Ryan Adams @ DAR Constitution Hall, DC [10/30/07]
I reserve the right to change my mind, but I think tonight's Ryan Adams show may be the last time I see him for a while. Or ever, for that matter.
I'll give Ryan and the band credit -- they were incredibly tight and played beautifully. Moreover, Ryan's voice is in as good a shape as I've ever heard.
But holy hell are they boring. Great musicianship alone is simply not enough -- you still need an element of soul, of emotion, of excitement. Any feeling will do. But the only emotion we got tonight was Ryan's childish anger when fans in the crowd called out song titles. In response, Ryan pulled out a megaphone and started yelling instructions to the crowd as to how to sit, and how to lean in our chairs. (A humorous idea, frankly, but it was clear Ryan wasn't trying to be funny, and was essentially telling the 3,000+ person crowd to "fuck off".)
Not to play amateur psychologist here or anything, but one gets the sense that Ryan really doesn't want to be playing shows. He barely spoke to the crowd throughout the show, whereas in the past there have been shows where he's talked too much. In addition, he has apparently installed a sound system that allows him to speak into a microphone at the back of the stage and have his voice transmitted directly into his bandmates' earpieces -- i.e., allowing him to talk with the band without being overheard, and without acknowledging the arena full of fans around him. He clearly doesn't want to deal with anyone but his band. And his use of the megaphone shows that he clearly doesn't want fans to make any noise other than to cheer.
He seems to love playing his music (although it's hard to tell if it's his music or Jerry Garcia's that he's playing these days), but hates the fact that he has to have an audience for it.
Well, Ryan, I'll help you out, and next time you play in town, I'll be one less person in the audience that you have to put up with.
posted by Steve @ 12:26 AM
17 comments
17 Comments:
I couldn't agree more with this review. If I ever go to another Ryan Adams show (highly unlikely) I would wait until it was very quiet and then scream "WHY DO YOU HATE YOUR AUDIENCE?" It's a valid question. BTW - The Anti-Adams, Josh Ritter. Caught the show a few weeks back at the 930 club. A thoroughly engaging performer, one that knows how to pace a show and actually connect with the audience.
Yeah, I got pretty damn bored myself. My wife and I decided the whole megaphone thing was pretty passive-aggressive - he'd go to the back of the stage and hide behind amps before he'd use it and turn his back to the crowd, almost like he didn't want to confront the audience directly in the fear that we'd completely turn against him. But yet he still couldn't keep himself from complaining. Maybe if he didn't take so long screwing around in silence between songs, people wouldn't call out so much. Of course, then the band comes out after the break and does the exact opposite of the pregnant pauses - a half-hour continuous jam that was interesting at times but otherwise just got tedious.
Still some great songs, though, and what a voice. But I don't feel any need to see another live performance from him.
the thing is that i really like him as a songwriter. his records (most of them anyway) are really good. i will continue to listen but i am most certainly not wasting my time or my money at another $34 dollar/ticket show hanging out with a bunch of indoor scarf/winter hat wearing hipster ryanadams wannabees who think it's really cool to treat your fans like shit.
jeff tweedy would never do that!
first of all, i agree 100% with the posting as well. this was the 4th time i've seen mess adams, and i know enough to pray for the monitors to work without flaw.
this show ranks 3 out of 4, with #1 easily being at the 9:30 club a few years back. that show rocked. last night's did not.
fwiw - #4 was at the meyerhoff in baltimore when he left the stage for half hours at a time and then sat in the audience and played alone (and quietly).
secondly, it's funny that someone should mention tweedy. i'm also a wilco fan. a lot of the deconstruction of the music last night into a single word/note/sound and then rising it back up into full song was feeble in comparison to how wilco does the same thing.
also he thought they were a jam band a few times, and i found my mind wandering. (not in a cool, grateful dead, stoner kinda way, but in a lecture-gone-too-long kinda way).
oh well, at least i wasn't the a-hole that yelled out "summer of '69".
