Sunday, April 5, 2009
Pictures Revisited Pt. 2
I had some free time on my hands after "Adventureland" (which kicked so much ass)... so here's a few more. I'm not a photo snob, I don't know what I'm doing for the most part behind a camera or digital photo lab, but I thought I'd share regardless. For what they're worth - enjoy a few more pics from the Spring '09 run.








Cheers, sleep well. Happy Monday.
"A New Look"
Hard to believe that it's been 2 weeks since the epic, historical show at The Fox. Now that we're not glued to the archive site awaiting setlist updates, trading stories and predictions, and coming to grips with the reality of an indefinite hiatus (retirement), it definitely is a shitty pill to swallow; I wish, like I'm sure all of you do too, that the Cardinal train was still speeding like a fireball down the railroad tracks.
So here's a little something to wet your whistles and remind us of all of the awesomeness that occurred not even a month ago. I played with a couple of photos that I liked specifically of Ryan and decided to post 'em on the blog. Keepin' it alive!!! (or at least trying to)
One love.
-Haleness





You dig? Maybe more to come?
So here's a little something to wet your whistles and remind us of all of the awesomeness that occurred not even a month ago. I played with a couple of photos that I liked specifically of Ryan and decided to post 'em on the blog. Keepin' it alive!!! (or at least trying to)
One love.
-Haleness
Sunday, March 22, 2009
The Fabulous Fox Theater - Atlanta, GA (Goodnight...Rose)
My apologies for the delay since that fateful night at the Fox! (technical difficulties and travel time) It's gonna be tough to put this one into words. I've had two nights to sleep on my thoughts and impressions and I'm just blown away... still... to a million blissful pieces. The Fox show was one for the history books, boys and girls.
I am not going to comment as much as I normally would from a review standpoint. I just want to relay to you all that this is how the Cardinals and LIVE MUSIC are meant to be heard. I always thought that I knew what Ryan and The Cards were supposed to sound like on a "good" night until Friday. Every jam, every vocal harmony, every drum beat, every guitar strum, every aspect of sound, light, color - it was a perfect, powerful, musical balance of intensity.
Thank you, Ryan, Brad, Chris, Jon, and Neal for an unprecedented performance. You gave us all a special show. I'm still picking up pieces of my brain from the mind explosion.
*** My apologies for some of the blurriness of the photos (although sometimes it captures the mood and nostalgia of 3/20 well). I was in row R and had to run up to the pit every 20 mins to snap shots, then get yelled at and asked to return to my seat... then run up to the pit... - you get the idea, but there are definitely some gems among the bunch
The Fabulous Fox Theater 03/20/09: SETLIST (via Joel @ www.ryanadamsarchive.com) Thanks!
On: about 8:45pm EST
1. Magick
2. Let it Ride
3. Two
4. Everybody Knows
5. Beautiful Sorta
6. Mockingbird>
7. Dear Chicago>
8. Blue Hotel (Sweet Man)
9. Cold Roses (So On) (Shiiiiiiiiiiit)
10. Natural ghost
11. Easy Plateau (Ryan and Neal solos sick and on spot)>
12. Bartering Lines (Fucking Sick) (dood)
13. Band Intros
14. Fix It
15. Magnolia Mountain (fucking on...That a fn mag mtn. Solos were so tight)
16. Please Do Not Let Me Go
17. Peaceful Valley (Intense)
18. Freeway to the Canyon
Off: 10:12pm EST
On 10:22pm EST
19. When the Stars Go Blue
20. Sink Ships
21. Oh My Sweet Carolina (fucking Beautiful Man)
22. Grand Island (Ryan's Solos are so sick)
23. Evening Joke
24. I See Monsters (Neal's solos were sick and delicate)
25. Come Pick Me Up
26. Rescue Blues
27. Wonderwall
28. Goodnight Rose (Fitting and with a Bang!!)
Off: 11:20pm EST
Highlights:
1.) Peaceful Valley Jam - Neal and Ryan melted my cereberals. #1 Highlight
2.) Goodnight Rose - a magnificent ending to an impeccable set
3.) Solos during: Maggie Mtn, Easy Plateau, Wonderwall, Icy Monsters, Cold Roses, Bartering Lines
4.) Come Pick Me Up & Oh My Sweet Carolina - dazzling, entrancing and sick harmonica work
5.) THE CROWD KICKED ASS !!!!!! (so did the venue!)








