Ryan Adams – State Theatre, Minneapolis, MN 13/12/11

Despite a vast arsenal of celebrated songs stretching over more than a decade, Ryan Adams has consistently pissed people off with often insufferable behaviour and notoriously spotty live shows. But newly sober, refocused and energized, he’s ditched his trusty Cardinals and irascible demeanour for the current acoustic solo tour which triumphantly draws to a close tonight at the Minneapolis State Theatre. It’s a sell out show and through a captivating 150 minute set, the prodigal son of modern Americana rolls through a set of gorgeously intimate songs punctuated by seasoned, comical interaction with his adoring fans.

With his personal demons sufficiently dealt with, it appears Adams also seeks to bring some order to his performances too. Alcohol isn’t on sale at the venue and concert-goers are told in no uncertain terms that phones and cameras should be put away lest “one of the ushers will destroy you in a sacrificial ritual,” (as a pre-show announcement warns).

Additionally, fans are only allowed to take to their seats between songs – like having to wait until a bat is finished to take your place at a baseball game. This causes some indignant grousing amongst the crowd but the announcement goes on to encourage us to “be in the moment together.” That’s exactly the desired effect the restrictions have, compelling us to focus solely on the beauty of the music being created. It’s both liberating and refreshing.

These constraints are especially appropriate and fitting for the majestic State Theatre. Four years ago, at Adams last headlining performance in Minneapolis, he infamously stormed off after an abbreviated, drama-filled performance which found a lot of the disruptive crowd getting up and down for drinks throughout the show. Fans are made to forget all about that night with this engaging, enthralling performance; hell, I forgive him immediately after opener ‘Oh My Sweet Carolina’ – one of my all-time favourites. And from there onwards I just swoon along with everyone else in the mostly stone-silent theatre, as Adams sings his tender heart out.

The generous 24-song set is naturally heavy on the new Ashes & Fire material, with the title track and ‘Dirty Rain’ blending seamlessly along with a sublime version of ‘Winding Wheel’ and a stunning piano rendition of ‘My Blue Manhattan,’ which finds Adams joking before the mellow, mournful number “Now I’m going to pick things up a bit.” He’s in great spirits throughout, joking about fond memories of taking mushrooms at a local video-game arcade, and how sad he is to see it closed, despite suspecting that the cheese on the nachos there is still having lingering ill effects on him many years later.

He also shares how it takes two full AC/DC records to get from his California home to the beach, but once he arrives he wonders what the hell he’s even doing there, “I’m the only one at the beach wearing a long-sleeve Emperor t-shirt, standing out awkwardly.”

The only negative to the evening is two troublesome acoustic guitars, which refuse to stay in tune because “they don’t like the cold.” And while in the past this might cause the show to quickly unravel with a trademark Adams-fit, he handles the frustration humorously, adding “Thurston Moore must have borrowed my guitars.” And while we don’t get a promised version of “Teenage Riot” – he claims no one should play that on an acoustic guitar – we do get a bunch of other gems from Adams’ illustrious past, including two glorious Whiskeytown numbers that thrill longtime fans: ‘Houses On The Hill’ (played for a Twitter request) and ’16 Days.’ The stripped back arrangement removes the boozy self-confidence of his brash younger days but both songs remain strong, easily standing out as obvious highlight.

Each time Adams takes to his trusty piano is magical moment, as the lovelorn tragedy of ‘Sylvia Plath’ and the slowed down elegance of ‘New York, New York’ transfix the crowd, with a delicate plunking of the keys only adding hints of melody while a rich vocal propels the songs heavenward. ‘Let It Ride’ and ‘Dear Chicago’ pick things up a bit and both sounded amazing. Alone on-stage, the show is run on Adams’ own terms as he bounces nervously from a seated position one minute to standing the next, taking cups of tea and a lyric notebook with him each time.

After the sublime three-song run that ends the show (‘Please Do Not Let Me Go,’ ’16 Days,’ and ‘Come Pick Me Up’), the crowd delivers a standing ovation and Adams return to the stage, joking “You guys are still here? I just came back out to grab my guitar.” A cover of Ratt’s ‘Round And Round’ commences the encore and might read as a bit of a farce but is rendered as an impassioned (albeit tongue-in-cheek) tribute delivered faithfully by a man who truly loves the song. And that sentiment only continues with a cover of Bob Mould’s ‘Black Sheets Of Rain,’. “This is a song by a dude from here,”, Adams says by way of an introduction – and the song earns him yet another ovation. He’s in a much better place these days – and with shows like this, so are his fans.

Setlist