One word to describe last night’s show is…awkward. I miss the old coked up, bottle of wine to head, Ryan Adam’s banter that I have seen in the past few years. Although it was dangerous and unhealthy, the 10 minute rants and spontaneous one-time versions of his songs made for an exciting show. Yes, the show was boring, but who is to blame the band, or the crowd? I think with his latest releases, Adams has slipped into the “dad-rock” category. Without a doubt, his trans-generational/ genre-crossing sound has led to much success, but fuck! A Weird Al crowd had more energy than this one. Most of the people at this show hadn’t been to a concert since The Eagles “Hell Freezes Over” tour. Another awkward/ uncomfortable moment came when I went down to the bathroom. It was COMPLETLEY silent. Not like I wanna make new friends in the bathroom line, but it was like everyone’s dog had just died. It was eerie. I felt like it was the waiting line to the gates of hell. I think this was an accurate depiction of the crowd as a whole. So, had the crowd maybe stood on their feet and acted like they were excited to be there, we might have got a little more energy from the band. On the other hand, had Adams and the Cardinals given us something to be excited about we might have done such. Who is to blame????
I think the bootleg of this show should be called COME WAKE ME UP.
That being said - there may be a reason for the mood: his manager passed away on the day of this show:
http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/ryan%20adams%20manager%20dies_1048399
This being the only Ryan Adams show I have been to, I do not have the perspective to judge it against others, but I think there is a larger problem with this artist that is missing from this discussion. Specifically, I have always found his music, though well crafted/performed, to be incredibly derivative. His whole career has been one of musical dress-up, as he manically tries on different styles/genres of music..."This one is a bluesy Stones rocker...and now a Gram Parsons tear jerker...next up a late 70s post-punk tune." Sometimes this varies from album to album, sometimes within the context of a single album. There is something shallow and show off-y about this, the workings of a prodigy that can effortlessly imitate the sounds of others, but doesn't get the essence of what makes the music he is imitating work in the first place. As a result there is an inherent disconnect between the artist and music that can be felt both on record, and quite obviously live. It is almost as if he is aware of the lack of authenticity of his art and his acting out is a defense mechanism against being "found-out" by his audience.
So there is my arm chair psycho-analysis...cue bullhorn rebuttal.
@Josh:
I agree 100% with your description of Adams' career as one of "musical dress-up." However, it's always been undeniable (IMO) that he has incredible talent and has the ability to write excellent songs. No matter which "era" of his, I've always been able to find songs that I loved.
That said, I've been waiting for him to "find himself," and finally start writing music that's entirely his own. I think I've given up on that after Easy Tiger, though. Rather than exploring new ground (even if it was other people's ground), Easy Tiger was pretty much just a retread of what Ryan has done before. So, in essence, it was a warmed-over version of a warmed-over version.
And while I've cooled on Ryan's recorded output, I've held out hope for his live show. As other commenters have noted, his shows used to be electric (thanks largely to various substances and spirits). In fact, his shows at the tail end of 2001 (the post-9/11 show in New York, and the show at the 9:30 Club a month or so later), remain two of my favorite shows of all time. He was funny, charming and genuinely happy to be there.
Sadly, I've been waiting 5 years to see Ryan play a show that good again, and it's just been a steady decline since then, with each show less interesting than the last.
The crowd was horrible, I thought. Everyone uptight, no standing up and dancing or rocking out. You can blame the venue, or the mellowness of some of the songs, or the fact that he doesnt pump up the crowd, but I dont think that really whats missing here. Take last nights show and put it before a group of fans who like the dead or the band, and youve got a really cool atmosphere. Instead of the silence between songs, you would hear the buzz of people appreciating good music. I feel like at least half the people there just werent really that into the show. Just cause Ryan doesnt work the crowd, who gives a fuck! Stand up and dance or cheer. Talk to the guy next to you and say hello. Loosen the fuck up! The Cardinals need to go on tour with Rat dog or Phil Lesh and find a new fanbase. It's probably better that the guy who started this post isnt going to go to another Cardinals show. Its people like him who sap the energy from the crowd!!!!!!!!!
@Anon 1:13pm:
Yeah, the crowd was definitely low energy, no question.
That said, I saw a ton of Grateful Dead, Phish, and other "jam band" shows back in the day, and I think it's unfair to compare the two. Ryan definitely WANTS to be that type of band, but I just don't feel that his songwriting lends itself to that type of show.
What got people excited during Dead and Phish shows was the electricity of their music. You never knew what direction they were going to go in, but you knew it would (almost) always be interesting. And Phish, especially, had fun, upbeat songs that got people moving.
