Ryan Adams

I’m currently listening to: At The Drive-In - Alpha Centauri

Ryan Adams is prolific.  If you don’t believe me, you can ask Pitchfork.   However, a more remarkable statement is that Ryan Adams is now clean.  No cigarettes, no drunken mess.  So what does that mean for his concerts?  Are the days where he fights with the sound guy then leaves the show early gone for good?  How will this effect his reputation for highly improvised sets?

All I have to say is that Ryan Adams still puts on a fantastic show.  He constantly talks– giving us insight about Diet Coke, the Illinois vs. Iowa rivalry (straight from the mouth of a frat boy at an Iowa kegger), quitting smoking, us being smarter for going to college, and his band.  There were numerous jokes about leaving the stage, or how retarded his guitarists dance party afterwards would be.  Adams also commented that if Maroon 5 were playing tonight, the place would have been sold out.  He then proceeded to impersonate that horrible falsetto voice and sing about breaking up and getting back together with a girl three times in one song (which is, in his mind, the template to all Maroon 5 songs).  At one point, Ryan had consumed a few too many Diet Cokes.  A more professional musician might have rushed through things, remaining on stage but less animated, then taken care of his needs later.  Fortunately, Ryan Adams doesn’t care.  As a result, the audience got to take a five minute break while Adams relieved himself and grabbed a Fresca… at least we knew he was coming back.  When he did return, he was still full of energy.

The music was everything that I had expected.  The Cardinals have proven to be a wonderful supporting band, and it is clear that Adams works with them much better than the revolving cast of musicians who have joined (and left) him on other albums.  Adams is giving his fellow musicians a lot longer leash, and he’s having fun doing it.  The dueling guitar improvisations, even with his older material, were fantastic.  However, Adams’ newer material really shined, gaining more power with its live rendition.  Overall, I wish that he had played “Come Pick Me Up” or “New York, New York,” but hey, Ryan Adams is still a jerk.  He just takes himself less seriously.