Ryan Adams has written an op-ed for the New York Times recounting the “heckler” incident which happened back in 2002 at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium when he was in the middle of performing Bartering Lines with Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings. “Sometime between the fifth and sixth songs, a warbly, cruel male voice yelled out a song request. The voice became louder and more frequent, even in the middle of a song during a hushed moment. It was impossible to ignore, being only one person up there onstage, two old-fashioned microphones turned up loud so I could play as quietly as I did. The voice got so loud that it was making its way into the mikes and shooting back to the audience. This dream show was turning into a fight to survive my own nerves.”
The piece goes on to describe the incident in entertaining detail before lavishing praise on Bryan Adams who he shares a birthday with (and let’s face it, he’s a top bloke) and ending on a high note. You can read the whole article here.
