I seem to be sucker for country artists called Ryan but like his namesake Adams this one is the real deal. The quality of the song writing shines through as always and on this tour he’s joined by a shit hot guitarist, old time fiddle player, solid bassist and Arsenal scarf wearing drummer.
It’s straight into ‘Dollar a Day’ and that dustbowl gravel voice kicks right in. It’s a whistle stop tour de force from across his albums and these guys rock like the proverbial ba$tard. There’s room for a short acoustic interlude with the always moving ‘Weary Kind’ and then it’s back on the gas for a rousing finale with the excellent Southside of Heaven and the slide guitar on ‘Sunshine’. Too many highlights for me all through the night and the perfect tonic in a difficult week.
A minor gripe in that I would like to have heard ‘Guess who’s Knocking’ as it’s a great foot stomping rocker with a full band but tonight is certainly a contender for gig of the year and you will not hear a better country rocker on the planet at the moment. Setlist in hand, more than adequately refreshed I go home very happy and my son is home from hospital so the perfect way to end the week.