Ryan's stuff just isn't the same. He writes very lovely, Americana-oriented music, but there's very little exciting about it anymore.
Maybe he should try touring with Bob or Phil, but my guess is that those audiences wouldn't really buy into him that much either.
I would disagree. Its very exciting. Cold Roses is the best rock album I have heard in a long long time. I hope he keeps going in that vein and doesnt change his style too much. It may sound dead-ish but its unique and its sincere and the lyrics blow any phish tune out of the water. Watching that show last night made me think of what it was like when Dylan started playing electric and ditched his folk roots. The Cardinals seem to to be fighting through this transition period where they are being haunted by the ghosts of Ryans past on-stage debaucheries and tirades and the reputation that brings, coupled with the fact that a lot of his old fans are being dragged into listening to a genre that they don't really enjoy that much.
@Anon:
I agree that 60% of Cold Roses was excellent. "Let It Ride" and "If I Am A Stranger" are two of my favorite Ryan tracks, period. I think it would have been a stronger album if he'd pared it down to one disc, though, with only the best 10-12 songs.
Not sure I agree with the Dylan comparison, though. Dylan made a conscious decision to move away from the folk world and into the rock world. At the time that he did that in the 60's, there was really no intersection between the two sounds. The folk people were incredibly close-knit and believed that folk was the only "important" music. They saw rock as beneath them, and felt betrayed when Dylan chose rock over folk.
Ryan, on the other hand, has always changed his sound from album to album. No one can really say that his sound in 2007 is a drastic departure from what he's been doing in the past. Hell, he's been doing the quasi-Dead, 2-set show thing for at least 2 years now. In fact, I thought his 2-set, jammy show that I saw at the Starland Ballroom in New Jersey in June 2005 was excellent, and much, much better than last night's show.
So I don't think it's a matter of fans expecting to see one thing from him but getting another. I just don't think that his music or live show in 2007 is at the same place it has been in years past.
[One caveat -- I haven't seen any other shows on this tour, so I don't know how much his manager's death may have affected yesterday's performance. That said, his show in New York back in June was pretty boring to me as well.]
Is the attraction for you people the fact that Ryan has serious issues with being a public performer or is it the music? I, for one, like the music. Regardless of his behavior, he is an amazing artist. I don't care which way he faces or if he has a hoody on or if he passive aggressively acts out towards the crowd and their incredibly annoying requests. Does the Ryan Adams fan base understand that most bands have something called a setlist? Sometimes they even write it down on paper! The audacity and relentless nerve of these musicians! Playing a show that they want to play it. Do you think old fart housewives flying high on xanex and white zinfandel scream "How can we be lovers if we can't be friends" at a Michael Bolton concert?
my first r.a. show - thought it was quite good actually. enjoy listening to his cd;s - find them/him rather addictive. my opinion is that he is not mainstream/pop and is cranking out music and performing because he's passionate about it, personally. was rather fortunate myself last night - sat second row and ~10-ft from ryan for ~2-hrs. A bit quirky I admit, but while i think he was glad we were there, it didn't completely matter to him - he enjoyed making the music for himself. just my opinion / peace.
I sat front row and enjoyed every minute of it. The band performed flawlessly and Ryans' voice sounded amazing. He has a right to get pissed at the "bryan adams"
remark....'Everybody knows' he hates this and it's just immature to shout it out. Fans should just let the artist decide what they will play, be surprised and enjoy whatever it is. Sure, we all have songs we would have wanted to hear but oh well, that wasn't this show.
Is it immature to shout it out or does he beg for it with a bore fest like Tuesday night? When he mumbled and left the stage, it wasn't even clear that he was coming back. He doesn't give a crap and so why should we? I'm a geezer (45) so I only get to about 10-12 shows a year these days (and almost never in a place like Consitution Hall, which just bites) but I've seen thousands of bands and used to go to about three a week. Long story short, I know crap when I see it and he sucked from "hello". He really should stay in the studio if he does not enjoy touring or has contempt for his audience.
Ryan Adams' manager died that night (apparently of natural causes). I'm not sure at what point in the night Ryan found out, but that could've affected his show.
I was at this show and agree with the sentiments posted here, and I'm seeing similar frustration from fans who saw him on other nights during this tour.
I give him credit for jammin' out and doing his own thing. Still, it was my first time seeing him and I would've loved to have heard New York, New York.
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