Cast The First Stoned
Keller Williams mucks about at Paradise Rock Club on Friday, 12 April 2024.
Ryan Montbleau tries to pick up the pieces, playing in support.
Not much to report on this show at the Paradise other than that headliner Keller Williams was a trainwreck. Just too much of the happy sauce, or pills, or smoke, or powder, or who knows what.
I didn’t write up this show at the time because it felt like an embarrassment all around. Enough time has passed, though, to just have a laugh.
The guitarist is prized within the jam community for his intricate fretwork. When he’s on, he’s on. On Friday night back in April 2024, he was decidedly off. Rootsy jam music is traditionally a type of music that is more receptive than most to getting a little buzz on. But if you’re too stoned to muddle through a Grateful Dead cover, you’re pretty fucking stoned.
Supporting act Ryan Montbleau became an onstage babysitter for the evening, helping the headliner stumble through something resembling a set.
In addition to the Hump Day News video recap, I’ve included another clip of the show I found online, posted by Thomas Crowshaw. If you didn’t know what these songs are supposed to sound like, you might not notice anything amiss. But the real tell is the look of sustained horror in Montbleau’s eyes, as he desperately tries to keep up with Williams’ insanity.