Charlotte, NC to Oxnard, CA

Ray LaMontagne & Neko Case @ CMCU Amphitheater

Definitely a tale of 2 opposites in performance tonight.  Amy was excited to see Ray La Montaigne, but I was looking forward to Neko Case opening.  I own her Blacklisted album, and while it is generally what I'd listen to all the time, Case has this voice which is hauntingly passionate.  Case and her band came out while the sun still shone and entertained those of us fortunate enough to get there early.  She looked like she was enjoying being on stage, and was humbled by the crowd's response.  Although she didn't play a song I was familiar with, her performance made me want to find more of her music, and hope one day we'll see her do a headlining show.

On the other hand I did not get that feeling from LaMontagne.  He stage presence and communication with the crowd was non-existent.  Again I didn't know any of his stuff, yet Amy waited for a few favorites which he didn't play.  Apparently his set only contained songs from the 3 albums he had released in the last 4 years.  Nothing older - that Amy wanted.  It's not often that Amy is the instigator of us going to a concert, so I wanted her to see it all and enjoy, but I can't say I wasn't relieved when she said she was happy to leave before he came back out for his encore.

LaMontagne's band and voice were on point and, as always, there was a ton of people who had a great night and really enjoyed the show.  It just wasn't for Amy and I.

The Crap Facts:
This is my 441st concert.

This is my 10th concert at CMCU Amphitheater.

This is my 74th concert in Charlotte.

This is my 84th concert in North Carolina.

This is my 247th concert in the USA.
Neko Case is the 507th band I've seen.
Ray LaMontagne is the 508th band I've seen.

Royal Blood & Turbowolf @ The Fillmore

I knew nothing of Turbowolf before coming tonight.  Didn't even know they were on the bill.  However, they were great!  Driving rock with a punk spirit.  I'm sure they garnered a few new American fans tonight.  I know I, for one, am, and will need to search out some of their music.

I love that every time that Royal Blood comes to Charlotte, they get bigger and better.  Their first show was to a near empty Tremont, I saw them a couple of years back at a near full Amos'.   Now they are playing to a packed Fillmore.  And good for them.  Their sound is strong and cuts off their 2nd album are just as good as the first.

The crowd were into it from the first notes of How Did We Get So Dark?  Mike and I stood side stage to avoid the masses who were crammed in.  Song after song was fantastic, and that sound from just a drum and bass was incredible.  New album songs commanded back up singers while the old stuff saw just Michael and Ben blast the crowd away.  I had a preference to the older songs, being more familiar with them.  Come On Over and Little Monster in the middle of the set, and Ten Tonne Skeleton and Out Of The Black as the 2 encore songs were fantastic.  

Looking forward to seeing them again, but in what venue?  Maybe they move to the amphitheater behind the Fillmore next.  I just hope it's not too big a venue.

The Crap Facts:
This is my 440th concert.

This is my 24th concert at The Fillmore.

This is my 73rd concert in Charlotte.

This is my 83rd concert in North Carolina.

This is my 246th concert in the USA.
Turbowolf are the 506th band I've seen.
This is my 2nd Royal Blood concert.