Since 2003 Ryan Adams has had the worst luck finishing tours. First he fell off a stage in Liverpool severely breaking his wrist and putting him out of action for months. Just last year Adams had to cancel a slew of dates because of infected cysts next to his ear canal that caused balance, hearing and throat problems. When he returned earlier this year sans backing band the Cardinals he delivered sloppy disconjointed shows where he had imaginary conversations with a picture of Jerry Garcia (Grateful Dead) sitting on a stool beside him. Surprisingly through it all fans have stuck with the troubled troubadour. That would leave many bewildered if Adams did not have a knack for writing some of the finest songs in modern recording.
When Adams announced a summer tour, fans were excited that perhaps this time he would actually make it to their town, that is if he did not suddenly become impregnated with an alien baby or catch the bird flu from the Cardinals.
To fully insure that I would experience “maximum Cardinalicity” I decided to attend four Ryan Adams concerts in three different cities in just one week.
Day 1: Bijou Theatre Knoxville, Tenn. July 25, 2006
The latest addition to the Cardinals fold, Neal Casal opened the show to a loud intoxicated crowd that later stifled their chatter for a moment when DJ Reggie, Adams alter-ego, picked up the sticks and laid down the back beat. Then Adams’ ADD kicked in and he hopped on the piano and began plinking along until he finally found the right key only to lose it again. After this went on for the song’s entirety Casal and Adams spouted something inaudible to one another, Adams sitting on the piano bench with his arms and legs crossed like an Indian making a pouting face. That chatter would be the last thing Knoxville would hear from Adams until just before his last song.
After a great seven song streak from last years Jacksonville City Nights Adams lost the crowd when Casal sang lead vocals on two songs and when Adams performed two Grateful Dead covers and a Gram Parsons cover. While Casal’s vocal performance was stellar and the Dead and Parsons covers were a great tribute to their creators it left the crowd more than miffed at Adams for cluttering his set with covers when his back catalogue consists of over 400 songs.
Before Adams ironically closed with “He’s Gone” he took about five minutes to tune his guitar. In between strums he began muttering about how the airconditioning had done a number on the guitars.
At this time a rowdy drunken and/or high fan started yelling at Adams that his pedals were talking to him. “You know whatever bag of weed you bought I’m really proud of you,” Adams said. “I’m really proud of you and I’m glad that you’re that high that you think my pedals are speaking to me, but it doesn’t affect what I’m doing.”
Then abruptly Adams put down his guitar and began to leave the stage but not before giving some insight as to why he was in a crappy mood. “I’d also like to include that we would have played a lot more new songs tonight if the ones that we’ve been working on in the studio for the last six months in light of the fact that the publicist from Lost Highway saying that I haven’t been recording,” Adams said. “I have been for six months, and they’re f—ing liars. The guys name is Jim Floumille and he works for Lost Highway. And we’ve finished three records since then and they’ve been turned down.”
Day 2: Tabernacle Atlanta, Ga. July 29, 2006
After Knoxville, where I finally got to witness first hand why many members of the press call Adams a “bratty, belligerent, chemically imbalanced little cretin,” I began to wonder if I really wanted to experience “maximum Cardinalicity.”
As in Knoxville Casal and DJ Reggie opened but Adams kept his ADD in check and stuck to the skins. The crowd also seemed more receptive to Casal than the night before, then again the bars are a lot harder to get to at a general admission show like the Tabernacle than at a theatre where the booze flows freely.
After a short break Adams and his Cardinals took the stage and immediately won the crowd over with fan and stoner favorite “To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High)” followed by 22 more jams.
Unlike Knoxville, Adams decided to perform his own material as well as songs from his Americana brethren The Byrds and the Greatful Dead.
Surprisingly Adams even pulled out the poor unfortunate song made famous by Tim McGraw “When the Stars Go Blue.” “I was really surprised that he pulled that out tonight,” Cardinals steel player John Graboff said after the concert. “We will be in practice and we will start playing it and he will just stop and say he can’t do it after what happened with McGraw’s cover.”
Who is this guy who freaks out one night and then days later puts on a staggering performance? Does he have multiple personality disorder or is he just a hipster trying to add a little humanity to an otherwise stale, sterile, overly processed medium?
All these questions and more will be answered in part 2 of Who Is Ryan Adams?

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