As any experienced concert attendee knows, a band's drummer is seldom the one at the front of the stage in the spotlight all night long. However, the legendary Levon Helm is in a different league than most drummers.
The heartbeat of roots-rock pioneers the Band, Helm kicked off his 2009 U.S. tour with a classics-filled set on Saturday night (Feb. 7) at the Wellmont Theatre in Montclair.
One thing that separates a good show from a near-great one is venue selection. If a band is in the wrong room for its sound, it doesn't matter how well they are playing that night, something will just seem not quite right. On the flip side, a grand and great-sounding room can seem squandered on a band that can't quite fill it, sonically speaking.