... yeah, a lot of Ryan pics tonight (cpmu pic)

Neal, ripping...

Mr. Graboff in a blaze of glory
Best pic all night... gettin this one framed
During the last notes of 'Goodnight Rose'...

Lights up. Wow.
Minds melted.
Outside the Fox
Sweet satisfaction. Not only did the Fox a provide a scorching hot make-up show, it was one of the best concerts I've ever been a part of.
Courtesy of 'BatDance' on youtube via the RAA - I've probably watched this video 10 times since I found it. Maybe if I keep watching, I will understand the blazing genius of this solo...
TRY LINK: "Peaceful Valley Jam"
Thanks everyone for reading so far! I've enjoyed meeting up with so many of you and I hope these last dates were just as satisfying to you all as they were to me. One last post to go and I'm gonna need all of your help on this one, so please stay tuned again!!!!!
"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened..." - Dr. Seuss
I am not going to comment as much as I normally would from a review standpoint. I just want to relay to you all that this is how the Cardinals and LIVE MUSIC are meant to be heard. I always thought that I knew what Ryan and The Cards were supposed to sound like on a "good" night until Friday. Every jam, every vocal harmony, every drum beat, every guitar strum, every aspect of sound, light, color - it was a perfect, powerful, musical balance of intensity.
Thank you, Ryan, Brad, Chris, Jon, and Neal for an unprecedented performance. You gave us all a special show. I'm still picking up pieces of my brain from the mind explosion.
*** My apologies for some of the blurriness of the photos (although sometimes it captures the mood and nostalgia of 3/20 well). I was in row R and had to run up to the pit every 20 mins to snap shots, then get yelled at and asked to return to my seat... then run up to the pit... - you get the idea, but there are definitely some gems among the bunch
The Fabulous Fox Theater 03/20/09: SETLIST (via Joel @ www.ryanadamsarchive.com) Thanks!
On: about 8:45pm EST
1. Magick
2. Let it Ride
3. Two
4. Everybody Knows
5. Beautiful Sorta
6. Mockingbird>
7. Dear Chicago>
8. Blue Hotel (Sweet Man)
9. Cold Roses (So On) (Shiiiiiiiiiiit)
10. Natural ghost
11. Easy Plateau (Ryan and Neal solos sick and on spot)>
12. Bartering Lines (Fucking Sick) (dood)
13. Band Intros
14. Fix It
15. Magnolia Mountain (fucking on...That a fn mag mtn. Solos were so tight)
16. Please Do Not Let Me Go
17. Peaceful Valley (Intense)
18. Freeway to the Canyon
Off: 10:12pm EST
On 10:22pm EST
19. When the Stars Go Blue
20. Sink Ships
21. Oh My Sweet Carolina (fucking Beautiful Man)
22. Grand Island (Ryan's Solos are so sick)
23. Evening Joke
24. I See Monsters (Neal's solos were sick and delicate)
25. Come Pick Me Up
26. Rescue Blues
27. Wonderwall
28. Goodnight Rose (Fitting and with a Bang!!)
