Bringing the Drama

Ryan Adams road trip, day 3

as previously mentioned, my car was being fixed at the honda dealership and it was unknown whether or not i would make the trifecta of the trip, the RA show in Dallas. i was able to spend the day doing hw and ate at the Sweet Tomatoes nearby Andy’s house. i ended up going back to the house after lunch and taking a nap. i hadn’t slept too much the past two nights, so it was nice to relax. Andy called me about 4 pm, knowing my plight, and gave me encouragement that i could still make it to Dallas. I formed a plan to get a ticket, then went and picked up my car. not only did they fix my car for under $1000, they washed it too! i left the dealership at 5 pm and decided i would try to make it to Dallas. i knew i would kick myself if i didn’t go and RA played The Sun Also Sets (my favorite off of Easy Tiger), or even Sylvia Plath. i had to go, the trilogy would have to have an ending, it was on.

while on the road i called David and formed a plan for him to order a ticket for me so he could pick it up at will call since the people at SMU told me that will call would close at 8:15, way before i’d be arriving. i didn’t care if i couldn’t get there until 9, i was going to make it in time for at least an hour and a half show, and the first few songs would probably not be the ones i was looking for anyway. i finally got through Houston traffic and was loose on I-45 to try to fulfill my quest.

i was texting David and Chris who were at the concert for tips on parking. i got to SMU just before 9 and found some parking by some tennis courts. i found my way to the auditorium and texted David to let him know i was walking up. he met me at the door, and went back to his seat on the floor while i took my seat in the balcony. i arrived just in time for Rescue Blues, so i only missed five songs, all but one i had heard the previous two nights. everything was so smooth. the band was on again, and the crowd last night was a lot better. one of the best parts was some girl yelling “take your pants off” which prompted another couple of people yelling the same, then finally a guy yelling “TAKE your pants….OFFFF!” i’m not sure the band knew what to do with that. Ryan was joking with the crowd all night long, and didn’t freak out when people yelled song requests. people who did were promptly shushed, so the crowd was on top of things.

the 2nd set and encore were amazing. i’m not sure i can express how good they were. first off, Ryan came out for the 2nd set in a sleeveless chain mail shirt, knee high boots with buckles all the way down the side, a dog collar, and big leather wrist bands….total metal. when he went to the mic without a guitar, i thought “well, it’ll probably be Goodnight Hollywood Blvd” but no it was THE SUN ALSO SETS! YES! and in the metal outfit! he had one foot on a monitor and belted out “there it is….” it was so great. they in fact, did do Goodnight Hollywood Blvd right after. Ryan went and changed clothes after GHB since he said the outfit was uncomfortable..for obvious reasons i would think. after going through stellar versions of When the Stars Go Blue and Why Do They Leave? came the highlight. He started strumming what i thought sounded like the very opening chords of Wonderwall, but he had kind of done the same thing the other night in Mobile, and then stopped. i thought it was probably too good to be true since they hadn’t played it in over a year. however, Dallas had been a good crowd, and we got one of the most unbelievable versions of Wonderwall i think they could have played. it really wasn’t one of my favorite songs listening to the cd, but the version last night was so outstanding, i listened to it at least 6 times on my way home today. i had been waiting for a moment where i was simply stunned like i was last year in ATL when he played Sylvia Plath. Wonderwall was that moment. after a great version of Let It Ride, the guitar tech brought out the acoustic, i thought that was a good thing, then when he handed Ryan the harmonica i thought we were in for another moment. i nervously waited for RA to get the harmonica straightened out since the mount was all screwed up. i was hoping nobody would yell out the song i thought was going to be played. finally, he got it straight, and we got Come Pick Me Up. come on now. after a standing ovation, they went into Oh My Sweet Carolina, another moment. another standing ovation, and they said their goodbyes. it could not have ended better. people were walking out of the show in shock, including me. just amazing last hour and a half.

the show completely was worth the driving i did to get to dallas. i’m so happy i went and didn’t bail. i thought maybe something special would happen, and it did. i posted pictures from last night and Houston on my flickr for your viewing pleasure.

my thanks go out to my friends Andy and David for their helping me out and providing me lodging, Charles at the honda place for getting my car fixed, and my car for getting me everywhere safely. going to the three shows was a great experience and i’m extremely glad i did it. i can’t wait to go on another trip to see multiple shows. it was unforgettable and every one of the 1266 miles was worth it.