Ricky Montgomery Concert Review: Rick’s in the Royale, and Boston Loves Mr. Loverman

“Hello, Boston,” said Ricky Montgomery during a sold-out show at the Royale on Feb. 27. “It’s been a little while.”

Judging by the crowd’s screaming response, it is safe to say that Boston missed the young star as well. As the eleventh stop on the “Rick in the Wall” tour, the show started off with a bang, with the entire audience singing along to his opening song, “Line Without a Hook” — the song that catapulted the young star to fame.

As Montgomery danced across the stage, he was accompanied by his band, who hid behind a mesh curtain that would open at the end of the song. Montgomery kept spirits high as he progressed seamlessly to the next two songs: “In Your Pocket” and “Cabo.”

Montgomery’s song selection beautifully encompassed the totality of the human condition, ranging from heartbreak to excitement. As such, he delivered a show jam-packed with a mix of sad, uplifting, and empowering songs. Unfortunately, Montgomery chose not to engage in a large amount of crowd work. The few times that Montgomery did talk to the crowd, however, he was quite the comic.

“I’m quite nervous on stage, so I don’t know how to talk to people or relate to anyone, so I put my secrets to song,” Montgomery said. “Just hit it, boys, and they’ll get it.”

Although there was little interaction between Montgomery and the audience, the show did not feel any less intimate as a result. Instead, Montgomery transcended the barrier between the crowd and himself by connecting solely through his music.

Emotional performances such as “One Way Mirror,” in which the singer portrayed the complexities of reconciling a breakup, and “Snow,” which similarly reflected on a past relationship, oozed a rawness that was impossible to ignore. Both performances featured Montgomery alone, standing center stage and playing just an acoustic guitar, which intensified the songs’ dejection. Most notably, while performing “Snow,” Montgomery made the artistic choice of projecting an animation that put the audience within the shoes of someone walking the halls of a house in a loop that progressively got more and more chaotic. The chaos within the animation started small, with objects appearing clearly out of place within the halls, and eventually grew to large animals running outside the windows – mirroring the chaos building up within the relationship.

In contrast, Montgomery also put on many energetic performances that created an exciting and fun ambience. The most energetic song of the night was the singer’s performance of “This December.”

When introducing the song, the band played an ethereal interlude in which Montgomery waltzed around the stage to increase the anticipation. As the interlude continued, fans caught on one by one to what the next song would be, and once Montgomery felt that the excitement had peaked, he began singing.

This performance stood out because the opening artist, Noah Floersch, joined Montgomery onstage. The audience fed off of the energy that came from Montgomery and Floersch. As a result, the crowd was jumping up and down for most of the song.

The best performance of the night was easily Montgomery’s rendition of “Out Like a Light,” a song he released with the band The Honeysticks, which was otherworldly in concert. Montgomery’s vocals and the drums’ laid-back timbre accompanied the tangy guitar riffs, building a dreamlike experience. To enhance this effect, Montgomery opted for dreamy, multicolored lighting that dimly lit him, shadow-like from behind.

The Boston stop of the “Rick in the Wall” tour was a show filled with unforgettable moments, with Montgomery leading the audience through an enchanting concert experience. From an energetic start to a memorable ending that left the crowd wanting more, Montgomery fully captured the hearts of those in Royale’s crowd.