All sorts of clichés have been bandied about regarding Ryan Adams, often referring to his prolific nature coupled with his past excesses, but largely overlooked is the fact that he is indisputably one of our generation's finest songwriters. Off the back of his highest-ever charting album and with a new band in tow, it's clear from the outset tonight that there's a sense of rejuvenated energy about the man.
Opening with recent single 'Gimme Something Good', there's a real fire and intensity about his presence, which permeates the evening's set, taking in a wide cross section of his varied back catalogue.
Much of the credit for tonight's incredible performance must be credited to the new band Adams has put together, being billed as The Shining. Turning 'Dirty Rain' from 2011's largely acoustic album into an intense, flowing jam early on showcases what a great force they have the potential to be, certainly more than a match for The Cardinals, who were the backdrop for much of Adams' career over the past 10 years.
The affection for Adams is more than apparent throughout the evening, with breaks in between songs being filled with declarations of love are yelled out by men and women alike, all of which are reciprocated, with Adams joking: "it's unconditional love, which comes up with fucked up songs."
Although the largest cheers of the evening are unsurprisingly reserved for classics 'Oh My Sweet Carolina' and 'Come Pick Me Up', arguably the finest moment of the evening comes in the form of a fleshed-out 'Peaceful Valley', which The Shining turn into a spiralling free form jam, with Adams leading his band into new found, psychedelic realms, bringing to mind the more extravagant, heavy moments from the likes of George Clinton and Neil Young.
Whilst such an approach can be often seen as over indulgent, there's absolutely no ego involved on stage, with every second, every solo and every extended jam feeling absolutely vital. Also worthy of note is how Adams refuses to takes centre stage at any point in the evening, focusing the attention on his band, mostly bass player Charlie Stavish, leading the crowd into chants of "CHARLIE! CHARLIE!" which carry on throughout the rest of the evening.
And so to the encore. Sure there are chants for Ryan's return, but it's hilariously Charlie that most of the crowd are cheering for. Yes, that's Johnny Depp taking centre stage. Yes, they're jamming out to 'Mother' by Danzig. It's all very surreal and truly one of those special "I was there" moments to brag about. However, whilst Depp's cameo will inevitably be the talking point in days to come, it should in no way detract from the fact Adams is in the form of his life and his future has never looked brighter.
FUTURE GIGS
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