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‘Easy Tiger’: Ryan Adams on Fresca

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Also by Katelyn Price:

Director discusses respect (September 19, 2007)
Overture makes classics accessible (August 31, 2007)
Sights, sounds of summer (August 6, 2007)

by Katelyn Price

Monday, October 1, 2007

Playing to a sold-out crowd Friday night at the Barrymore Theatre, rocker Ryan Adams and his band, the Cardinals, brought a little bit of North Carolina to their enthusiastic Madison fan sector. The notoriously temperamental musician, known for his sometimes drunken onstage antics, was on his best behavior, joking with the audience and quenching his thirst with nothing but a can of Fresca.

Reportedly sober for the past year, Adams is on tour for his new album, Easy Tiger, arguably his most cohesive and polished work to date. Whether or not because of his recent sobriety, he executes each track with a stunning clarity that he also manages to bring to his live performance.

Adams and his band (guitarist and singer Neal Casal, bassist Chris Feinstein, drummer Brad Pemberton and Jon Graboff on pedal steel guitar) played some of the highlights from Easy Tiger, including "Goodnight Rose," "Everybody Knows" and "Two," as well as older favorites such as "Rescue Blues" and "When the Stars Go Blue." During their rendition of the lilting ballad "Peaceful Valley" from their album Jacksonville City Nights, Adams and band members gave a spot-on a capella performance of the refrain, and then continued on to pound out more ear-pleasing harmonies in "Cold Roses."

In the hands of a lesser artist, Ryan Adams' songwriting style could easily be termed "desperate whining," however, he manages to mold often melodramatic lyrics into achingly sweet ballads with his soaring, quaking vocals and bold guitar riffs. His charged performance Friday left little to be desired. The relaxed ease with which Adams and his band played together was confidence inspiring, especially considering the highly improvisational nature of his music.

The visual aspect of the band's performance was by no means to be ignored. They shared the stage with a variety of props, including a backdrop of blinking Christmas lights, a jack-o-lantern, a dangerously large disco ball and a life-size cardboard cut-out of Big Bird. Dramatic low-key lighting often had the musicians in darkness with only their shadows visible against a back screen. For his reluctant encore solo (having reappeared only after almost five minutes of pleading applause), Adams, accompanying himself on piano, sang "Sylvia Plath." The roaring rock-and-roll atmosphere of just a few moments before shrunk to that of an intimate cabaret as the crowd fell completely silent — some taking the moment a bit too far by holding up cigarette lighters — leaving nothing but the sound of Adams' wistful crooning.

If anything were lacking in Adams' performance, it would be a genuine connection with his audience, and perhaps a sense of his desire to be there. Oftentimes, it seemed as though he was playing to himself, rather than to his listeners. The exchange of energy between a performer and audience that makes many concerts so memorable was absent at times, and the delay with which he acknowledged his fans' request for an encore was somewhat alienating. But given how misery and general moodiness seem to fuel the irresistible way he makes music, devoted listeners will take whatever they can get.

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Anonymous (October 1, 2007 @ 8:41am):

Can't wait to see him in Nashville on Oct 23.

Anonymous (October 1, 2007 @ 10:02am):

"Oftentimes, it seemed as though he was playing to himself, rather than to his listeners"

You hit the nail on the head with that observation. I actually liked his 2001 drunken show better.

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