Best Gig Ever?

Best Gig Ever? August 1, 2007

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In November 2002, Ryan Adams played two nights in the Olympia theatre in Dublin. Download night one here and night two here.

I was at the second night, and it now stands as the greatest gig I’ve ever been at. Ryan himself appeared on stage with a half-empty bottle of red wine, staring blearily around, as the crowd grewquiet. He stumbled over to a piano, sat down, and started to play. When he opened his mouth, the entire audience went deathly silent. It’s impossible to describe those first few seconds. Even now, almost 5 years later, the entire concert is etched in my memory. But those first few seconds….

He played Sweet L’il Gal, a song from 2001′s Gold. On CD, a nice song. But on November 28th 2002, a crowd of a couple of hundred people had the closest thing to a group epiphany I’ve seen. And for over two hours, through two encores, and eventually the venue security forced to turn on the lights and escort Ryan off the stage to make him stop singing, the crowd was taken from piano to guitar, and back again; some sparce backing vocals; several humorous (and rambling) anecdotes; and the most perfect representation of an artists work I’ve ever had the privelege to witness.

Listen to Sweetest Decline, his cover of Beth Ortons song, and one of my favourites, from the the first night….

“So, anyway, there I was, just sitting on your porch, drinking in your sweetest decline, your sweetest decline….
What’s the use in regrets? They’re just thing we haven’t done yet….What are regrets? They’re just lessons we haven’t learned yet….”

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Ryan Adams – Sweetest Decline