RIPE & ALLEN STONE - BOSTON, MA 11.21.2025
Coverage by Ryan Davey
TONES OF HOME: Ripe & Allen Stone at MGM Music Hall at Fenway
There are nights at MGM Music Hall that feel like tour stops, and then there are nights that feel like celebrations. The recent double bill of Allen Stone and Ripe belonged fully and unmistakably in the latter category. It was a show that combined deep musical craft, emotional connection, and a true sense of homecoming for a Boston-rooted band that has grown into a national presence.
Allen Stone opened the evening with the kind of smooth energy and soul that has earned him both critical respect and devoted fans across genres. He began in a more stripped back mode, allowing his voice to do the heavy lifting, before easing into full band arrangements that drew cheers with every vocal run. Stone is one of those rare performers who can make a room feel smaller simply by showing gratitude to it, and the Boston crowd gave that warmth right back. He smiled through nearly every tune, danced, joked, and offered the kind of spiritual looseness that always makes his sets feel restorative.
Only one disappointment lingered, and it was a personal one. Sadly Stone did not perform his remarkable rendition of “Ride Like The Wind,” the Christopher Cross classic that has earned him major credibility with me and with a sizable segment of very serious Yacht Rock enthusiasts; a playful yet masterful reminder that Stone’s vocal power was built for the breezy drama of late seventies and early eighties soft rock. Its absence was not a flaw in the show, but it left a very specific corner of the audience (read “me”) quietly yearning. All was forgiven when Stone ended his set with fan favorite “Brown Eyed Lover,” which infused the crowd with the perfect amount of energy for what was to come.
Where Stone brought warmth and ease, Ripe was a rush of motion. Taking the stage in matching green and white varsity jackets, the band launched straight into songs from their new album Play the Game and transformed the room into a celebration of both new work and old. Lead singer Robbie Wulfsohn, now a polished front man with real command, paused in the set several times to simply stare out at the crowd, visibly taken aback by the scale and the sound of the welcome. Eleven years in Boston will do that to a musician. This was not just a show near home for Ripe. It was a return to a room that knew them well.
Ripe balanced fresh material with fan favorites and a few well chosen throwbacks. “Flipside” sent a wave of recognition through the room, and “Beige Suit” reminded the audience how much the band has evolved without losing its emotional directness. Midway through the set they dropped into energetic fragments of “Message in a Bottle” and “Another One Bites the Dust,” a playful flex that served as both tribute and improvisation. The crowd answered with immediate applause.
The encore was the emotional center of the night. The gentle and reflective title track “Play the Game” softened the room, followed by “Settling,” which carried a hush through the hall. And then, in a moment that felt like a gift, Allen Stone returned to join the band for “Goon Squad,” an early era song that helped define Ripe’s ascent. The two singers fed off each other with real affection, and the room boomed in response. It did not feel rehearsed or forced. It felt shared.
In the end, the night succeeded not because of spectacle, but because of connection. Stone delivered soul and sincerity. Ripe delivered energy, memory, and pride. Together they turned MGM Music Hall into a room filled with gratitude. A standout night in a city that has always known how to welcome its own home again.