Off: 11:20pm EST
Highlights:
1.) Peaceful Valley Jam - Neal and Ryan melted my cereberals. #1 Highlight
2.) Goodnight Rose - a magnificent ending to an impeccable set
3.) Solos during: Maggie Mtn, Easy Plateau, Wonderwall, Icy Monsters, Cold Roses, Bartering Lines
4.) Come Pick Me Up & Oh My Sweet Carolina - dazzling, entrancing and sick harmonica work
5.) THE CROWD KICKED ASS !!!!!! (so did the venue!)
The Fab Fox, prior to showtime
Thug Life
The last rose
And it begins...
TRY LINK: "Peaceful Valley Jam"
Thanks everyone for reading so far! I've enjoyed meeting up with so many of you and I hope these last dates were just as satisfying to you all as they were to me. One last post to go and I'm gonna need all of your help on this one, so please stay tuned again!!!!!
"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened..." - Dr. Seuss
Friday, March 20, 2009
Saenger Theater - Mobile, AL
Sorry to drop the ball on this one - my camera was on a strange setting that I couldn't fix until after the show, so I could only salvage a few pics and I was so exhausted from the 7 hour drive from Memphis to Mobile that I overslept and I need to beat the hour change to Atlanta from here...so...damn.
So very quickly:
The Pros:
1.) The acoustics at the Saenger were disgustingly good, flowed through my loins
2.) The lighting looked amazing against the backdrop curtain
3.) Graboff gave us a steel pedal licking last night
4.) There were no drunk asshole awards handed out
5.) 23 songs were played
The Cons:
1.) Ryan's vocals weren't as strong as what we've seen so far this tour, very subdued
2.) No setlist surprises
3.) There was some obvious tension and back and forth battles for paces of songs to be changed that made for some disappointment
ie. I love "PV" and "Goodnight Rose" because they are the jammiest
cuts of the arsenal right now on tour, but the solos were more bland than
normal and right when you thought that they were escalating to levels of
glory, they kind of dropped back to flacid. It seemed like Brad and Jon
tried to take songs to new heights, but everything kind of fell short...
Not the heroic, redemptive show I was hoping for last night in Mobile, but the venue was solid and at least we got 23 songs to the face. I'm really hoping that Atlanta is a blowout...
Sorry to run, but I gotta roll...
Saenger Theater 03/19/09: SETLIST
On: 9:44pm EST
1. I See Monsters
2. Fix It
3. Everybody Knows
4. Crossed Out Name
5. Come Pick Me Up
6. Cobwebs
7. Two
8. Freeway To The Canyon
9. Beautiful Sorta
10. Let It Ride
11. Natural Ghost
12. Grand Island
13. Born into a Light
14. Stars Go Blue
15. Goodnight Rose
16. Lost Satelight
17. Mockingbird
18. Cold Roses
19. Shakedown on 9th Street
20. A Kiss Before I Go
21. Peaceful Valley
22. Evergreen
23. Magick
Off: 11:16pm EST



