speed of dark

I don't know why it has taken Uncle T and Indie Mom so long to make me a Ryan Adams fan. Now that I'm on the bandwagon, I can't understand why I was resistant. I started coming around when I was finding the music for Uncle T's concert review last October. As I found the recordings of live songs that Adams performed at that show, several of them got locked in my head, for example, "Cold Roses."

Near the end of 2007 I bought Easy Tiger, and if I had had more time with it, it probably would have ended up somewhere in my favorites for the year. So when the opportunity came up to see him in concert in our area, we leaped on it, and I'm glad we did. The more I learn about Adams, the more I like him, both musically and personally. He is smart, funny, and obviously has diversified interests.

That concert was last Tuesday night at Bridges Auditorium on the campus of the Claremont colleges. We are late with a review because of a rare mix-up between Indie Mom and me where we each thought the other was going to write the post! The auditorium itself is elegantly appointed, which Adams himself commented on early in the show, noting the constellations used in the vast ceiling design.


The stage was minimally decorated with silhouettes of saguaro cacti and lighting in glowing southwest colors that ranged from crimson to blue with purple and green shadows. The show began abruptly with the hall lights suddenly going out and Adams saying he hoped we'd enjoy the show, so I was unprepared with my recorder and missed the first two songs.

Adams reveals his delightfully quirky personality throughout the performance with much comedic discourse between songs. The first thing he noted to the audience was that he likes to watch everyone come in and take their seats, and that "A lot of you are...crazy!" He complimented the date of one member near the front, saying, she "looks like Chloë Sevigny if Chloë was hot." Thankfully, Adams continues to stay clean and sober, guzzling throughout the show something he said was a ginseng drink.

The show consisted of familiar tunes from 2007's Easy Tiger and from older albums--no songs from the expected new album. A flubbed joke on the part of Cardinal Jon Graboff led to an impromptu composition (Bad Joke Song) that ended with "Happy Birthday, Spaceworld!"

Adams clearly keeps current with the entertainment world. He dedicated a slow, sad version of "Halloween Head" to Michelle Williams, whose former lover Heath Ledger had been found dead only the day before. "It's a struggle," he commented with sincere sympathy, perhaps referring to his own battles with addictive substances, or with the difficulty of life in general. He dedicated the last song, "Easy Plateau" to Jay-Z and Beyoncé because "they are an amazing couple."


SETLIST

1. Goodnight Rose (one of my favorites from Easy Tiger)
2. Please Do Not Let Me Go (from Love Is Hell Pt. 2)
3. Why Do They Leave (from Heartbreaker)
4. Rescue Blues (from Gold)
5. This House Is Not For Sale (from Demolition)
6. When The Stars Go Blue (from Gold)
7. Everybody Knows (from Easy Tiger)
8. The Sun Also Sets (from Easy Tiger)
9. Halloween Head (dedicated to Michelle Williams - from Easy Tiger)
10. Let It Ride (from Cold Roses)
11. Instrumental/Peaceful Valley - (from Jacksonville City Lights)
12. Shakedown on 9th Street (from Heartbreaker)
13. Cold Roses (from Cold Roses)


ENCORE/SECOND SET
14. Beautiful Sorta (from Cold Roses)
15. I See Monsters (from Demolition)
16. Bartering Lines (from Heartbreaker)
17. A Kiss Before I Go (from Jacksonville City Lights)
18. Freeway To the Canyon (vocals by Neal Casal) (Lyrics)
19. Games (from Jacksonville City Lights)
20. Mockingbird (from Cold Roses)
21. Bad Joke Song ("I'm makin' this song up as I go")
22. Rip Off (from Easy Tiger)
23. Two (from Easy Tiger)
24. Easy Plateau (from Cold Roses - dedicated to Jay-Z and Beyoncé)


Adams and the Cardinals generously met with a long line of fans after the show to autograph items, including a limited-print poster that was for sale at the show. Indie Mom got one. I commented to him as we went past the table that I am enjoying his Youtube videos which include demos of new songs and hilarious spoofs. This is clearly a new creative outlet he has dived into whole-heartedly in the past few months. He said he was working on a new one, and in fact he has posted five or six of them since last week. Between that and writing a new song every five minutes, when does the man sleep?

MySpace | Website | Label: Lost Highway Records | Fansite
Buy: Amazon, iTunes

Show Schedule:
TONIGHT-Jan 28 2008 - Zellerbach - Berkeley, CA
Jan 29 2008 - Catalyst - Santa Cruz, CA
Jan 30 2008 - Royce Hall - Los Angeles, CA
Jan 31 2008 - Royce Hall - Los Angeles, CA