WaterCoolerGossip

The crowd was out early at the Bowery Ballroom on Friday night for the Ryan Adams and The Cardinals show, which was billed as Cold Roses, Inc. The line was already wrapped around the block when the doors opened at half past midnight. And another line was forming downstairs in the bar at the second set of doors to get into the ballroom. Too bad everybody in line could not fit in the bar because it was pouring outside. But our collective wetness seemed appropriate since Ryan has never been much for sunny days.

Now flash forward to about 2 o'clock when Ryan and the band finally took the stage, and the energy in the room surged. Ryan looked like he had just rolled out of bed with a chic mess of hair. The band played a good sampling from their back catalog but oddly avoided songs from Gold, which was his biggest seller. This was fine by me. Bassist Catherine Popper got all fired up about an unknowing fan who would not let her cut the line at the door to get into the show. This rant segued perfectly into the rowdy "Shakedown on 9th Street," where Ryan sings in the chorus "I was just gonna hit 'em but I'm gonna kill 'em now." I also loved "To Be Young" because Ryan really wraps a thick southern accent around those lyrics. During the encore, the crowd was in silent awe for "Call Me on Your Way Back Home." Seriously, it is hard to beat Ryan solo with his guitar and harp. But the showstopper was "Come Pick Me Up" with the entire crowd singing along. Not bad show, even with the rain and the wait, if you were willing to stay up all night.





More pics after the jump.

Set list:
Love Is Hell / This Is It / Please Do Not Let Me Go / Cherry Lane / Note To Self: Don't Die / Peaceful Valley / Wish You Were Here / Magnolia Mountain / Easy Plateau / Hard Way To Fall / Let It Ride / To Be Young / Dear Chicago / Cold Roses / Shakedown On 9th Street / Beautiful Sorta // Call Me On Your Way Back Home / Come Pick Me Up / Mockingbird