By Lake DiStefano
Staff Writer
Recently, I had the pleasure of attending Ricky Montgomery’s live show at Terminal 5 in New York City, on Feb. 24. The indie singer recently started this tour in support of his sophomore album “Rick,” which was released last year. It was a spectacular show, to say the least.
The night began with eager fans lining up outside in the chill of New York’s winter. There was an excited buzz in the air, as many opted to buy dinner from the food trucks perched along the street. IDs were checked, before people were finally allowed in at around 7:30 p.m. Almost instantly, there was an orderly rush to the stage.
The venue was small and intimate, with fluorescent violet lights hanging overhead. As the pit began to take shape, it became apparent that even those in the back had a view of the stage that was still clear and detailed.
Leading up to the opening act, there were murmurs of excitement in the crowd when a drum was moved on stage or a curtain was lightly grazed. The anticipation brewed in the pit, as antsy shuffling began.
Fans took to entertaining themselves in the meantime, with chants cited towards a raised Gojo plushie. When questioned, a fan informed me that on Tiktok, Montgomery’s songs are most commonly shared with fan-made edits of the character.
The opener, Noah Floersh, came on at exactly 8 p.m. and performed a short yet memorable set. With guitar solos, pounding drums and a couple of crowd interactions, it was a fairly fun prelude for the main show.
A few minutes later, a curtain began to be lit from the other side. The obfuscated silhouettes of Montgomery’s live band came into view, and the opening drums for his hit “Line Without a Hook” rang out.
The excited screams of the crowd bellowed out, before the singer cascaded onto the stage. Opening with one of his hits was a great way to get the audience engaged and energized, especially given how peppy the song is.
Montgomery also surprised the audience by bringing mxmtoon on-stage to help him sing the final chorus—due to the singer’s feature on the remix of the song. Shrieks of shock bloomed from all sides in the pit, as the two singers coyly smirked at the crowd.
Given that Montgomery only has two full studio albums, most of his discography was able to be played during the show. Fan favorite after fan favorite was beautifully brought to life by Montgomery’s clear vocals and his band's instrumental support.
The setlist was tightly orchestrated, with the order leaving the show with both emotional highs and lows. “Black Fins,” which is largely considered to be Montgomery’s most personal and emotional track, was played surprisingly early in the show. The opening guitar chords were a memorable moment, as it dawned on the audience what song the singer was about to play.
“Snow,” off his debut, was a particularly great performance. The swift and repeating drums were easy to dance to, and the singer’s impassioned vocals were fun to belt alongside.
Towards the end of the show, Montgomery surprised the audience once again by playing a new song that has yet to even be released. He called the track “Unknown Phantom,” and it featured a killer guitar riff, which will hopefully translate into a possible studio version.
Despite the many great aspects of the night, there was one unforeseen difficulty many people in the pit encountered—that being just how young his fanbase skews.
Many were noticeably underage, which led to an unfortunate lack of concert etiquette. Shoving and blood-curtailing screams were common practice, with seemingly no push-back.
Given how small the venue was, the screaming was particularly grating, as it made it harder to hear Montgomery’s vocals. While it is understandable that a younger fan may let their idolization of the artist supersede the accepted standards of social harmony, it was still a negative which stuck out among the many successes of the show.
For the encore, Montgomery came back out and played three songs, concluding the show with his breakout hit “Mr. Loverman.” A choir of vocals chanted the memorable yet simple chorus, as the lights began to dim over the stage. Montgomery bidded New York farwell, before running off the stage for the final time.
While not containing some of the pomp and circumstance as seen in more up-scale productions, the smaller nature of the concert was still nice. You really felt that Montgomery just enjoys playing the songs he wrote, and that made the show have a heart not often seen live.
