Saw Ryan Adams last night in New Haven

[jackevorkian]

Easily the best show I have seen in quite a while, and definitely in my top 10 greatest shows. Very impressive on all fronts.

The Good

The Tone: His walnut 335 thru his stereo Princeton/extension cabs setup are some of the greatest tones I have ever heard live.

The Mix: Excellent live sound...they really have it dialed in perfectly. They are able to take it instantly from whisper quiet to full on frenzied rock and roll and never lose balance or clarity.

The Venue: Shubert Theater is a great old space. I saw Wilco there a few months back and was equally blown away by the acoustics.

The Setlist: A great cross section of his catalog, with some interesting takes on a few of his classics.

The Bad

The Majority of the Fans: What an awful group of people. There is a strange mix of fanboys, fratboys and partiers seated right next to musicians, music enthusiasts, and generally more respectful concert goers. I have never been surrounded by so many people unaware of personal space and appropriate boundaries. I feel bad for Ryan Adams if this is typical to have to play to a group of obnoxious hecklers every night.

[ilari]

Yeah the audiences bad behaviour is one of the reasons he´s stopping touring. I can only pray that he won´t quit music for good.

[ezyrydr]

I saw a great show in Indianapolis last year.
However it was almost ruined by the row of frat boys behind me singing (the wrong words) very loudly to the songs they knew and talking through the ones they didn't.

[Teleking]

Yeah, it's really sad. It seems that people just want to show up to harass him, which is terrible. His antics earlier in his career are coming back to haunt him, but I kind of feel really bad for the guy. He can't even play a show anymore without people trying to screw with him.

It seems that half the crowd shows up to egg him on to have a meltdown.

Seems a lot like Anton Newcombe from Brian Jonestown Massacre in that half the crowd just shows up to mess with him as well.

I wish the crowd would turn on the idiots and tell them to STFU so he can play his show.

I've seen Adams probably 10 times. Never saw a bad show. Saw one very short show, but it was fantastic. He's truly a great musician and vocalist.

If people would just leave the freaking guy alone he do some amazing stuff.

[jackevorkian]

[quote=Teleking;5622105]

I wish the crowd would turn on the idiots and tell them to STFU so he can play his show.

quote]

A lot of people were telling them to STFU. Unfortunately these people are so obtuse that they are just never going to get it. They're a bunch of losers.

[Solomon]

I don't understand someone spending money and time to see someone they do not like? The irony is pretty damn funny when you think about it. Talk about not having a life.

[TanquerayCowboy]

Thanks for the heads up. I've been debating whether to try and go to the Charleston show next month. I caught his solo tour in Atlanta a few years ago (Elton John joined him for a song or two) and was mostly unimpressed because he came across as a drunken arse, but I'm a fan of the albums and especially the Cardinals.

[jackevorkian]

Originally Posted by TanquerayCowboy

Thanks for the heads up. I've been debating whether to try and go to the Charleston show next month. I caught his solo tour in Atlanta a few years ago (Elton John joined him for a song or two) and was mostly unimpressed because he came across as a drunken arse, but I'm a fan of the albums and especially the Cardinals.

Definitely go see him. Just be prepared to be surrounded by a bunch of idiots.

[Harrison0811]

I get to see him in two weeks! Im excited

[teleking36]

he's playing a few miles away from me as we speak. i wish i had gotten tickets! i have a few friends at the show right now, and they're telling me that he sounds fantastic.

i hope to catch more of him post-hiatus. he is truly one of my favorite artists of all time and is a MAJOR inspiration to me in terms of songwriting.

[B Vance]

I've really gotten into Ryan Adams lately, mostly from listening to his live shows (he allows and encourages taping and sharing all his concerts). After hearing this report, perhaps this is the best way to enjoy his shows...

[cram]

odd. Last I saw him perform there was none of the bad crowd described.

[Falstaff]

I just got back from the Boston show. Amazing. The Cardinals are a great band, waaay better than the sum of its parts. The interplay/weaving between the two guitars and the pedal steel really creates a deep tapestry of sound, even when they are blasting. The drummer is fantastic as well.

Jack is right about the tone...awesome. Those are non-reverb Princetons?

The crowd wasn't bad at all; a lot of filming via cell phone but not too many yahoos, and my yahoo tolerance is probably lower than most because I don't get out much. More older folks than I expected (including me, I suppose).

Check them out, folks.

[trickness]

Man I didn't know he was on tour. I thought he was taking a break from music because of chronic tinnitus (and his engagement to Mandy Moore) and he was going to write...

[Falstaff]

He did have some sort of earplugs in from what I could tell.