By his own admission, Ryan Adams has been an unpredictable character over the years. Like so many other musicians, drink and drugs hindered a flourishing career that commenced with his debut album, Heartbreaker, and went sky-high with its follow-up, the modern day masterpiece Gold. His infamous story of causing the former manager of Slayer to quit as his own events organiser within 24 hours speaks volumes. He could certainly be difficult when he wanted to be.
On record, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Adams was actually clean and sober during the hard times; such was the quality of the material that followed his breakthrough into the mainstream. Whilst various poisons took control of his personal life, his efforts as a recording artist were miraculously unaffected. (In 2005 alone he released a solo album, plus two records with his former band the Cardinals, one of which was a double disc.) As a live act, however, it was a different story.
Thankfully, things were remedied by 2006, and whilst he is still guilty of having his moments (including a recent spat with Neil Finn on a TV recording in London), his success increases as time goes by on account of his musical output. This is confirmed by tonight’s sold out show at the Opera House, a venue which Adams boyishly likens to “a giant robotic lady bug”.
After an excellent opening slot from Jason Isbell (formerly of Drive-By Truckers), Adams humbly wanders onstage, carrying his notebook and a hot beverage, which highlights the positive changes he has made.
Sat down, he opens up with the heavenly ‘Oh My Sweet Carolina’, which commands respectful silence and receives a rapturous first batch of applause. What follows is just about all you could ask for from a Ryan Adams show, plus a little bit more.
The audience is treated (and it truly is a treat) to 23 more tracks which span across his impressive discography. Six or seven years ago, Adams could often be guilty of excessive self-indulgence; playing large numbers of obscurities from his back catalogue, and creating Dylan-like re-workings which caused even die-hard fans some confusion. Not anymore.
The set list spans Adams’s solo efforts (plus a handful from his records with the Cardinals, as well as his Whiskeytown days) and ensures that everyone in attendance leaves satisfied. ‘Firecracker’ is a suitably explosive, with its harmonica moments driving the song forwards; ‘Dear Chicago’ has developed into a poignant lament since its early origins as a demo track; even his popular cover version of ‘Wonderwall’ receives an unexpected airing, with its hauntingly beautiful delivery managing to eclipse its original Britpop roots. The Ryan Adams of 2012 sees a rare talent at the top of their game, and it is simply a joy to behold.
Whilst Adams has ironed out the creases of his live shows these days, his idiosyncrasies remain intact, but against the backdrop of astounding musicianship they are now endearing rather than frustrating. His sense of humour is surreal, treading a fine line between madness and genius, with regular material being scattered with ad-libbed skits. Of these moments tonight, the most notable is the bizarre yet hilarious ‘Ode to Mr. Cat’ (titled to be confirmed), which makes an imaginative prelude to his piano-led rendition of ‘New York, New York’.
After wonderful versions of ‘Two’ and ‘16 Days’, an exclamation mark is placed at the end of show when Adams delivers a heartbreaking performance of ‘Come Pick Me Up’, from his appropriately titled debut. Everyone stands, everyone cheers, and everyone wants more.
The inevitable encore provides a cover of ‘Round Round’ by Ratt (American 80’s hard rock band), and ‘Strawberry Wine’ from the greatly overlooked ‘29’ album, with the latter’s simple melody swaying the audience into a calm state of being after all of the excitement preceding it.
All of the components that make up the reason for Adams’s adoration have always been in place; they just haven’t necessarily always been there simultaneously. Now, more than ever in recent years, the puzzle is mercifully complete, and long may it remain so.
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