Ryan Adams: Orpheum Theatre (Boston, MA) - 12.8.2011 - Review
I’ll start by saying that this was not my first Ryan Adams show, as I’ve seen him many times over the years. Back in the day, if you went to a Ryan Adams show, it was very hit or miss. The show could be great, or it could be an uncomfortable dud. The outcome typically depended on Ryan’s mood, the sound, the audience member’s behavior, and what substances Ryan would consume.
After seeing many sub-par shows and being disappointed, I decided to give him one last shot at the Somerville Theatre in June of 2007. I’m glad I did, as this was probably the best show he has ever played in the Boston area. The sound was amazing, and his guitar playing was flawless. He was sober. The Cardinals did a perfect job backing him up. You can listen to it here.
The last time I saw Ryan was with his band the Cardinals back in February ‘09 at the same venue (Orpheum Theatre). Great show. Before that, I saw him at the Bank of America Pavilion (Sept. ‘08), and that was a solid show as well. So it looked like the the bad shows were behind us.
Fast forward to last Thursday night. First, the Orpheum Theatre is an awful venue. Easily, the worst seated venue in Boston. The Orpheum seemed to make a change in their alcohol policy for this show, not allowing people to bring drinks to their seats (likely requested by Ryan). This was a bad idea. It forced everyone drinking (possible 25% of the venue) into the stairwells and lobby, which were overflowing with people. You couldn’t move. I tried to go to the bathroom during the opening act, and it took forever to work my way through the crowd of people. Most everyone had drinks in their hand or were waiting to buy beers.
Ryan eventually took to the stage, and plenty of people were still in the lobby drinking their $12 beers. The Orpheum has no doors and no curtains to block the sound from the lobby The entrances to the orchestra resemble a sports venue, having small corridors that open up to the main part of the venue. Ryan opened with “My Sweet Carolina”. The sound was very low, and the sound of people talking in the lobby was beyond distracting. Add the people coming to their seats while Ryan is playing, and we’re off to a less than stellar start. The talking then continued for a few more songs.
The stage setup consisted of three stations - left (piano), right (standing) and center (chair). He was having trouble hearing from his monitors, and even made a few trips off stage to discuss his frustrations. There was also feedback during a few songs from the low bass notes of the acoustic. Ryan did end up playing “My Sweet Carolina” again later for the people who couldn’t hear it the first time, or had to deal with people taking to their seats during the song. A very nice gesture.
Security came up to everyone who pulled out cameras and cell phones (even to check messages) during the show at the request of Ryan. I am fine with this, as phones and cameras are distracting, but it just added to the already uncomfortable vibe.
The songs on piano sounded good. I liked the slower version of “New York, New York”. I wasn’t a huge fan of “Sylvia Plath”. He played “Blue Thunder” (Galaxie 500 cover) on piano, as a tribute to great Boston bands.
He then went to the standing microphone on the right (where he remained for the rest of the show) and played “Chains of Love”. The sound was so much better than the center setup. I especially enjoyed “Two” and “Crossed Out Name”. The whole time he was having sound issues, I couldn’t help but wonder why he didn’t just abandon the center setup and move ten feet to his left and use the standing mic. He wouldn’t be able to sit down, but it would fix the sound issue.
He played four songs for the encore. I really liked his cover of Ratt’s “Round and Round” and the Whiskeytown song “Houses On The Hill”.
I was pretty disappointed by the crowd, but not surprised. People were yelling out songs they wanted to hear, annoying an already frustrated Ryan even more. One woman yelled out to Ryan if the crowd could sing along to his songs. Ryan paused, and them then several members of the audience belted out a loud “No”. One guy even yelled out to Ryan, “Play a Mandy Moore song”. At that point Ryan said to the crowd, “Hey, it’s your show.”
Ryan’s voice sounded better than ever. He tried to make it a professional show, but unfortunate things happened that were beyond his control. I will say this, if you are going to take measures to make the show more professional (restricting cameras, phones and beer), you should play a professional venue. The Wang Theatre and the Opera House are just two options that might have made this a better show.
The show had it’s highs and lows, and was not the best or the worst Ryan Adams show. This one was just middle of the road for me.
Setlist courtesy of ryanadamsarchive.com
Oh My Sweet Carolina
Ashes & Fire
If I Am a Stranger
Dirty Rain
My Winding Wheel
Oh My Sweet Carolina (again)
Sylvia Plath
Invisible Riverside
Everybody Knows
Firecracker
Let it Ride
Dear Chicago
Blue Thunder (Galaxie 500 cover)
Chains of Love
Please Do Not Let Me Go
Lucky Now
Two
Crossed-Out Name
New York, New York
Avenues
Come Pick Me Up
Encore:
Round & Round (RATT cover)
Houses on the Hill
When Will You Come Back Home
16 Days
