Adams, Williams demonstrate worth in Gold
By SEAN T. McLAUGHLIN
Scene Music Critic
Ryan Adams and Lucinda Williams record under the same label, Lost Highway Records, and are widely considered two of the best songwriters in contemporary American music. Luckily, both decided to end their respective tours together at the Riviera Theater in Chicago on Dec. 8, 2001.
Adams opened the show, sporting dark sunglasses and a militant all-black outfit that resembled Johnny Cash- meets-Public Enemy extra circa "Apocolyse 91: The Enemy Strikes Back." Having Darth Vader's theme song from "Star Wars" blare over the P.A. as the band strolled onstage was also a nice touch.
Wasting little time, Adams roared into a sped-up version of "New York, New York." Aside from "When the Stars Go Blue" and "Touch Feel and Lose," Adams eschewed most of his slower, acoustic-oriented material and decided to rock out.
Other than Heartbreaker's "To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High)," Adams concentrated on the faster tracks off his latest release, Gold.
Songs like "Firecracker," "Nobody Girl," "Rescue Blues," and "Tina Toledo Street Walkin' Blues" far outmatched their studio versions in terms of power, speed and intensity.
The standout moment involved Adams copping Mick Jagger poses and allowing his roadie to play guitar during the Rolling Stones classic "Brown Sugar." The consummate showman, Adams' hour-long set left the near-capacity crowd begging for more.
Williams closed the show, and her subtle delivery hinted throughout that Adams probably should have played second.
Nonetheless, the woman that Time Magazine recently crowned as "America's Best Songwriter" did not disappoint.
Sticking to the Grammy Award-winning Car Wheels On A Gravel Road, and her latest release, Essence, Williams displayed a grace and touch that a Shelby Lynne or Sheryl Crow could only dream for.
Rolling through tight versions of "Metal Firecracker," "Right in Time," "2 Cool 2 To Be 4-gotten," "Car Wheels On A Gravel Road" and "Joy," Williams simply did what she does best; she played great songs.
The slower, more introspective tracks off Essence also came across well. "Blue" and "Get Right With God" proved to be real highlights. As the night drew to a close, Williams capped the show with the Essence's best track, "Lonely Girls."
Although she faded into the dark confessing that, "sparkly rhinestones, sparkly rhinestones, sparkly rhinestones . . . shine on lonely girls," Williams need not worry.
Both she and Ryan Adams confirmed that they're worth far more than their weight in gold.
All Scene Stories for Tuesday, January 22, 2002
