Ray Davies, the raw sound of the Everyman. Tonight in Anaheim.

When we first arrived at The Grove, all I saw was a growing sea of receding hairlines and beefy Brits lining up at the bar to order their Newcastles before their hero, Ray Davies, took the stage.

And I thought, Okay, not quite as glamorous an audience as last week's Feist concert, but this is Ray Davies! This is the guy responsible for The Kinks. He wrote "Lola." He's a rock 'n roll legend. He's gonna kick ass.





Then my husband told me, you know, "Oh, didn't I tell you? Of course, he's a legend, but this is an acoustic concert. It's just Ray and another guitar player."

Oh, wait. Huh? No drums? No bass? Just Ray Davies and another guy unplugged?


Oh, no. This will be a long night. Another man in a Union Jack shirt walked by. I sighed.


But, I was wrong. Again. It was an amazing concert. What a delight to discover so much new music I never even heard before tonight.



It was far too short an evening of music -- Ray Davies was wonderful. Every song. Every nuance. All those new songs he wrote from Working Man's Cafe. He did some of his former great songs, but there were so many new ones. Yeah, this guy is still writing classics.



Ray Davies voice is as relevant today as it every has been. Maybe more so. He's lived more, and his life has only served to season his work.

I could understand why the people at HBO come to this former Kinks member for Sopranos soundtracks. He gets to the heart of the thing. He crafts songs that sum things up -- just right. There's nobody else like him around.

But, I'm not a reviewer -- You'll have to read my husband's real review in the Orange County Register, tomorrow.








I just wanted to say it was a perfect concert. Everything. Ray Davies's music and stories made us feel close to North London as you can get, given we really live in the shadows of Disneyland.

For an hour or so, he made us feel at home with him. And not in Anaheim, at all.


It was terrific.