Monday, February 23, 2009
Great Show - Great Review!!
Review: Ryan Adams and the Cardinals in New Haven
By Eric R. Danton on February 21, 2009 1:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
There was a time when an on-stage mishap would have wrecked Ryan Adams' concentration and derailed the whole show.
Not this time.
Adams and his band, the Cardinals, opened their winter tour Friday at the Shubert Theater in New Haven with a 2 ½-hour show that teetered briefly on the edge of chaos midway through when Adams' guitar was tuned incorrectly for "La Cienega Just Smiled." After venting his frustration with a pair of off-mic shrieks and a petulant blast of guitar noise, the singer and songwriter managed to laugh it off -- and nailed the song on the second take.
It was a blip in an otherwise impressive show, and even a handful of inconsiderate louts in the crowd couldn't spoil the mood.
Adams and the band laid back in a deep musical pocket, producing occasional showers of sparks on songs spanning his prodigious catalog, from last year's "Cardinology" to his 2000 solo debut, "Heartbreaker."
On shyer nights, Adams takes refuge in the extended instrumental passages on his jammier tunes. Although he included a couple of those toward the end, much of the set focused on tight, aching songs, sometimes with a rootsy tint. Opener "I See Monsters" bloomed from casual yet considered and somber into a fuller rock sound, and the band glided easily through "Fix It," Adams and Neal Casal trading punchy soul licks on guitar.
Adams donned a harmonica in a holder for the tear-your-guts-out tune "Come Pick Me Up," and sang in hushed tones on the opening verses of "Oh My Sweet Carolina," before the band fleshed out the poignant, heartbroken song.
He tinkered here and there with musical arrangements, too, giving "Let It Ride" a more contemplative feel than the recorded version, and replacing piano with guitar for the rolling chords that open "The Rescue Blues."
In addition to his graceful guitar parts, Casal played organ on "The Sun Also Sets," added sweet harmonies on "When the Stars Go Blue" and took the lead on a pair of songs from his 2006 album "No Wish To Reminisce," as Adams sang back-up and played guitar.
The band stretched out in the extra-long middle section on "Goodnight Rose," then stretched even further on "Easy Plateau," following the song from straightforward verses through winding improvisation that eventually dissolved into "Bartering Lines" to close the show.
Set list
1. I See Monsters
2. Two
3. Everybody Knows
4. When the Stars Go Blue
5. Fix It
6. Let It Ride
7. Magick
8. Wonderwall
9. Come Pick Me Up
10. Grand Island (Neal Casal sings)
11. Meadowlake Street
12. Freeway to the Canyon (Neal Casal sings)
13. Oh My Sweet Carolina
14. Evergreen
15. The Rescue Blues
16. The Sun Also Sets
17. La Cienega Just Smiled
18. Natural Ghost
19. Goodnight Rose
20. Born Into a Light
21. A Kiss Before I Go
22. Easy Plateau
23. Bartering Lines Great review!!
By Eric R. Danton on February 21, 2009 1:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
There was a time when an on-stage mishap would have wrecked Ryan Adams' concentration and derailed the whole show.
Not this time.
Adams and his band, the Cardinals, opened their winter tour Friday at the Shubert Theater in New Haven with a 2 ½-hour show that teetered briefly on the edge of chaos midway through when Adams' guitar was tuned incorrectly for "La Cienega Just Smiled." After venting his frustration with a pair of off-mic shrieks and a petulant blast of guitar noise, the singer and songwriter managed to laugh it off -- and nailed the song on the second take.
It was a blip in an otherwise impressive show, and even a handful of inconsiderate louts in the crowd couldn't spoil the mood.
Adams and the band laid back in a deep musical pocket, producing occasional showers of sparks on songs spanning his prodigious catalog, from last year's "Cardinology" to his 2000 solo debut, "Heartbreaker."
On shyer nights, Adams takes refuge in the extended instrumental passages on his jammier tunes. Although he included a couple of those toward the end, much of the set focused on tight, aching songs, sometimes with a rootsy tint. Opener "I See Monsters" bloomed from casual yet considered and somber into a fuller rock sound, and the band glided easily through "Fix It," Adams and Neal Casal trading punchy soul licks on guitar.
Adams donned a harmonica in a holder for the tear-your-guts-out tune "Come Pick Me Up," and sang in hushed tones on the opening verses of "Oh My Sweet Carolina," before the band fleshed out the poignant, heartbroken song.
He tinkered here and there with musical arrangements, too, giving "Let It Ride" a more contemplative feel than the recorded version, and replacing piano with guitar for the rolling chords that open "The Rescue Blues."
In addition to his graceful guitar parts, Casal played organ on "The Sun Also Sets," added sweet harmonies on "When the Stars Go Blue" and took the lead on a pair of songs from his 2006 album "No Wish To Reminisce," as Adams sang back-up and played guitar.
The band stretched out in the extra-long middle section on "Goodnight Rose," then stretched even further on "Easy Plateau," following the song from straightforward verses through winding improvisation that eventually dissolved into "Bartering Lines" to close the show.
Set list
1. I See Monsters
2. Two
3. Everybody Knows
4. When the Stars Go Blue
5. Fix It
6. Let It Ride
7. Magick
8. Wonderwall
9. Come Pick Me Up
10. Grand Island (Neal Casal sings)
11. Meadowlake Street
12. Freeway to the Canyon (Neal Casal sings)
13. Oh My Sweet Carolina
14. Evergreen
15. The Rescue Blues
16. The Sun Also Sets
17. La Cienega Just Smiled
18. Natural Ghost
19. Goodnight Rose
20. Born Into a Light
21. A Kiss Before I Go
22. Easy Plateau
23. Bartering Lines Great review!!
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