After work this week, a few friends and I headed over to the White River State Park to take in a concert at The Lawn. I had been to this venue once before, but it was a free show by Stone Temple Pilots and filled with drunkards. So I was hoping this experience would be much nicer and cleaner. The park gives you low-rider folding chairs to make your spot on the grassy lawn. Sweet, no carrying crap from the car! The opening act was Brandi Carlile. She didn't hold my attention but here's a view from our spot.
The real reason we were there was for the main act, Ray LaMontagne. He's not a main stream musician but you probably know at least 1 of his song thanks to the Travelers Insurance commerical that features his song "Trouble". It's the one with the dog who can't decide where to keep his bone. I was first introduced to him through his "Let It Be Me" song from a TV show and instantly loved his vibe. Ray went on a bit later than expected and thanks to my fancy camera, my first set of photos kept turning out like this...
It took me a bit to figure out what setting was best for the dark night with a colorful stage. Ray positioned himself at the right of the stage and each musician with him had their own colored spotlight on them while they were playing. It was a great visual to add to his folk-blues sound.
He did a full set then came back out for an encore. Some of the crowd had started to leave, so we ditched our chairs (following what the crowd seemed to do) and made our way closer to the stage.
He did play "Trouble" but didn't play "Let It Be Me". Kinda bummed about that. Good thing I had it in the car to complete the night! I really enjoyed the venue and am hoping to see lots more acts come to perform there.
