I saw Ryan Adams and the Cardinals play at the HOB Chicago this Thursday. I had seen Ryan play in the past, and his performances were either phenomenal or left people scratching their heads wondering what the hell his problem was. Well, this show was 2 1/2 hours of non-stop (and I literally mean NON -STOP – they did not take a single break once they started playing) ass-kicking, mind-blowing, otherworldly rock and roll.
Setlist:
1. Magnolia Mountain
2. A Kiss Before I Go
3. Please Do Not Let Me Go
4. Tears of Gold
5. Peaceful Valley
6. Easy Plateau
7. New York, New York
8. Let It Ride
9. Bartering Lines
10. To Be Young
11. Cold Roses
12. Shakedown on 9th St >
13. Carribean Queen >
14. I See Monsters
15. You Don't See Me Crying (Neal Casal)
16. Dear John
17. Harder No That It's Over
18. The End
19. Two Hearts
20. Trouble On Wheels
21. September
22. Blue Hotel
23. Freeway To The Canyon (Neal Casal)
24. Arkham Asylum
25. Beautiful Sorta
26. Mockingbird Song
27. Typecast
28. What Sin Replaces Love
Ryan said almost nothing during the show. The band took the stage without a word and just ripped into the songs. There were a few exchanges between the band members themselves, but no interaction with the audience at all. It was like they were putting this show out there, and you were invited to watch, grab the energy and make with it what you will.
This would be the first time I've seen Ryan looking completely happy on stage. Even when something would mess up, he just let it go and went on with his mission. The show ended with a freakish death metal riff that seemed to last forever with all the band members shredding on their instruments while Ryan repeatedly screamed into his microphone. It sounded to me like he was yelling "rockstar" but someone else said he was yelling "what sin". The lights were swirling around and flashing and I'm certain that if I had been on drugs I may have gotten another level out of that whole moment. But I wasn't. So, after about the tenth time he yelled it, I internally hoped they would overload the circuits and the entire place would lose power. I think my ears are still ringing just a little.
My lessons are as such: When you go to a Ryan Adams concert, expect nothing more than a glimpse into the complex universe that he seems to have created around himself. Bring ear plugs if you treasure your auditory organs. Prepare to walk out feeling like someone has hit you with a car so hard that it knocks you out of your shoes. Yeah. It's that good.
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