On Sunday night, despite competition from some baseball game, the Ryan Montbleau Band took a gamble on playing to a crowd that could be counted on ten fingers.
After a nearly soldout show at the Paradise on Saturday night, concert promoters Live Nation urged the band to cancel Sunday's show in deference to the attention-getting power of the Red Sox. Montbleau, however, refused to cancel on fans who had purchased tickets for the gig.
Montbleau and company prevailed, giving a textbook example of "sticking it to the man." The band sold 222 tickets for the gig -- double what concert promoters expected.
However, Montbleau realized he couldn't completely tune the audience out of the game: In true Bostonian fashion, it was projected on a massive screen to the left of the stage.
And it actually improved the atmosphere. The combination of the fans (the majority decked out in Sox gear), the talent (Jesse Dee and Dwight & Nicole were there to lend a hand) and the booze all made for a night that captured the essence of Boston good spirits.
Kicking off the night was Cambridge native Jesse Dee. Accompanied only by his acoustic guitar (and bassist Tom Bianchi on one number), Dee's soulful voice electrified his modern folk-bluegrass sound.
Brooklyn duo Dwight & Nicole followed with a rousing performance. After a few notes of Nicole's belting (particularly on the irresistible "Johnny Gets High"), it was clear the existence of Beyoncé Knowles is actually fairly inconsequential.
The Ryan Montbleau Band took the stage near the bottom of the fourth. With a handful of family, friends and beyond-loyal fans in the audience, it didn't take long after the opening of "How Many Times?" for the Paradise to turn into a complete dance-fest.
The feel good romp continued with fan favorites "75 and Sunny" and "Eggs," tracks from the recently released Patience of Friday album.
If anything, the band seemed almost too relaxed -- It was like your brothers were holding an impromptu concert in your backyard while your dad dished out beers. Shouldn't there be some nerves involved at a hometown show while the fate of the pride of Boston glares on a screen five feet away?
Apparently not.
By the ninth inning, the show was coming to a close with "Maybe Today" and "Sing a Simple Song" -- just in time for the crowd to head outside to join the riots.
Be the first to comment on this article!