David Gray & Ray Lamontagne
August 22, 2010
Nashville, TN
Bridgestone Arena
Hey, hey!
Well skipping past all the boring road trip details that involve very loud singing to Backstreet Boys and Clay Aiken and ahead to the sound check. . .
Sound check was at 3 and me and my bestie Steph got there a little after 2:30 and the doors were still locked and a good size crowd was gathered inside. When we arrived, David’s sound check was already in progress and we could hear it in the lobby, they were doing Kathleen and I can’t remember the other one. . .finally someone comes to get us and tells us we will be getting to see about the last 30 minutes of David’s sound check and between the down time before Ray comes out, which would be awhile, David was going to come by and sign our hatch prints himself. Ray had already signed them. They tell us which row of seats to sit on inside the arena and me and Steph sit by Tina and her friend, and we kinda had awesome seats. We had to sit on the side, not the floor, and we were at the very end of the row by the stage. We could take pictures, just no video.
The sound check was really amazing because what they seemed to think didn’t sound all that great, sounded wonderful to me! I know the keyboardist messed with his the most, switching stuff around and talking technical musical stuff. . .he played You're The World to Me, Now and Always, The One I Love and Fugitive. He started singing, I believe it was Freedom, and stopped midway because his voice was a little hoarse and cracking and was like, "you're gonna have to help me on the vocals," and they all started laughing. I was really getting into The One I Love and he stopped that one too because something about the "fucking strings" was throwing him off! Right before the yee-hee’s, my fav part! I didn't think I would ever forget the exact quote because at the time I was like, "that's going in my facebook status!" but I did! *sigh* Everything was said in a very light hearted tone though and the band was laughing so don't think he was throwing a diva fit. . . :)
He left for a little bit and came back out and began at the opposite end signing the hatch prints. It seemed like forever before he got to us, but I can assure you not really, and the whole time I’m thinking of something really awesome to say and nothing comes out. Nothing. I was nervous, my hands were shaking. He said, “Hello again,” so whether he remembered me from the Louisville show or not, we’ll never know because my brain was stupid for a full two minutes. I’ve had people remember me before because of my crazy hair, so maybe he did, maybe he didn’t. But in Louisville I did take the picture “face book style” because it is much more slimming, twice actually, and when I motioned that’s how I wanted to take the pic he was like, “oh yeah!” In Louisville he said, “that flash is nuclear!” and for a little camera, it does have a powerful flash. . .he finished up and said goodbye to the crowd and yawned and said he was going to take a nap and around that time my brain got a kick start and I shouted, “you’re awesome!”
Sound check was supposed to be over at 5 and they were going to kick us out until the doors opened again at 6, but we ending up staying til about 5:45 because there was so much down time before Ray came out. And he is the sweetest, most soft spoken adorably shy performer I have ever seen! He played/sang in the corner, with dim lights most of the sound check and when it was over he just walked to the end of the stage and just gave a little wave then he was gone and we were ushered out.
Show time. . .Ray was super awesome and while I didn’t know much of his music, I really enjoyed his set. And me and Steph were like, “he only says, ‘thank you’ when the lights are out.” Adorableness. . .
Time for some David Gray. . .I went into the show a little worried because of a review I read on the board the day before the show, but all I have to say is David Gray kicked some ass last night! He was ON FIRE! Hee-hee Tina! The crowd was on their feet during Fugitive and quickly sat down when it was over. . .I was a little shocked because I’ve never sat through a show. Ever. But we were kinda far back on the floor and if I stood up the people behind me couldn’t see. . .more to that later. The crowd was screaming and cheering and that must have put him in a good mood because he said, “I’ve changed my mind,” and said he was going to sing Shine. I really hope someone got his little speech on video and him trying to tune his guitar and getting mad at it.
Around this time the people about 3 rows in front of us were standing so the couple sitting in front of me stood so Steph stood, because the woman behind her stood but the guy sitting behind me was well, still sitting. So I can’t see a thing. Nothing. Not even between the people. So I ask the guy behind me if he would get too mad if I stood up and he said go ahead. YAYS! A little while later people sit again, except the people 3 rows in front of us and the guys sitting behind them almost get into a fight with them because they won’t sit down. *sigh* I was just hoping everyone would stand up and be done with it. I wanted to rock out and dance! But by this time it was Babylon and Please Forgive Me and the whole place was on their feet yet again. After Please Forgive Me, which was crazy awesome with lots of audience participation, and an extended “every time I look at you.” We must have sang it 10 times, it was AWESOME! The guys were so happy, you could see it on their face that they were pleased with the crowd.
Nemesis and his Nemesis!Dance were insanely awesome as usual. . .that song has a life of it’s own live. My camera died right around the encore of This Year’s Love. *tear* I thought Steph was going to cry because he didn’t sing Sail Away, but her spirits got lifted when he sang it for the last encore song. Crowd was on their feet and screaming the words out and David was like, “I need a sea!” and everyone’s arms were in the air waving. . .when Ray came out for Dig A Pony, everyone was cheering for him and he looked like he just wanted to crawl under the drum set! I’ve said it before, but I really have never seen a performer so timid before! So yeah, Dig A Pony was. . .wait for it. . .AWESOME! Lol
That’s about it for the show. I have a really evil back so I was in some very serious pain by the time it was all said and done and we still had to walk all the way back to the car, which was a very long walk let me tell ya! Went back to the room, took my meds, went to bed and woke up this morning wishing it was yesterday again. . .
So, if you made it this far, I thank ya for sticking with it!
PS this blog brought to you by Nemesis by David Gray.
