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Ryan Adams and The Cardinals |
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Written by Josh Baron
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Tuesday, 12 December 2006 |
 Photo credit Josh Baron
Town Hall, New York, NY
December 4-6
With a new Cardinals configuration save for longtime drummer Brad Pemberton—Neal Casal on guitar, Jon Graboff on bass and Chris Feinstein on pedal steel—Ryan Adams is all about the rock these days (though he still does tender and affected). While his tongue-n-cheek posturing would suggest more bombast—he sported KISS-like boots all three nights—Adams’ brand of rock was more acute and countrified, dare we say, it often sounded Dylan-esque with its upbeat shuffles and whimsical vocal charm. Digging into his already deep catalog, Adams held true to his website’s promise of “no repeats” over the three-night stand (51 songs in total; I didn’t make the first night’s 21-song set).
Out of night two’s 14 songs, the recasting of “Firecracker” into a
slower, smoldering ballad was particularly notable as its fragility
increased but not at the cost of its carefree nature. The band vamped
heavily on “Nobody Girl” and ramped up the jam for “September,” which
followed shortly after. After a quick set break, they eased into “Easy
Plateau,” which showcased a group fully connected: four-part vocals,
precise pedal steel, dueling guitars, tight arrangement and a dynamic
sound that had all the elements perfectly latticed. Norah Jones,
whose country side project The Little Willies opened this night, shared
vocals for the ballad “Dear John,” whose intent was ultimately better
than its delivery. A triumphant, lyrics-intact “Stella Blue” closed out
the evening.
Opening the final night on acoustic with “Come Pick Me Up,” it seemed
that this was going to be the night as he followed with “When the Stars
Go Blue” and “Oh My Sweet Carolina.” All three were perfection.
Shifting into rock gear, “Love is Hell,” “This Is It,” “Wish You Were
Here” all had the right mix of edge and grit.
Despite nonchalantly announcing seven months of sobriety, Adams
unsuccessfully tried to quell a song-shouting crowd that often bordered
on heckling. Visibly frustrated, Adams cut his set short by at least a
half-hour after delivering a heartfelt “The Rescue Blues” on piano.
While it seems Adams has indeed taken steps to rescue himself as he now
delivers routinely strong performances, the same could not be said of
an over-eager audience that didn’t know how to… how shall I say it?
Shut the fuck up.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 12 December 2006 )
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