The Show: Ryan Adams

The show exceeded all of my expectations and my expectations were high.

Ryan Adams looked and sounded great. He really seems to have turned a corner and he was funnier and more relaxed that I've ever seen him. I've never been to one of his shows where he joked with the audience so much.

Chris Stills opened the show with a good set. I really enjoyed it especially considering that i'd never heard of him before. In the middle of his set a cat jumped up on stage and slowly walked around for a minute, Stills changed the words to the serious song he was in the middle of to include the cat.

Adams played a great set covering most of his career. I told someone that it was almost like he was touring behind a greatest hits album. It was a solo tour so all of the choices were on the more mellow side, his really rocking numbers didn't surface although he did play Dear Chicago in the style of Kiss's lick It Up.

Here is a rundown of the set list.
1. Sweet Carolina
2. Ashes & Fire
3. Damn Sam
4. Dirty Rain
5. Winding Wheel
6. Sylvia Plath
7. Mr. Bananas(Improv)
8. Invisible Riverside
9. When Will You Come Back Home
10. Everybody Knows
11. Firecracker
12. The End
13. Rescue Blues
14. Please Do Not Let Me Go
15. Why Do They Leave
16. New York, New York
17. Lucky Now
18. Crossed Out Name
19. Two
20. 16 Days
21. Avenues
ENCORE
22. Dear Chicago
23. La Cienega
24. I See Monsters
25. Goodbye Song
26. Come Pick Me Up

See what I mean? he reached all the way back to the Whiskeytown days. He actually made an off hand comment about being too drunk back then to remember the words to all of the Whiskeytown songs. His self deprecating humor continued through the entire show. It was a great night. I hope to catch him on the next tour, maybe he will be playing all rocking numbers.

A quick note on the venue. Le Trianon is a great old theater. It's elaborately ornamented, has two balconies and sounds great. It also has permanent seating. For this type of show it was great but some shows need standing room. Yuksek is playing there soon and it would be interesting to see how the crowd deals with the seating situation.

Bonus fact, Ryan was wearing vision street wear hightops.

Here are a few videos of the show from youtube. Keep in mind that Ryan has a crazy no photo, no recording policy that is strictly enforced(I ran into this when I saw him in Vermont) so these are mostly audio recordings.

Ryan Talking to the crowd and the first few notes of "The End".


The awesome kiss version of "Dear Chicago".


Most of "Come Pick Me Up."

One last story. The first thing I did at the show was visit the merch table. The woman working it looked at me and asked if I was from Oklahoma. I had almost work my OK shirt but knew I hadn't so I was a little taken aback but answered in the affirmative. her next statement was that the owners of the Cain's Ballroom were really shitty to outside merch vendors. It was then that I realized that I had on a sweat jacket with a small Cain's patch on the breast. We chatted for a few minutes, she was Scottish or Irish but her husband was from Edmond. I then bought a t-shirt.

Lucky Now

The new Ryan Adams album, Ashes And Fire, is as great as I had hoped it would be as evidenced by the first official single from the album, Lucky Now. I am also even more excited for the live show after hearing the recent Denver show posted on I Am Fuel. Take a look at that setlist, cuts from his Whiskeytown days, a piano version of New York, closing with Come Pick Me Up, pretty astounding show. I can't wait.

Anticipate: Ryan Adams

I can't wait for the new Ryan Adams record. If the various live versions of tracks from the album floating around on the web are any indication this is going to be another great album. Most of the press reports are comparing it to his Heartbreaker album and the unreleased music that he created during that period and that is a good thing. Most people cite Heartbreaker as their favorite and he garnered a lot of critical praise for that album before really striking a chord with his Gold album. Adams seemed to lose some fans as he got jammy with the Cardinals and rocked out with his Spacewolf side project but I've been into everything he put out. This album was recorded on analog equipment in his new Pax-Am studio and will be released on his Pax-Am label.

I bought my ticket to his Paris show, in November, ten minutes after they went on sale. I don't know how popular he is here but he booked into a mid sized venue, La Trianon. I've seen Adams several times, from the tour for Gold to his stint with the Cardinals and he has never disappointed. I saw him freak out in Dallas, Texas, rock a festival audience in Austin, Texas and play a beautiful set in a quiet, intimate space in Burlington, Vermont and each time I walked away saying "Wow."

Neal Casal's Cardinals photo book

I'm sold.

Ryan Adams Art(visual)

Ryan Adams auctioned off around 50 pieces for charity(with Jesse Malin's help). The quality of the art is a little scattered but I liked the majority of what i could see. There are a couple of very Basquiat like pieces that really sang to me and as rough as it is I totally dig the video game painting. I'm sure RA will catch a ton of shit for daring to do something other then make music but I doubt he gives a shit(for Christ's sake he's married to Mandy Moore). While the paintings are priced a bit high they are for charity so more power to him. Check it out here.

A little news

Ryan Adams is movin and shakin.
News of his label getting a relaunch.
Have you watched the video of Adams at the record plant? Did he say Metal?

Sweat Nuts

Ryan Adams has a crazy cool article up here. His writing style takes some getting used to but it has grown on me.

