In the history of live post-war musical performance this could be a first: a stool has just become the recipient of a standing ovation.
Is this a late entry for the Turner Prize? Or maybe some weird variant on the flashmob craze? dotmusic looks around to investigate. There's no sign of Perry Farrell. No, it's definitely a Ryan Adams gig.
Adams has just finished playing his 'Rock N Roll/Love Is Hell' set. We've been at the bar five minutes when a roadie appears with an acoustic guitar and the aforementioned seat. The Forum's audience, previously lukewarm, goes ballistic. Grown men weep tears of joy. A metaphorical stream of ticker tape rains down. The applause then fades to a hushed and expectant silence.
It would be safe to say that Ryan Adams' audience prefer it when he doing his, quote, "sad guy thing."
For the previous hour or so they have indulged his slightly noisier alter ego. Strolling on stage and swigging from the obligatory bottle of wine, a skinny-tied Adams leads his band into 'Shadowlands', a beautiful piano-led ballad from 'Love Is Hell.' It sounds fantastic, as does the next number, 'This House Is Not For Sale', another cut from the more downbeat of his two new albums.
He then straps on his guitar, affects a rather ridiculous pigeon-toed stance, and proceeds to get loose. The transformation into 80s rock mode is unconvincing to say the least.
Presumably Adams is attempting to liberate himself from the alt-country ghetto and test the more conservative elements of his fanbase. These are laudable enough aims but, in practice, akin to watching a teenager pose infront of the bedroom mirror with his tennis racquet. Adams has the textbook moves and slurred between-song monologues worked out to a tee. If somebody shouted "Judas" he'd be high in hog heaven.
Ultimately, the tracks on 'Rock N Roll' are second-rate, especially compared to the more thoughtful 'Love Is Hell', which is a vastly superior collection. Adams might aim for the spirit of The Replacements but the results are closer to the sterility of Paul Westerberg's first solo album.
When he sits down to play his acoustic encore - including a cover of The Strokes 'Last Nite' among a selection from 'Heartbreaker' - the contrast is amazing. Such is the audience's passion for these songs that some poor woman starts a fight by rustling a crisp bag during 'Oh My Sweet Carolina'.
Adams revels in the reverence of it all but the outlook for his rock project looks bleak if he wants to keep his fans happy. No matter where he runs he'll be doing the sad guy thing until the day he dies.
