More about: Ryan Adams

Ryan Adams played the first headline show of his current UK tour with a sprawling gig at London's Shepherds Bush Empire, and was joined on stage by friend and actor Johnny Depp last night (Thursday 18 September, 2014). See footage and photos below. 

- Read our interview with Ryan Adams talking about the music he's working on with Depp here

We were there. It was brilliant. After the critical acclaim of his latest self-titled record and appearing at the Invictus Games and on Later...With Jools Holland this week, anticipation was high for Adams' return to headlining gigs in the UK. After building the tension with a seemingly never-ending dialogue track from 1950s pulp movies, he burst onto stage with a firey performance of latest single 'Gimme Something Good'.

Flowing into Cardinals' classic 'Fix It' from Cardinology before a heart-wrenching rendition of 'Dirty Rain' from Ashes & Fire, Adams and band remained in high spirits throughout - feeding off the devotion of his howling, hardcore fans. 

"I love you," one fan screamed. "I love you too," he replied, "it's an unconditional love, it comes with some fucked up songs."

It was a set that leant heavily on new material and Cardinals tracks - not to mention punky numbers from this year's 1984. As a result, the evening largely headed into freeform jams and open-road classic rock - with never a dull a moment.

Highlights came in the form of 'Easy Plateau', 'Trouble' and 'I Just Might', and the moment when Adams introduced his band to the audience - with them saving a particular soft-spot for bassist Charlie Stavish, hollering "we love you Charlie" throughout the evening, much to Adams' delight.

"That's the first time that's ever happened," said Adams, smiling back at Charlie, "put this date in your iCalendar."

So animated were the crowd, that at one point R'Adams joked "Sometimes when I'm here, I feel like you guys are the show, and I'm the audience."

'My Sweet Carolina' and 'Come Pick Me Up' were predictably soul-shifting moments, but the most unexpected talking point was yet to come. There was great confusion when a new character arrived on stage in a large hat for the encore, strutting about for a blistering final outing of songs that included the album highlight 'Kim' and cover of Danzig's 'Mother'. We'd soon realise this was Johnny Depp, but the audience only had one thing on their minds: "CHARLIE, CHARLIE, CHARLIE!"

Watch Ryan Adams and Johnny Depp cover 'Mother' below

Ryan Adams played
Gimme Something Good
Fix It
Dirty Rain
Stay With Me
Easy Plateau
Am I Safe
Let It Ride
Trouble
Shadows
The Door (from "Black Hole")
Oh My Sweet Carolina
Peaceful Valley
A Kiss Before I Go
My Wrecking Ball
When The Summer Ends
Come Pick Me Up
Encore:
Mother (Danzig cover) (with Johnny Depp)
Kim (with Johnny Depp)

Ryan Adams remaining UK tour dates are below. For tickets and more information, visit here. 

Sept. 19, 2014: London, UK — O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire
Sept. 24, 2014: Manchester, UK — Albert Hall
Sept. 25, 2014: Glasgow, UK — Royal Concert Hall

Below: 5 photos of Ryan Adams live at Shepherds Bush Empire

More about: Ryan Adams