Downtown southern ass Mobile, AL

Inside the venue



At a piano bar after the show...
... And if you don't know who Kenny F-ing Powers is, then you're a retard
(My apologies again for the camera malfunction)
So very quickly:
The Pros:
1.) The acoustics at the Saenger were disgustingly good, flowed through my loins
2.) The lighting looked amazing against the backdrop curtain
3.) Graboff gave us a steel pedal licking last night
4.) There were no drunk asshole awards handed out
5.) 23 songs were played
The Cons:
1.) Ryan's vocals weren't as strong as what we've seen so far this tour, very subdued
2.) No setlist surprises
3.) There was some obvious tension and back and forth battles for paces of songs to be changed that made for some disappointment
ie. I love "PV" and "Goodnight Rose" because they are the jammiest
cuts of the arsenal right now on tour, but the solos were more bland than
normal and right when you thought that they were escalating to levels of
glory, they kind of dropped back to flacid. It seemed like Brad and Jon
tried to take songs to new heights, but everything kind of fell short...
Not the heroic, redemptive show I was hoping for last night in Mobile, but the venue was solid and at least we got 23 songs to the face. I'm really hoping that Atlanta is a blowout...
Sorry to run, but I gotta roll...
Saenger Theater 03/19/09: SETLIST
On: 9:44pm EST
1. I See Monsters
2. Fix It
3. Everybody Knows
4. Crossed Out Name
5. Come Pick Me Up
6. Cobwebs
7. Two
8. Freeway To The Canyon
9. Beautiful Sorta
10. Let It Ride
11. Natural Ghost
12. Grand Island
13. Born into a Light
14. Stars Go Blue
15. Goodnight Rose
16. Lost Satelight
17. Mockingbird
18. Cold Roses
19. Shakedown on 9th Street
20. A Kiss Before I Go
21. Peaceful Valley
22. Evergreen
23. Magick
Off: 11:16pm EST
Downtown southern ass Mobile, AL
Inside the venue
(My apologies again for the camera malfunction)
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Minglewood Hall - Memphis, TN
Memphis Meltdown ... kind of. It was like a hearty turkey melt with not enough condiments. Personally, I was in it and fully taking the vibe-age from song 1; I loved the switch up with a Let it Ride opener. The first 6 songs were crusher good, above average, wham-bam cuts. I loved Peaceful Valley yet again - it has become my favorite song of the tour. Which is weird. I still can't even stomach the glory that was the Louisville "PV". It was so sick, I feel sick thinking about the sickness. Tonight's "Peaceful V" got me going too - it needs to stay a constant as we move toward ATL.
However, Evergreen was just ok and from there I felt the awkward electricity. It didn't surge well with the people who cared, that is the ones that weren't talking like they had fog horns attached to their uppers and bottoms. And once the first so called "set" broke, I became more inerested in the people I've met so far than even the music.
Easy Plateau was pretty good as it went on. I guess the towell was just thrown hard on this one. I hate to see a tension like this between so many great musicians, but it needs to get straightened out for the remaining two shows. I talked to people from the friggin' United Kingdom tonight and if anything they deserve a moderate show, so do the ones I met from Fargo or Maine. People are traveling far and wide to celebrate this band. It's a gut wrenching bummer when this shit doesn't pan out.
The thing is, I have the faith that it was just a mixture of the elements and the show tomorrow will trump this one hard. Fingers crossed.
The "Drunk Asshole Award" goes to the entire crowd tonight. I felt like I was at a sorority formal pre-game party (with expensive beers) for the majority of the night.

Minglewood Hall 03/18/09: SETLIST
On Stage: 8:38 pm
1. Let it Ride
2. Two
3. Mockingbird
4. Goodnight Rose
5. Fix It
6. Peaceful Valley
7. Evergreen
8. Grand Island (NC)
9. Beautiful Sorta
10. Blue Hotel
Set Break approx 9:40 pm
On Stage 9:53 pm
11. Everybody Knows
12. Come Pick Me Up
13. Freeway to the Canyon (NC)
14. Natural Ghost
15. Shakedown
16. Easy Plateau
17. Magick
Off Stage 10:26 pm
The only outside pic I could snap
And the good, bad, and the rest of the ugly...


Killer Neal



Pember-blast



Decent band shot


Favorite pic of the night
Some B-Nasty
The last "good one"
Whitney attack!

