Concert review: Ryan Adams redeems himself in Atlanta

by Michael Gerber-

Ryan Adams at the Tabernacle, March 8

Unlike Ryan Adams two previous Atlanta concerts, there were no boos last Sunday night. Although there were times when a repeat of his October walk-off seemed inevitable. Again, Adams complained that he wasn't feeling well and was having trouble with his voice. There also seemed to be problems with the microphone.-

To the listener, the struggle put an extra layer of sorrow to painful lines like, "Oh, Jacksonville! How you burn in my soul! How you hold all my dreams captive!" He could barely get the words out, and the exclamation points weren't screamed, but could be felt by the missing notes and unheard lyrics. There was a sense of desperateness that enhanced the first few songs. Last October, after a handful of songs in a similar vein, he made an affectless apology and called it a night. Four and a half months later, it felt like it was happening again.