Gig review: Ryan Adams and The Cardinals

ROCK ON: Ryan Adams and his band The Cardinals performed a dream set at The Powerstation.

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Aucklanders were in the presence of greatness as American singer-songwriter Ryan Adams and his band The Cardinals took to the stage. Reviewer Tracey Bond was there.

Ryan Adams and The Cardinals
Where: Powerstation, Auckland
When: Wednesday, February 4

From the opening track, I See Monsters, it was clear that Ryan Adams and his band The Cardinals planned to deliver 110 percent, throwing themselves into the last night of their New Zealand tour with great gusto.

The stage at the Powerstation doesn't lend itself to complex sets and most bands who play at the venue go for the pared-down approach.

But not these guys. They played in front of two massive neon blue roses flanking the logo off the cover of their latest album Cardinology.

With 10 studio albums to choose from, all the crowd favourites were there, and the sound was some of the best I'd heard at the venue.

During Beautiful Sorta the crowd got its swing on and then an expectant hush fell over the dancefloor as the first few notes of Stars Go Blue were played.

Not only does Ryan Adams have a voice with the range and power to melt a glacier, he's also something of a comedian.

Several times he started to strum familiar chords, only to say to the audience as they started to cheer: "Nah, it's not that one!."

When a song request was made, Adams interpreted it as Travelodge, prompting the band to launch into an on-the-spot ode to the hotel chain.

But it's not just about Adams. The Cardinals were just as impressive and during Rescue Blues Adams was more than happy to sit at the back of the stage and soak up their performance.

Guitarist Neal Casal got a rapturous response as he took centre stage to sing Grand Island and Freeway to the Canyon.

There was comfortable banter between everybody on stage. After Freeway, Adams launched into a tale about how he's been at the dentist in 'Chillington' - the band's name for Wellington - with the drill going, when Casal's song popped into his head.

"That's great, man. You're in pain and you think of my song," responded Casal.

"No man, it brought me tranquility," corrected Adams.

After a chilled out rendition of Wonderwall, Adams introduced his favourite part of the evening: The Evening Joke with pianist Jon Graboff.

By this stage the band could do no wrong, and after a good-natured giggle, it was back to business with a rousing version of Born into a Light.

The guys showed just how good they were as they seamlessly blended Mockingbird, Evergreen and Goodnight Rose to massive applause.

There was no need for an encore as the band carried on jamming, finishing the evening off with a stellar version of Easy Plateau before transitioning into Bartering Lines.

* Were you at the gig? Post your comments below.

- © Fairfax NZ News