As you take your seat in York’s Grand Opera House it’s difficult not to become engulfed by the venue’s charm, and thankfully tonight on stage Ryan Adams shares the venue’s charisma and is in perhaps the finest mood I have ever seen him in the eight years I have been regularly attending his shows.
With what seems to be a current staple opener of his solo shows, he delicately picks the opening laments of ‘Oh My Sweet Carolina’ to rousing delight. Ryan Adams’ new found aura of contentedness seems to be translating through to his setlists; an artist who would often play sets of largely new or unreleased songs seems to be playing more now to the crowd’s needs and, although there is still a heavy focus on new material from Ashes & Fire, he covers his back catalogue varyingly, often dipping into more popular territory he previously swore off.
His voice, in a venue such as this, simply soars through the building. He ranges from the soft, falsetto-like delicacies of ‘Evergreen’ to the more rambunctious and angsty rousings of ‘Crossed Out Name’. As a performer, Adams truly has a majestic control over his voice and its range, and the varying states it can now reach is at times breathtaking. The sheer extent of Adams’ catalogue becomes apparent when after playing a twenty-four-song set you are still left with the proverbial nagging of "I wish he’d played…" However, for someone who has kept up with Adams over the years, there would have been plenty on offer, a rare and gorgeous outing of the self-released 7” ‘Now That You’re Gone’, proving a real delight. For the more casual follower, ‘New York, New York’ and ‘Firecracker’ reared their heads from Gold and there were several Heartbreaker songs, including the closing ‘Come Pick Me Up’. Adams also played three Whiskeytwon songs in his encore.
He was gracious and humble throughout, not to mention often hilarious, making the performance utterly beguiling. As he received his standing ovation he stood on the stage, not so much to bask in the crowd’s praise, but to turn and thank each section of the audience. For an artist that some had foolishly written off some time ago, Ryan Adams proved tonight that he has years ahead of him as an artist and may still even be capable of creating something to eclipse the dizzying heights of his previous releases.