Ryan Adams & the Shining live at the Cork Opera House 03/03/2015 Review

 

This was to be my fifth time witnessing Mr. Ryan live and was delighted to be finally seeing him playing in Cork. The other three occasions he played the city always didn't work out for me so it was great to just head down the road for an hour and a half and get to such a great gig. We arrived into the opera house just as the support act Natalie Prass was in full flow , It took me a few minutes to realise that in the corner was Ryan on electric guitar and also fellow band member Daniel Clarke on keys. She played a really nice set and will be sure to check out her brand new album just out in January.

After a short wait and a shuffle to pretty much standing in the front row on came Ryan and the Shining to blast out the tour front runner 'Gimme Something Good' . I must admit at this point my dislike of the shining and its purely on the basis of being absolutely spoilt from the Cardinals. I guess that nothing will ever match 2008's gig in the Ambassador in Dublin when the Cardinals were in full flight. The harmonies and that tight knit feeling will never be replaced . I also keep hearing the new live stuff yearning for Jon Graboff's steel guitar parts. That said listening to the live performances of late the band are certainly growing in sound and I was looking forward to hearing a band sound from Ryan after the last two gigs I witnessed have been solo outings (Olympia, Dublin 2012 & Glasgow in 2011) .

Throughout the first two tracks Ryan was indicating to the sound board of issues and after a few songs stopped up and tried to sort it out. He let us know that their were issues with his monitor and jokingly described it like coming to work to find your desk glued to the ceiling. He also said he wrecked his voice during Dirty Rain and there was definitely a croaky element to the vocals throughout. I hope he wasn't walking around Cork that day in the denim jacket and t-shirt but most likely he was considering we don't see much else from his wardrobe :)

After seven songs with the band he decided it best to just play solo to save his voice , We were treated to fourteen intimate acoustic tracks with super crowd interactions and a very laid back vibe as he flicked through his song book picking random gems from his catalogue . Hilariously choosing to cover Bryan Adams' Run to You , the now classic improvised Mr.Cat and covering Patrick Swayze's She's like the Wind. He then dragged the band back on stage to close the night with the crowd favourite Come Pick Me Up . All in all a great night , looking forward to Ryan coming back to Ireland again soon hopefully.

For previous reviews & a History of Ryan's Irish Tour Dates click here

Set List:
Gimme Something Good (w/Band)
Let it Ride (w/Band)
Stay with Me (w/Band)
Dirty rain (w/Band)
Dear Chicago (w/Band)
House not for Sale (w/Band)
Everybody knows (w/Band)

Winding Wheel
Why do they Leave
New York, New York
Two
Trouble
La Cienega Just Smiled
Kim
Let go
If I am a Stranger
Run to You (Bryan Adams )
Mr. Cat Improv
Carolina (w/Natalie Prass)
Friends She's like the Wind (Patrick Swayze) (w/Natalie Prass)

Come Pick Me Up (w/Band)