When we took the train to Copenhagen on Thursday afternoon, my expectations were high. We were to see the artist who, as a 14 year old said:"I started writing short stories when I was really into Edgar Allan Poe. Then later, when I was a teenager, I got really hard into cult fiction: Hubert Selby, Jr., Henry Miller, Jack Kerouac." (via)He has inspired the likes of Elton John, who credits Heartbreaker as an influence to his Songs from the West Coast album, not to mention the many who have covered his songs (including Bono).
We were excited as we ate Thai food in Fredricksberg, picked up some salty licorice, and joined a long queue that took us into the Falconer Hall.
And we weren't disappointed.
From the moment Adams and his Cardinals entered the stage we were delighted with the skills of not only a great songwriter, but a band of skilled musicians. They are a band who, for me, redeem a genre (country), which is oft filled with hype, commercialism and a sickly glitz.
We marveled as Adams, who reported that he was going deaf, delivered some of his greatest songs (highlights included Nightbirds, When the Stars Go Blue, Goodnight Rose...the list goes on.) with everything he had.
Yes, I would have liked to have seen him in a smaller venue, but this was still one of the best gigs I have watched.