “Great show…except for all the talking.”
Looking forward to attend one of Ray’s concerts because I’m always dying to see him in direct. I scream, love u Ray Lamontagne!
You’ll love Ray live! He’s such an intriguing person.