Ryan Adams Hello Sunshine

Ryan's second book Hello Sunshine is available for preorder in Hardcover. Preorders include a signed chapbook, his first book sold out quick so if you want one get on it.

Anyone who read Adam's blog posts last year when he was blogging daily will be familiar with the choppy, illustrative style. I was able to buy his first book and it made for a strange but enjoyable read. It looks like I won't be able to afford this one and it sounds pretty good, blurbs here.

Ryan and Mandy sittin in a tree

Well several semi credible sources are reporting that Ryan Adams and Mandy Moore are engaged. I for one think that's great, he's awesome, she's wicked hot and i assume they are both happy so more power to them. It isn't a shock, they've been seen together off and on for at least a year and if she is part of the reason that he's cleaned up and seemingly got his shit together then god bless her.
Now the important thing is what does this mean for his music career that was (possibly) being put on hold? I'd guess that this will have a positive effect on his desire to make music although we may not see him on the road as much as in the past. Mandy seems like a very centered, level headed woman and that is just what he needs. I'm also a little excited about what this means for her music career, she has a great voice and his influence could really push her in a direction that RA fans would appreciate. Now about getting an invite to the wedding...

Please do not let me go

Is Ryan Adams dropping out of music? His latest and last post on the Cardinals site seems to be his warning shot that this is indeed the end. We've heard crazy stuff from RA before but this sounds serious. I'm guessing he may be off the grid for a year or two but like Jordan he won't be able to stay away, someone with a gift like that can't give it up completely, can they? He has recently talked about cooling out and doing a couple of quiet solo records so maybe this is the first step towards something like that, a recharging of the spiritual battery. I keep telling myself not to freak out, besides if this is the end look at the body of work he's left behind, amazing. Does this mean that the box set will finally come out?

Ryan Adam and the Cardinals - Cardinology

Wow, it seems like all i blog about anymore is Ryan Adams. Well I heard the new album tonight. I was so excited that i emailed Andrea while i listened to it, here is the email, unedited.

Born into a light is the first track. Nice acoustic riff. This sounds gooood.
track 2 Go easy. I like it.
track 3 Fix it. Wow this is alot more laid back then the live version we've been hearing. It has a little slinky feel to it.
track 4 Magick. A rocker! Is this political? Weird but me like the rock. Sweet a lyric about zombies. I like this song. Is it the halloweenhead of this album?
track 5 Cobwebs. Solid, mid tempo heartbreaker.
track 6 Let us down easy. This is a good song. I'm not sure how to categorize it. I hear a country guitar sound in there but it's not a country song. Maybe a little sixties do wop feel to it. I like what he's doing vocally in the chorus.
track 7 Crossed out names. He's just so sad.
track 8 Natural Ghost. Classic Ryan Adams alt country sound. Pretty chorus. Man his voice sounds good.
track 9 Sink ships. Sounds good. He's doing that thing where he cams a lot of words in some versus. There are some nice lines in here "blackbirds inside a bell". He is hitting his notes, nice. Tempo change. What a perfect ending.
track 10 Evergreen. This is pretty. How many times have i said that? Who is singing backup?
track 11 Like Yesterday. A classic laid back song. It's so comftrable sounding.
track 12. Stop. I was praying it was a Jane's Addiction cover for a millisecond. This is like September sad, but in a great way.
That is one hell of an album.

Ordering Blues

The new not-yet-released Ryan Adams book Infinity Blues is available for preorder from Akashic books in New York City. The book is 50$ with a 10$ shipping fee in the states and a 20$ fee outside the states. The book is a hand signed hardback edition with a book of poetry titled Sad American Mythology thrown in. I guess i've paid more for books but i guess i better ask the boss before i order. Needless to say i'm super psyched about this release and it's always great to get a package in the mail.
I noticed while perusing their website that Akashic publishes one of my favorite beat poets Amiri Baraka. I caught one of his poetry readings about 12 years ago and actually got to speak to the man and get some books signed. If you get a chance to hear him read, jump on it. He has an awesome style and presence.

Infinity Blues by Ryan Adams

Preorders for Ryan Adams first novel will start on October 6th on the Akashic Books web site. Here is some info from their site:
Preorders for the forthcoming Ryan Adams book titled Infinity Blues will be available on this page starting Monday, October 6, 2008. Preorders will include a signed HARDCOVER copy of Infinity Blues, with a bonus poetry chapbook by Ryan Adams titled Sad American Mythology. The chapbooks will all be signed and numbered; it will be a limited edition available only through the Akashic Books website as part of this preorder. The official publication date of Infinity Blues is March 16, 2009, but preorders will be sent out before then, in December or January.

No price but who cares, i'm buying this book.
Big thanks to Andrea for the heads up!!

Go drinking bear

Pure Genius

Don't Comb The Leprechaun from Ryan Adams on Vimeo.

Genius

Writing the Hits with Stupid from Ryan Adams on Vimeo.

