Chimpomatic

Ryan Adams

Koko

I had some expectations regarding this concert; first of all Adams has won me over with his records and did deliver a great performance at Royal Festival Hall a few years back. Also the venue, being so bijou and intimate, was promising even more of a connection with events on stage. With no support act the audience was really hungry for some action, and the band did not disappoint, arriving all sharply suited and sitting in one line, facing the crowd, as if to say that all the members are equally as important, no lead singer at the front. Adams, sporting classic Wayfarer sunglasses, looked like a schoolboy member of the Rat Pack, sitting on a high chair with no guitar in sight as if leading a big band playing a stripped down club set. Whether the absence of his guitar still owed to a ligament torn a month ago or an artistic choice remains a mystery. Anyway, Neal Casal was doing a great job covering for Adams.

We were first treated to songs from his latest album, 'Easy Tiger', which is out on 25/06/07, so the songs were new to most of the audience. Adams' voice was even bigger and more resonant than usual, again confirming the impression of a big band number, although on some of the songs instrumental arrangements would seem more appropriate if performed sitting on haystacks. It seemed that Adams was not in the mood for performing for the audience, with his glasses ever-present on the moodily lit stage and not acknowledging the applause until the latter part of the concert. By the time he spoke at the encore, it was drowned by the chatter of semi-captivated audience. Encore was very short and did not treat us to many of the greatest songs apart from 'Goodnight Hollywood Blvd' and 'My Winding Wheel'. All in all the band were on stage little over an hour and 10 minutes, which simply left one disappointed and seemed like a missed opportunity.