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February 23, 2009
Ryan Adams at the Shubert
I think I’m going to have to re-think my opinion of Ryan Adams.
I was a fan of his alt-country band from the late ’90s, Whiskeytown, and I also enjoyed his music when his solo career was getting off the ground. His second record, “Gold,” was terrific and the future looked bright for this young man from North Carolina.
But then he lost me. The follow-up, “Rock N Roll,” left me cold. It certainly made me wary of buying any more of his records and there were a lot of them. There were the two “Love is Hell” EPs in 2004, three full-length records in 2005 and two more in 2007.
The reviews were mixed on these projects, though his work with the band The Cardinals generally seemed to get solid write-ups. With Adams and The Cardinals coming to New Haven, I received a copy of their latest collaboration, “Cardinology,” and thought it was a good record. Good, not great.
That’s why I was a little surprised when I attended the concert Friday night at the Shubert and it was a great show. Great, not just good.
Adams was in fine voice and he seemed to be having a good time on stage. It’s been reported in the past that this is not always the case, so it was a bit of a relief to find him in good spirits.
Trouble with one of his guitars caused the band to bail out of the song “La Cienega Just Smiled,” which didn’t seem to bother him a bit. Instead, he showed a sense of humor by asking the audience to pretend that it never happened as he and his bandmates took it from the top.
Late in the concert, he even led an impromptu cover version of Billy Ocean’s oldie “Caribbean Queen.” Earlier, and in all seriousness, Adams gave a moving rendition of Oasis’ “Wonderwall,” which he had recorded for the “Love is Hell, Part 1” EP.
Throughout the two-and-a-half hour show, Adams was spurred along by The Cardinals’ expert musicianship, notably the work of guitarist Neal Casal and steel-guitar player Jon Graboff. Add in the rock-steady rhythm section of bassist Chris Feinstein and drummer Brad Pemberton and you have a heck of a talented band.
But without a doubt, the most amazing instrument on the stage was Adams’ voice. He used it to take the audience with him on his various journeys and when he sang falsetto, the heartbreak in his voice was almost palpable.
The bad news associated with Adams is that this will be his last record and tour with The Cardinals. He had previously announced that development, right before it was reported that he is engaged to singer/actress Mandy Moore.
I can only hope for Adams’ sake that the marriage works as well as his musical relationship with The Cardinals.
The set list
I See Monsters/Two/Everybody Knows/When the Stars Go Blue/Fix It/Let It Ride/Magick/Wonderwall/Come Pick Me Up/Grand Island/Meadowlake Street/Freeway to the Canyon/Oh My Sweet Carolina/Evergreen/The Rescue Blues/The Sun Also Sets/La Cienega Just Smiled/Natural Ghost/Goodnight Rose/Born Into a Light/A Kiss Before I Go/Easy Plateau/Bartering Lines
Posted by Sean on February 23, 2009 6:28 AM
