Holly and I went to see Ryan Adams and the Cardinals last night at the State Theatre. Both of us were quite excited. It was Holly’s first time seeing Mr. Adams and it was my first time seeing Holly see him. I saw Adams a few years ago in Columbia, MO. That show was his first show back post-breaking his wrist after falling off stage some months before. It was a pretty rockin’ show, but there were the moments of RA earning his rep as a bit of a brat. Songs would start and stop and start again due to his frustrations, but it was a rollicking show and I had a pretty good time.
Last night … …well, I had a good time for the 65 minutes Adams decided he was going to play for. Evidently, it was the first night for a new monitor tech. From the first song of the opening set (which RA sat in on), he made clear his unhappiness with the sound. And it, evidently, only got worse during the main set. Adams would storm off stage or yell off mic about the situation. Then, he’d take a minute or two between songs to converse with the band in a huddle or run off stage some more. Finally ending the set with no encore.
Now, I’m all for letting a person have a bad day on the job. And not every performance by and artist will find them at their best. However, Adams has made this a pattern of behavior. You don’t solve your problems by taking it out on your audience. This is the second time he’s had a fit in this town alone. Next time he may have a hard time separating people from their money for the possibility of a great show.
Holly had a good time. Her thoughts were that Adams cut the show short because she was sick and he knew she needed to get home and get some sleep! She’s kind that way. Me, I’m thinking I may just skip next time he comes to town. Maybe I’ll just grab the albums (and bootlegs) and be happy when they’re as brilliant as his newest. I guess that’s the way I’d like to believe he is.