The Orpheum Theatre in downtown L.A., with its high ceilings and opera house aesthetic, seemed utterly cavernous on Friday night, a single guitar perched on its broad stage. It must have been daunting for the slight figure that emerged from backstage, staring up at the crowd as it stretched toward the roof. But as soon as Ray LaMontagne opened his mouth, the vast spaces became filled with his distinct raspy wail as he belted out some of contemporary folk’s most memorable tracks.

The audience was rapt as LaMontagne related personal stories in the same down-home, heart-on-his-sleeve way that he writes his lyrics. Growing up poor and with so many siblings created some difficult times for the young man, but from adversity came the character that shines through in each of his songs. The mood was somber yet celebratory in the power of the music.

Early on in the show, LaMontagne spoke about a recent appearance on Elvis Costello’s Spectacle. Costello talked about how there are certain songs that, even decades after they’ve been written, will continue to draw people to your music. And, according to Costello, for LaMontagne, that song is “Jolene.” A beautiful tune about a down-and-out man coping with the collapse of a relationship, LaMontagne played it with the all emotion it warrants. Just one guitar and one voice conveyed so much in those four minutes — more than entire symphonies playing for hours at a stretch.

LaMontagne played from his entire three-album catalog throughout the night — the strongest material coming from his first album, Trouble. The classic singer/songwriter harmonica on “Narrow Escape” and the tender promises of “Shelter” made the 2000-seat theatre feel intimate. He also managed to slip in a couple of covers during the performance, including songs by Townes Van Sant and Lucinda Williams.

Going back to Trouble to end the show, LaMontagne played that album’s closing track. Even without the string arrangement, “All The Wild Horses” had the same haunting quality live. One of the most charming things about LaMontagne’s first album is its raw, exposed tones, heard nowhere as prevalently as on this song. With his harmonica filling in for the strings, the experience was even more heart-rending. And even though it’s always exciting for artists to play their newest songs (as LaMontagne himself admitted), here’s hoping he continues to play ones like these for years to come.