Lord, take me home to the peaceful valley.

Clint and his wife Liz drove up from Birmingham last night, and we all went to dinner with Cason and his girlfriend (yes ladies, the Handsome Hobbit is taken). Clint has grown a new beard, which doesn't look respectable at all, making it all the more awesome.

We walked from the restaurant to the Ryman Auditorium (former home of the Grand Ole Opry blah blah blah), to see Ryan Adams & The Cardinals. I had an extra ticket (which my wife had to give up to fly instead to Estes Park, Colorado, where she is giving seminars about MySpace, judging semifinals, and taking in beautiful scenery) that someone else was going to use but bailed at the last minute. As we approached the entrance, Cason saw a friend of his and screamed "WILLIAM!" You see, Cason and William have been on the road playing with Matthew Perryman Jones for the past couple of weeks, and they had already had a conversation about the Ryan Adams concert, and how William needed a ticket.

So we entered the hallowed hall, and as Cason got his own tickets from will call, a grateful William turned to me and explained that his name was actually Matt. You see, Cason has the unique ability to tour with someone for days on end, in close, cramped conditions, and still consistently get his name wrong.

The concessions booth had no line (everyone was in the beer line instead), so I briefly considered getting popcorn and a drink. I actually ordered the combo, but when the popcorn was plopped down in front of me, it was in a box shaped liked the Ryman building. I yelped "I take it back! I take it back!" and ran away, terrified.

The concert was good, but the setlist could have been better, and the drunk audience was annoying. The band opened with"Peaceful Valley," which was probably my personal highlight of the night. Most of the songs from Cold Roses and Jacksonville City Nights were excellent. Overall, too many covers, jams and tepid new songs for my taste. Ryan Adams is truly one of the great artists of our time, so I guess I shouldn't complain when I've been able to see him two years in a row. If you've never heard his music, I would recommend Love Is Hell or Cold Roses to begin.

Ooh, my camera's not so good.