Well, Ryan Adams must be in a good place, because he actually covered “Summer of ‘69,” a song by Bryan Adams, the Canadian superstar with whom Ryan famously does not like being confused. I thought this day would never come.
Ryan’s history with the song is somewhat of a legend. He played “Summer of ‘69” Tuesday at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, meaning things have come full circle from the time 13 years ago when he dramatically ejected a fan for requesting the tune during a show at that very same theater. As Billboard said at the time:
At a Ryan Adams concert at the Ryman Auditorium on Tuesday, someone in the audience yelled out a request for “Summer of ‘69,” a Bryan Adams hit. Ryan Adams, former leader of the band Whiskeytown, reacted with a stream of expletives and ordered the house lights turned on, The Tennessean newspaper reported. The alternative country musician found the fan who made the joke request, paid him $30 cash as a refund for the show, ordered him to leave, and said he wouldn’t play another note until that happened.
But that was 2002 Ryan Adams, the one who was doing speedballs (a cocktail of heroin and cocaine) every day. Whereas this is 2015 Ryan Adams, one who has been sober for years, and in spite of a recent split from wife Mandy Moore seems to be doing pretty well. He put out an excellent self-titled album last fall, just dropped the 42-song Live At Carnegie Hall, and just this week squeaked out three brand-new and beautiful songs. From the outside looking in, things seem to be going okay for the guy. Good for him, and good for us. [Vulture]