As the audience stood with bated breath, ghostly white lights backlit the sheer curtain covering Ricky Montgomery’s set at the Center Stage Theater. From behind the curtain, the band appeared as shadows. The opening notes broke out, and Montgomery emerged from backstage, with his stark silhouette framed by a doorway entrance. The ground shook as around 1,000 audience members screamed their approval at the sold-out show on Feb. 20.
Atlanta was the sixth stop of “The Rick Tour: Another Rick in the Wall.” Montgomery will be touring the nation with opening act Noah Floersch until March 23 before heading to Europe. The performer seemed enthusiastic to be back in Atlanta for the first time in two years, when he was on his “Back in Business” tour.
Montgomery’s latest album, “Rick” (2023), truly showcases his range as an artist. Heartbreakingly honest lyrics often pair with deceivingly upbeat rhythms. The subject matter of the album explores the complexity of relationships and the difficulties of navigating mental health. Sometimes, the meanings are obscured in metaphor, and at other times, the truth of the material is blunt. Montgomery brings in listeners, talking to them with the familiarity of a close friend.
The artist confesses what his music is all about in “In Your Pocket” (2023) when he sings, “You want the song of the summer / But all of my thoughts are a bummer / And I’m getting older and dumber.”
Montgomery opened the show with “Line Without a Hook” (2016), which is his most popular song and has over 530 million Spotify streams.
“We love playing in Atlanta,” Montgomery said. “Thank you guys for having us today.”
The performance was absolutely electric. Montgomery clambered onto the barricade, danced and ran laps around the stage, occasionally head-banging. The setlist consisted of high-energy bops and vulnerable ballads.
Montgomery knew when he should lean into the emotionality of his lyrics, closing his eyes and reaching out his arms to the audience. The indie singer’s soft, acoustic performance of “My Heart Is Buried in Venice” (2016) demonstrated his mastery at building intimacy with an audience.
The pinnacle of the night was when the performer surprised the Atlanta audience with an unreleased song titled “Unknown Phantom.” He taught the crowd to sing along by demonstrating how the melody went by strumming on his guitar and singing the part.
The lyrics were just “ba, ba, ba, ba,” so Montgomery made the easy joke, “It’s as simple as that, just like a sheep, or like a lamb.”
He also encouraged everyone to participate in the moment, generating a comfortable and open environment for listeners.
“This is where you let loose,” he said. “Nobody’s watching you. They’re watching me.”
Montgomery also was not afraid to display his sense of humor. At one point, someone held up a picture of the artist from middle school. Montgomery requested they hand the picture up to the stage, looked it over and laughed at how awkward he once looked. He gave the photo back to the audience member with sarcastic resignation, saying, “Thank you, you can have that back.”
At another lull, Montgomery pulled out a megaphone, shouting at the audience that they should go buy his merch. The red, white and blue lights and exaggerated marching band music signaled to the audience that this was a satirical interlude; he was mocking the self-promotion and consumerism that artists must foster at concerts.
Before his supposed last song, Montgomery made an exaggerated wink at his audience, hinting at the encore to come. He brought out his acoustic guitar again to play “Out Like a Light” (2018), a gentle, contemplative song.
Montgomery began the encore on stage under a spotlight by himself with “Sometimes I Need to Be Alone” (2023). The introspective song started quiet and ramped up to an emotional intensity that enraptured listeners.
With “This December” (2016), Montgomery encouraged one last interaction with the audience. On his cue, the entire venue jumped during the last chorus. Even people packed together on the floor put all their energy into it, jostling shoulders and laughing between lyrics.
“Mr. Loverman” (2016), Montgomery’s second most popular song with over 467 million Spotify streams, was a tender moment. The entire venue sang their hearts out and swayed to the wistful lyrics.
The night came to a spectacular close when the singer-songwriter said his goodbyes, throwing autographed setlists folded into paper airplanes into the audience. Throughout his performance, Montgomery vocalized and demonstrated his appreciation for his fans. Until the end, the indie artist flawlessly embodied the role of entertainer.
