The breeze was howling through the foothills of the Front Range last night, swooping down from the Rockies and twisting through the Red Rocks Amphitheatre as if to make everyone aware this was a very special night indeed. Somewhere off the mountain came the gusts of the Grateful Dead, the Allman Brothers, and Neil Young & Crazy Horse... their voices inspiring this BRILLIANT show by Ryan Adams & The Cardinals.
You might think of the album Heartbreaker when you hear the name Ryan Adams, or an entitled singer-songwriter, or a complete asshole who throws people out of shows (I attended the infamous show at the Ryman). Let me tell you, go see the Cardinals and all your conceptions of him being purely a singer-songwriter will go out the window.
As I mentioned earlier, channeling the jam inspired rock & roll of the past but paving an absolutely original spot of their own, the Cardinals ripped through an hour and forty-five minutes of pure jamming bliss. It's not often you find an artist who some say is the best songwriter of our generation, but also an artist and band who can turn songs into journeys and extend them into different beings with a band that is musical genius.
The first set was full of ridiculous mind-blowing musicianship, every song segued and ascended and descended, electric guitars dueling, complex counter melodies woven in the fabric of the songs, improv exploration, and the lushness of the pedal steel holding the songs together - rising and falling like the wind. The set started out with Magnolia Mountain and instantly everyone knew this was not a singer-songwriter set, this was Ryan Adams and THE CARDINALS. After that, Peaceful Valley, Easy Plateau, Goodnight Rose, and Mockingbirdsing were all fierce and exploratory. Now I've seen other bands play Red Rocks, and this was one of the best shows I've ever seen. As far as other jam bands, I attended the Widespread Panic show last August and The Cards put these guys to shame. They could play circles around a band like Panic. The Cards are one of the tightest bands I've ever seen, and the jams were impeccable and at times reminded me of some of the instrumentals in the Grateful Dead's Blues for Allah album.
The highlight seemed to be the unstoppable Cold Roses > What Sin > Cold Roses. I like What Sin on the record, but not as much as the other stuff. However this live version with Cold Roses MELTED MY FACE OFF. They were soaring, they were intricately playing the hell out of the melodies, dueling with guitars in octaves and fifths and sevenths, jamming the shit out of this stuff! What Sin went into a completely blissful meltdown and Cold Roses emerged from it in one of these mind-blowing HOW DID THEY DO THAT moments. Absolutely Incredible, this was the moment of the night.
I could go on and on about this show, but let me just tell you that there was a magical wind blowing at Red Rocks last night. I would tell you that you must go see this band now, but with Ryan Adams you never know if you'll get a show like this one, or something totally different. So what I will say is that this moment will never happen again as it did last night. The Cards were mind-blowing and the magic descended on Colorado. Hopefully that magic will blow through again, and judging from the grateful demeanor of The Cards, it just might happen.
Set List:
Magnolia Mountain
Peaceful Valley
Easy Plateau
Goodnight Rose
Mockingbirdsong
Let it Ride
Cold Roses>
What Sin>
Cold Roses
Beautiful Sorta
When The Stars Go Blue
I Taught Myself How To Grow Old
A Kiss Before I Go
Encore
Dear John
Two
Please Do Not Let Me Go
Dear Chicago
Wildflowers
ICY Monsters
The Fox Theatre Show:
The night before Red Rocks, Ryan & The Cards played a set that was the polar opposite of the show at the Rocks. Instead of the wailing electrics, it was filled with subtle nuanced music with a stripped down band and Ryan perched on a stool, only half the songs played with an acoustic guitar. The rest of the Cardinals were acoustic, with the exception of the pedal steel. It was kind of like the acoustic side of CSN&Y's 4 Way Street... something like that. Amazing harmonies and tasteful solos.
You can listen to the Fox Theatre set here:
http://www.archive.org/details/radams2007-08-02.dpa4027.flac16
The above and below photos are from the Fox show... you can find more here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/sittinghereinlimbo.blog/RyanAdamsFoxTheatre8207
