Ryan Adams rejects setlist

US rocker Ryan Adams refuses to be confined to a setlist, even though the "confusion" of playing from the heart often leads to onstage disputes.

The singer/songwriter admits he still suffers from stage fright, but refuses to calm his nerves by structuring his performances in advance.

He says: "Yeah, I'm trying to work on it. It's hard. It's a blessing and it's a curse. What I do isn't a performance. I'm terrified to play for people, I really am.

"A half-hour before I go onstage things get a little shaky, hands start shaking and I start pacing.

“I don't know if I'm the kind of person who could belong to a tour where there is a setlist every night and the lights would go down at a certain point to end the tune.

"I know that's how larger acts do it, but I love the free association of where my heart is at right in the moment.

"That can create confusion and strange reactions from the audience, but I do stay vulnerable and open and I think that's good. It creates static, but sometimes that static is what is interesting."