Feist @ the Fylnn (aka. the Guitarsenal)

My lovely wife caught the Feist show on Sunday at the Flynn Theatre in Burlington. She said it was a great show overall-and she loved it when Feist invited the crowd up for the encore. The only things she was disappointed about was that Inside & Out wasn't played and the "half-assed" version of Mushaboom. "It was if Feist felt like she had to play it, and nobody really wanted to admit that they were glad she did." Feist has one of the most talented voices in music today. (and G! fell in love with her "endearing sprite-like quality" and "witty on-stage presence")Download - Feist - Mushaboom
Download - Feist - Inside & Out


In other news it appears that Ryan Adams has a seven song Ep coming out soon, see I am Fuel for the scoop.

Ben on Ryan

Check out this great article where Ben Harper gushes about our boy Ryan Adams, read it here.

Ryan Adams Higher Ground 6/24/07

The sold out Ryan Adams show at Higher Ground finally happened. Deep down I felt like it might go the way of his show in Oklahoma and get canceled at the last minute but it came off and i was there. Let me start by saying that i somehow got sick in Oklahoma and was running a fever the day of the show, in fact, i was in such bad shape that my wife drove me up to Burlington, dropped me off, hung around town with Dylan and then picked me up after the show. I know, she's an amazing lady.
No Ryan Adams show is ever uninteresting and this one was no exception. With no opener the stage was already set up for the band with a simple line of chairs with the piano on one end and pedal steel on the other. When they came out Ryan and the rest of the cardinals were simply dressed. The lights were a little strange, the band was lit from above with low reds, blues and purples. You can see more in the pictures then we actually could in the venue. The lights were so low that it was impossible to make out expressions on the bands faces and i was pretty close to the stage. The scene was set for a chilled out set.
The show was great, it was the lowest keyed show i've ever seen him do with Let it Ride being the most uptempo song he played, they had even reworked Halloweenhead, the rockingist song on the new album, to fit into the tone of the set. Ryan Adams opened with Please do not let me go followed by Dear John. The band played through several songs before Ryan ever addressed the crowd. When he did speak most of what he said was low and mumbly but he did clearly introduce each of the cardinals and said something funny about each one. After the song two Ryan declared that they would have to play it again because his shirt tail had come untucked and that was unprofessional. He then proclaimed that the crazy bug had bit him on the ass during the song and then blamed it on the two diet cokes he'd drank so far. Goodnight Hollywood blvd from Gold was the oldest song in the set. The majority of the set was from the new disc Easy Tiger and Ryan had to refer to the lyric sheets in front of him a few times during the show. The band ended up playing about an hour and forty five minutes with a one song encore.

Let me stop here and say that this is the first time i've seen Ryan Adams sober. He drank diet coke and didn't even smoke while on stage. He made a few jokes about how his name was synonymous with professionalism which sounded like a plea to us to reconsider how we think of him. His voice sounded great, probably the best i've heard him.

Some musical highlights:
Please do not let me go. The opener, the crowd was amazingly quiet during the first two songs. It was evident from the first note that his voice was in rare form.
Dear John. Somehow all the high notes were hit, lovely.
Let it Ride. I love this song regardless but it really got the set moving for a few minutes and sounded great.
Two. A great song from the new album sounded heartachingly exquisite.
I see Monsters. Spot on, it gave me goosebumps.
Down In a Hole. An Alice in Chains cover that they've been doing lately. It was the encore of the show and sounded good.
The rest of the songs i remember:
Oh My God, Whatever, etc.
Starlite Diner
I taught myself how to grow old
Goodnight Hollywood Blvd
Halloweenhead
The sun also sets
These are the only pictures and videos i was able to get. Higher Ground usually allows pictures but after being lit up by a flashlight and talked to by three members of security in the space of a minute I didn't take any more. The last guard explained that "Mr. Adams requested that there be no photography". The sound on the video is bad but it gives you an idea of what we could see.

Did you notice the limited edition poster at the top of the post? I admit i'm a concert tee junkie so i bought a cool one with the date on it but they also had a nice belt buckle and a great looking watch with the rose logo on it.

Off line

I'll be in Oklahoma for the rest of the week so probably no posts for the two of you that read this. I'll be back in time for the Ryan Adams show on Sunday. It looks like he might still be laying off of the guitar after his recent wrist accident so the show might be interesting. Look for me at the show, I'll either be in this sweet shirt(thanks Andrea) or the timeless Ryan Adams for President(again props to my resident t-shirt wizard).

Easy Tiger

As most of you know Ryan Adams and the Cardinals will be playing Higher Ground on June 24th. I, of coarse, will be there as close to the front as possible clutching tightly to a Long Trail and trying not to squeal like a little girl on Christmas morning. The tour, with the newly sober Adams, has been getting some amazing reviews. I've never been disappointed at one of his shows, whether he was cursing out members of the audience, drunkenly insulting Mariah Carey or leading a sing along of Come Pick Me Up while standing on the bar, he always delivers. I hope to see you there.
We all know how litigious Ryan Adam's label Lost Highway can be so let me just say if i had happened to hear the new album Easy Tiger i would probably say that it is better than i expected. I would probably say that there are some amazing cuts that find Ryan in rare form. You can preorder the album here.