And then the bar across the street... beer and pool distractions

The bummed, but seemingly happy fans
Dudes
Whatever. Memphis kicked ass and Alabama will be a satisfying cup of redemption. I know it. It better be anyway after a near 7 hour drive.
...on the flipside kiddos.
However, Evergreen was just ok and from there I felt the awkward electricity. It didn't surge well with the people who cared, that is the ones that weren't talking like they had fog horns attached to their uppers and bottoms. And once the first so called "set" broke, I became more inerested in the people I've met so far than even the music.
Easy Plateau was pretty good as it went on. I guess the towell was just thrown hard on this one. I hate to see a tension like this between so many great musicians, but it needs to get straightened out for the remaining two shows. I talked to people from the friggin' United Kingdom tonight and if anything they deserve a moderate show, so do the ones I met from Fargo or Maine. People are traveling far and wide to celebrate this band. It's a gut wrenching bummer when this shit doesn't pan out.
The thing is, I have the faith that it was just a mixture of the elements and the show tomorrow will trump this one hard. Fingers crossed.
The "Drunk Asshole Award" goes to the entire crowd tonight. I felt like I was at a sorority formal pre-game party (with expensive beers) for the majority of the night.
Minglewood Hall 03/18/09: SETLIST
On Stage: 8:38 pm
1. Let it Ride
2. Two
3. Mockingbird
4. Goodnight Rose
5. Fix It
6. Peaceful Valley
7. Evergreen
8. Grand Island (NC)
9. Beautiful Sorta
10. Blue Hotel
Set Break approx 9:40 pm
On Stage 9:53 pm
11. Everybody Knows
12. Come Pick Me Up
13. Freeway to the Canyon (NC)
14. Natural Ghost
15. Shakedown
16. Easy Plateau
17. Magick
Off Stage 10:26 pm
The only outside pic I could snap
Killer Neal
Decent band shot
Favorite pic of the night
And then the bar across the street... beer and pool distractions
The bummed, but seemingly happy fans
...on the flipside kiddos.
Hot Damn, Memphis!
HAPPY (BELATED) St. Patty's Day! ... I'm an embarrassed Irishman to not have added a celebratory holiday post yesterday, but I had no internet access at my hotel in the heart of Memphis (I do for tonight's concert review and pics, so keep an eye).
Yesterday. Was. Epic.
Waking up, red-eyed and thirsty, I spent the day on my own. Wandering. Memphis has surprisingly filled my bones with some fire - there's a thickness of American-a (notably music and civil rights) that I just wasn't expecting. I'm very glad that this town made the Cardinal travel itinerary. I really dig ol' Memphis.
So, with my camera in hand I retraced my "Irish" steps from the night before on Beale Street - a drunken tourist trap littered with everything from Elvis memorabilia, to BB King's BBQ sandwiches, to music pouring out from every bar that overlaps to the point of an extreme-o migraine (when you're not consuming alcohol).
A sea of southern green last night...
This homeless dude is "Cliff". We chatted it up outside the hotel and I ended up buying him some garlic fries to go.
I've always wanted to visit Sun Studios. When in Memphis...
The actual studio. Still pretty much untouched - original flooring, walls, ceiling, some mics and amps... the aroma in the air was like a blues explosion in an old folk's home
Monday, March 16, 2009
Palace Theater - Louisville, KY
So, where to begin on a Monday night like this. Most Mondays I'm anticipating how much Tuesday is going to suck, but today I'm in a neighboring state to Ohio - my ol' stomping ground... without a job... which is weird, but comfortable. Regardless, I battled the time change from Nashville and had a chicken parm sub next to the venue after totally scoring a row 2 pit ticket - Thank You Sarah!
The first hour of the show was a bore to be honest, but the venue itself was beautiful - even though many I talked to disagreed. To reiterate, the first half of the show was completely unenthusiastic and boring. We got the standards for the first hour until Ryan decided to take an executive "set break" in which a return would occur until curfew.
The return was pretty majestic. We had no talking whatsoever, no banter, no nothing, until we got some scorching hot tunes and the mood picked up. The mood changed from boring to melancholy, somber jams (that ruled ruled ruled by the way) with a glorious "Please do not let me go" (wtf) and then a "Blue Hotel" (yup), "Games" and "Why do they Leave". We got the band intros and light banter, but I would consider this gig the "I miss Mandy gig". His disposition was screaming 'I miss my lady'.
Listen - not the best, but not disappointed at all. The fucking chords discovered in "Peaceful Valley" were the best I've heard all tour, but the show itself didn't touch the last 3 dates. I saw Ryan look over at Neal and Chris and give a look like "Holy shit, why does this sound so good?" during the PV jam - I closed my eyes and swallowed the awesome. Anyway, Louisville was a jam, but not the jam we would've expected. Good to hear some oldies dusted off - hopefully more to come. And I feel like they will come rolling out. I really do.
See y'all in Memphis (after a hiatus where I will go to Graceland, Sun Records, and enjoy ST. Patty's!)
And here's the "Drunk Asshole Award" for the Louisville show! When he wasn't fist pumping he was drooling on his chest right behind me. "Ryan!!!" also in a girl's voice that was faked by himself on purpose, "Ryan, I love you!!!". Really man? Wow.

