Tonight, Ryan Adams will make his way to the Wang Theatre in Boston for a nearly sold out show. I've seen Ryan many times over the last dozen years or so, each proving to be a unique experience.
If you see him live, it's not uncommon for Ryan to bust out a random improv song about literally anything, as many of the stops on his current tour have seen. Will Ryan grace us with an improv song in Boston tonight? We'll just have to wait and see.
I'm going to take a trip down memory lane and share my favorite Ryan Adams improv song from a show I attended at the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom in New Hampshire back in 2005.
I got there early in the day and walked around because I'm a big fan of the beach during the off season (the show was in April). Ryan apparently got there early too, as I crossed paths with him a few times when I saw him at the shooting gallery, and then again in an airbrushed T-shirt shop where I assume he bought an airbrushed shirt of Tigger (Winnie the Pooh) that said “I Wish I Was Dead”, as he wore one for the show later that night. I actually stopped and said hello, and I told him I was looking forward to the concert.
At the very end of the show that night, Ryan treated us to an improv song about Hampton Beach. It included many of the things he did and saw that day, and even a few random funny thoughts. Over the course of the day, Ryan found the beachfront town of Hampton beautiful, and it reminded him of back home. Luckily, someone recorded the show, and you can listen to the song above. Below are some candid pictures of Ryan at Hampton Beach that were on the band’s website at one point.
I always think of his "Beachfront Town" song and that night every time I go to Hampton Beach.