Ryan Adams show review

Ryan Adams & The Cardinals At DAR Constitution Hall, 10.30.07.

There were no opening bands on this date, and people were still filing into their seats as Ryan Adams and the Cardinals took the stage. They began without fanfare, and played three or four songs before Adams even addressed the audience. Even then, all he said was a simple, "Hi, we're The Cardinals." The night was divided into two sets, with an intermission-like break halfway through. The majority of the material was from Adams' last two or three albums with The Cardinals, and included:

Mockingbird
Beautiful Sorta
Cold Roses
Off Broadway
Rescue Blues
Why Do They Leave
Everybody Knows
[spacewolf's birthday song]
Please Do Not Let Me Go
The Sun Also Sets
Halloweenhead
Nightbirds
When The Stars Go Blue
-intermission-
Peaceful Valley
Blue Hotel
Goodnight Rose
Bartering Lines
Shakedown On 9th Street
Goodnight, Hollywood Boulevard
encore: Easy Plateau

After about five songs, Adams stopped and announced that it was time for JG's nightly joke ("I went to a hospital cafeteria. They were serving broken leg of lamb.") and that it was also guitarist Spacewolf's birthday. So a punky birthday tune was sung, and then the set was resumed.

There was a lot of fake smoke throughout the show, and there was also a black backdrop with hundreds of pin lights that shone various colors during the night.

There were long breaks between many of the songs when Adams spoke into a mic to his band's earpieces. The audience took these opportunities to shout requests, eventually irritating Adams enough that he went offstage to get a megaphone. He then proceeded to shout at the audience, "No! A little more to the left. Cross your arms like that! Be a different color! Lean the other direction!" Unfortunately, the audience never took the hint. There was even one man who shouted for "Summer Of '69." The rest of the crowd immediately gasped and booed him.

Although Adams was not very interactive, his performance was perfect. Despite downing a number of beers and other beverages, he was on pitch and wonderful to listen to. I would definitely go see him again.