Rant and Roll

Ryan Adams at the HOB was a whole different Ryan. The bar setting seemed to inspire the rock side of Ryan and we were treated to several songs we hadn't heard in Raleigh ("Love Is Hell," "New York, New York," "I See Monsters"). "Monsters" was especially powerful, with Ryan's band stripped down to the boy wonder on guitar, his bass player, and the drummer. The song ended with him walking up onto the top of the upright piano and wailing away on the guitar. Very impressive indeed.
We thought one of his new songs was called "Jacksonville," but it's actually titled "The End" (according to fan sites). It has country influences, and as my loyal music geek companion stated, "I don't think they'll be using this as the town anthem anytime soon." With lyrics like "Jacksonville, how you murdered my soul, how you hold my dreams captive," don't you agree? Our plan is to make a slide show of J'ville to accompany that song, complete with lots of pictures of the strip clubs, pawn shops, and used car lots that litter the town.
The crowd noise was what you'd expect in a bar, and that's not a good thing. Ryan played several songs solo on the piano, and the quiet moments were tainted by the excess conversation. This was in stark contrast with Meymandi Hall, where we could have heard a pin drop at times (and we did hear a few bottles). Eventually, it got to our Rock Star, and in the middle of his piano version of "Brown Sugar," he went off for several minutes on the crowd noise and ball game conversations. This led into a impromptu song about crowd issues that was pointed and right on target. Although the majority of the floor crowd was supporting his rant, RA got fed up, left the stage at the end of the song, and didn't return.
We think he'd have played longer if the conditions had been more conducive, as there were songs we were expecting to hear that weren't played. Nonetheless, it was a great show and yet again, David Ryan Adams rocked my sandals off.
I admit it, I am a fan now.
Thank you, my phone whore friend, for introducing me to Ryan. I was a late bloomer, but I'm a believer now.
Thank you, my loyal music geek companion, for educating me about Ryan and Whiskeytown. Thank you for indulging my last minute whim to see Ryan a third time in four days. Thank you for driving us home after I enjoyed seeing Whiskeytown a little too much and took their name a bit too literally.
Thank you Ryan, for coming back home and sharing your talent with us.