For a person who puts his pants on one leg at a time, Ryan Adams can sure deliver the intergalactic star quality. His most dazzling talent is still his prolific songwriting, soulful poetry chock-a-block with emotionally incisive take-away lines. And he has no fear of a deeply pretty chord progression. Onstage, his retro-seventies guitar solos have few peers for passion, and his voice is agile, with an occasionally silky lilt between snags.
He can also be funny as hell on the fly, and last night he delivered the ultimate single-guy cooking tip: Make that mac ‘n cheese really special by adding onion soup mix to the cheese powder. Having moved more-or-less silently through the set, Adams burst into fun near the end, teasing crowd members about watching the show through their smart phone cameras, and calling out a woman wearing sun glasses. “I feel you,” he said to her. “That’s how high I am every day,” before creating a back story that might end with her determined not to let anyone see her cry. Later, he made up an entire song, with four verses, to introduce his keyboard player. Other band members gamely joined in with guitar, drums, harmonies and belly laughs.
Designed not to trigger effects of Adams’ optical-neurological disorder, Meniere’s disease, abstract stage lighting performed like another entertainer onstage. Rather than quick changes and strobe effects, it seemed to evolve among moods.
Song selections ranged through his catalog with minimal emphasis on his 2014 eponymous release. The solo acoustic “Winding Wheel,” from Adams’ 2000 “Heartbreaker.” was a favorite of the crowd and inspired the only singalong of the night. “Dirty Rain,” from the 2011 release “Ashes of Fire,” was a heart-stopping, TV-ready crime drama. Repeated requests for “16 Days,” a workhorse from Adams’ Whiskeytown era, were more or less satisfied with a death metal version inspired by, Adams said, the band Mercyful Fate. His costume for the evening was a Misfits T-shirt. For the last time, Whiskeytown is dead, people. And the rest of us are running like bandits with the best of what’s after.
This article appears in Apr 16-22, 2015.
*My* Winding Wheel, Ashes *&* Fire.
He actually plays a lot of Whiskeytown songs live still.
Isn’t Meniere’s disease an inner ear disease? I can see that would be a bitch for a musician to have.
I got to see Ryan a few months ago in Phoenix when he played at Gammage Auditorium and was happily surprised at how well he handled that huge space and still kept it personal. One of the most enjoyable shows I have seen in ages! I would have loved to see this show at Rialto. Thank goodness Elliott is there to take photos. It just proves that, once again, Tucson offers top flight shows in much more casual settings like the Rialto and the Fox!