The last time Ryan Adams was in Australia was for the 2005 Splendour in the Grass festival – of course, he bypassed Brisbane as many festival artists do. So it’s rather exciting that Adams’s first Australian show on this tour is to be played at the Tivoli.
The first (and only) support for the evening is Krista Polvere – something that must be a pretty daunting task to undertake. The crowd seem appreciative of the former Adelaidian singer-songwriter (who is now based in New York). Playing an acoustic set, she is accompanied by a male acoustic guitar player, and thoroughly entertains those who are really only waiting for one man in particular. Polvere’s debut album will apparently feature some collaboration with Adams, so there’s no doubt that she will be winning herself some new fans with this tour.
Once Polvere finishes her set, the stage is adorned with an assortment of Chinese lanterns that will provide the backdrop for Ryan Adams’s debut Brisbane performance. The crowd streams in from the foyer, everyone eager to gain a good vantage point. After a not-too-long wait, Ryan Adams and the Cardinals walk onto the stage and begin playing What Sin Replaces Love. The beautiful sounds fill every last corner inside the Tivoli, and the crowd are noticeably blissful for the opportunity of basking in the atmosphere created by this talented musician. He then plays Cold Roses, and then quickly exits the stage. The band return after around 20 minutes – the reason given for Adams’s sudden departure is a technical difficulty, as well as the fact that the bright lights distract the artist, resulting in him forgetting his songs).
Despite this early hiccup (which didn’t really seem to bother the crowd, most of whom are probably up to speed with Adams’s reported strange antics), the rest of the show goes without a hitch. Highlights of the set included a lovely rendition of Mockingbird, as well as Wild Flowers, A Kiss Before I Go, and Shakedown on 9th Street. Fans wanting to hear some older tunes were not disappointed, with only a handful coming from the latest album Easy Tiger.
The lengthy encore (or second set) consisted of five songs, including Magnolia Mountain and Beautiful Sorta, and the evening was capped off with Easy Plateau. Ryan Adams and the Cardinals managed to impress pretty much everyone in the room that night – from the die-hard fans who had secured their places in the front row early in the evening, to those just keen to hear some good ol’ alternative country. When watching a band who appear and sound so in synch with each other, they could hardly disappoint.
