Thirteen years.
That’s how long it took. October 2002 to April 28, 2015. From stopping a show and handing a drunk man $40 to standing alone on the same stage with an acoustic guitar and a lyric sheet, playing the song he’d been asked to play all along.
Ryan Adams was finishing the second night of a two-night stand at the Ryman. Without saying a word, he started playing “Summer of ‘69.” Not a parody. Not a bit. Bryan Adams’ 1985 hit, played straight — a heartfelt solo acoustic version without a hint of derision.
He had the lyrics in front of him. He’d emailed Bryan Adams the day before to let him know he was going to do it.
The crowd understood immediately what was happening. This wasn’t a cover. It was a closing of something that had been open for thirteen years. Consequence of Sound called it “frankly gorgeous.” Rolling Stone called it “redemptive.”
In the intervening years, the two Adamses had actually become friends. They share a birthday — November 5th. Ryan had covered Bryan’s “Run to You” at a show in 2014 and the world didn’t end. But “Summer of ‘69” was the one. That was the debt.
Bryan Adams told SFGate afterward: “I think it was some sort of cathartic release for him to return to that venue and play that song, as you probably know the story there. He has been haunted by the song somewhat, which is a shame because it’s a really great song. Anyway, I’m happy he did it. He’s a great artist.”
Then, with the generosity of a man who’d had a stranger’s burden named after his song for over a decade, Bryan added: “And sure I’d sing one of his songs, I’m not sure which one though.”
Only Nashville does this. Only a room built as a tabernacle holds a grudge and a redemption with the same set of wooden pews. The Ryman remembered what happened in 2002. It was waiting for this.
Two thousand people in a former church, singing a song about being young. The sound bouncing off the curved ceiling and coming back doubled. Thirteen years collapsing into a single chord.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons