CONCERT REVIEW - The CardinalsMarch 16, 2009 * Louisville Palace Theatre* Louisville, KY
MP3: The Cardinals - Fix It (Live 10.04.08)
MP3: The Cardinals - Fix It (Live 10.04.08)
There is no disputing that Ryan Adams is a talented man. Often overshadowed by his bizarre behavior in the past, Mr. Adams has recently become sober and taken to stages across the country showing off – with the help of his band The Cardinals - what a good singer and songwriter he truly is. Bootlegs (allowed and encouraged by Adams as of recent) have been floating around the internet for months showcasing Adams and company playing with vigor and energy and sampling Ryan’s entire catalogue.
Monday night at the Louisville Palace, though, The Cardinals seemed a little less vibrant. Sure, there was fun being had by the band – and the amazing talent of all players on stage was undeniable. But that pizzazz that has been characterizing the leaked tapes was seen only in small bursts. When the band played their now famous amped-up version of the somber Adams classic “Come Pick Me Up,” the room became electric in sing-along energy and passion. Adams wailed on the harmonica and belted out each profane line of the song with absolute conviction. The same dedication was glimpsed later with the full-band re-working of another sad and slow Adams deep cut, “I See Monsters.”
But the rest of the night dragged. The band loped through most of their latest release Cardinology and hit many of the particularly slower and more mellow moments from their last few releases. The band never built momentum, playing their entire set without any real transitions, but also without much on-stage banter. A song would end, the stage would go dark, tuning would be heard for 15 to 30 seconds and then another selection would slowly start-up.
Another distraction came from the incredibly low amount of light used on stage. The band played in front of two giant neon-blue lights shaped to resemble the album art from their Cold Roses project. The blue glow from these objects was the main source of light throughout the entire evening. There was subtle stage lighting at different moments, but nothing that caused much illumination.
Combine slow songs, low-light and little talking and all you get is a very sleepy experience.
Monday night at the Louisville Palace, though, The Cardinals seemed a little less vibrant. Sure, there was fun being had by the band – and the amazing talent of all players on stage was undeniable. But that pizzazz that has been characterizing the leaked tapes was seen only in small bursts. When the band played their now famous amped-up version of the somber Adams classic “Come Pick Me Up,” the room became electric in sing-along energy and passion. Adams wailed on the harmonica and belted out each profane line of the song with absolute conviction. The same dedication was glimpsed later with the full-band re-working of another sad and slow Adams deep cut, “I See Monsters.”
But the rest of the night dragged. The band loped through most of their latest release Cardinology and hit many of the particularly slower and more mellow moments from their last few releases. The band never built momentum, playing their entire set without any real transitions, but also without much on-stage banter. A song would end, the stage would go dark, tuning would be heard for 15 to 30 seconds and then another selection would slowly start-up.
Another distraction came from the incredibly low amount of light used on stage. The band played in front of two giant neon-blue lights shaped to resemble the album art from their Cold Roses project. The blue glow from these objects was the main source of light throughout the entire evening. There was subtle stage lighting at different moments, but nothing that caused much illumination.
Combine slow songs, low-light and little talking and all you get is a very sleepy experience.
1 comment:
Shwew!!! If you would have said it was incredible, I would have cried. I'll keep the memory of seeing him COOK! in Boston ... Thanks for the roundup!
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