concert review

VERIZON WIRELESS THEATER, HOUSTON, TX — OCTOBER 14, 2008 – I was warned and I was wary. You never know which Ryan Adams will show up in your town. The temperamental rock star who’ll spite his audience with a hostile set of duds or even worse, an infantile outburst, or the strikingly talented songwriter with the voice of an angel. Truth be told, my expectations for the evening were fairly low, having been recently reminded of a friend’s horrible experience at a 2005 show in Raleigh. My only hope lay with the impressive performances of Ryan Adams and his band, The Cardinals, on late night television during the promotion for 2006’s Easy Tiger.

In Houston this past Tuesday, the irascible Adams was nowhere to be seen. Although he was recovering from a bout of bronchitis, Adams was cordial, if quiet, during his thrilling 2 hour set. In fact, aside from blowing his nose and clearing his throat between songs, you couldn’t tell that Adams was under the weather. His voice sounded that good. And his band matched his stellar performance note for note with tight, inspired arrangements and breathtaking harmonies.

Clearly locked in with his bandmates, Adams made it clear that this was a group effort, from billing the show simply as The Cardinals, to positioning himself stage right in the shadows to the limited between song banter and dazzling musical interplay. It seems as if putting together a proper band had grounded the sometimes irascible artist.

The set was nice mix of mostly mid-tempo rockers and ballads spanning Adams’ solo career. Some raged with a Crazy Horse fury and others possessed the ache of Gram Parsons‘ best ballads. But what stood out most was how much the band channeled the ghost of peak period Grateful Dead. And this was a good thing. People forget the potency of the Dead’s early to mid-1970s countrified rock. In fact, from the neon light roses adorning the stage to the extended jams and three part harmonies you’d think you were at a Dead show circa 1974 (they even played 2 sets with an intermission!). Adam’s and Neil Casal’s dueling guitars were vintage Weir and Garcia without the excesses of 15-minute noodling.

Adam’s and company admirably sampled the songwriter’s entire solo career with “Rescue Blues,” “Bartering Lines” and “Come Pick Me Up” best representing the earlier years and “Easy Plateau” and “Everybody Knows” standing out as the gems from recent albums, Cold Roses and Easy Tiger. The band also debuted several songs from the forthcoming Cardinology, which upon first listen sounds like a solid collection of vintage Ryan Adams.

One of the highlights of the evening came midway through the first set, when Adams and the Cardinals gave a stunning reading Oasis‘ hit single, “Wonderwall,” adding depth and emotion lacking in the original version. The once spry Brit Pop tune was turned into a simmering ballad, slowly building to a climax of feedback squall before coming back down again for a gentle landing.

Even from his days in Whiskeytown, it was apparent that Ryan Adams was a gifted songwriter with a bright future. Prolific almost to a fault, Adams has amassed an impressive discography that sometimes gets overshadowed by his temperamental behavior, celebrity run-ins, and substance abuse. But judging from his performance with the Cardinals this past week, if he just sticks to the music without all the bullshit, he’ll be a force to reckon with for a long time to come.

1ST SET
Goodnight Rose
Bartering Lines
Fix It
Everybody Knows
Come Pick Me Up
Sink Ships
Wonderwall
A Natural Ghost
Cold Roses
Rescue Blues
Sun Also Sets
Off Broadway
Why Do They Leave
Crossed out Name

2ND SET
Mocking Bird Sing
Dear Chicago
I See Monsters
Please Do Not Let Me Go
Shakedown
Two
Easy Plateau
Freeway To The Canyon
Peaceful Valley
Evergreen

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