Palace Theater 03/16/09: SETLIST
On Stage: 8:44 pm
1. Beautiful Sorta
2. Fix It
3. Born into a Light
4. Come Pick Me Up
5. Cobwebs
6. Two
7. Freeway to the Canyon (NC)
8. I see Monsters
9. Let it Ride (still no words from the band)
10. Goodnight Rose
Set Break 9:34 pm (then we will play until curfew)
Back 9:50 pm
11. Grand Island (NC)
12. Mockingbird
13. Please do not let me go.
14. A Kiss Before I Go
15. Cold Roses
16. Games
17. Peaceful Valley (Holy guitar solo batman - so groovin!)
18. Evergreen
19. Lost Satellite (NC)
20. BLUE HOTEL!!!!!!!!
band intros (Finally some banter - Louisville pronunciation)
21. Why Do They Leave?
22. Sink Ships
23. Wonderwall
24. Magick
Off Stage 11:06 pm
The Colonel made a cameo on the walk to the Palace Theater...
The Palace in the daytime
The Palace: A View from the Inside... including sideburn guy
A lot of Ryan pics tonight for a change...
And the "Wolf"
And finally some Brad!


And Neal...

And my only halfway decent Graboff






See all your fine asses in Memphis...plus a 1 day hiatus!
The first hour of the show was a bore to be honest, but the venue itself was beautiful - even though many I talked to disagreed. To reiterate, the first half of the show was completely unenthusiastic and boring. We got the standards for the first hour until Ryan decided to take an executive "set break" in which a return would occur until curfew.
The return was pretty majestic. We had no talking whatsoever, no banter, no nothing, until we got some scorching hot tunes and the mood picked up. The mood changed from boring to melancholy, somber jams (that ruled ruled ruled by the way) with a glorious "Please do not let me go" (wtf) and then a "Blue Hotel" (yup), "Games" and "Why do they Leave". We got the band intros and light banter, but I would consider this gig the "I miss Mandy gig". His disposition was screaming 'I miss my lady'.
Listen - not the best, but not disappointed at all. The fucking chords discovered in "Peaceful Valley" were the best I've heard all tour, but the show itself didn't touch the last 3 dates. I saw Ryan look over at Neal and Chris and give a look like "Holy shit, why does this sound so good?" during the PV jam - I closed my eyes and swallowed the awesome. Anyway, Louisville was a jam, but not the jam we would've expected. Good to hear some oldies dusted off - hopefully more to come. And I feel like they will come rolling out. I really do.
See y'all in Memphis (after a hiatus where I will go to Graceland, Sun Records, and enjoy ST. Patty's!)
And here's the "Drunk Asshole Award" for the Louisville show! When he wasn't fist pumping he was drooling on his chest right behind me. "Ryan!!!" also in a girl's voice that was faked by himself on purpose, "Ryan, I love you!!!". Really man? Wow.
Palace Theater 03/16/09: SETLIST
On Stage: 8:44 pm
1. Beautiful Sorta
2. Fix It
3. Born into a Light
4. Come Pick Me Up
5. Cobwebs
6. Two
7. Freeway to the Canyon (NC)
8. I see Monsters
9. Let it Ride (still no words from the band)
10. Goodnight Rose
Set Break 9:34 pm (then we will play until curfew)
Back 9:50 pm
11. Grand Island (NC)
12. Mockingbird
13. Please do not let me go.
14. A Kiss Before I Go
15. Cold Roses
16. Games
17. Peaceful Valley (Holy guitar solo batman - so groovin!)
18. Evergreen
19. Lost Satellite (NC)
20. BLUE HOTEL!!!!!!!!
band intros (Finally some banter - Louisville pronunciation)
21. Why Do They Leave?
22. Sink Ships
23. Wonderwall
24. Magick
Off Stage 11:06 pm
The Colonel made a cameo on the walk to the Palace Theater...
And Neal...
And my only halfway decent Graboff
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