TORONTO - While The Wizard of Oz was being performed in the Elgin Theatre below, singer-songwriter Ryan Adams at times was The Wizard of Odd.

Not in a bad way, just quirky, humorous and totally off the cuff, resulting in an entertaining two-and-a-half hour show Saturday night at Toronto's Winter Garden Theatre

One moment, Adams could have been seen as the second-coming of Townes Van Zandt on several stellar songs spanning from his Whiskeytown days to his latest record Ashes & Fire. Yet shortly thereafter he could have been mistaken for being Jack Black's understudy in Tenacious D.

Coming on stage about 30 minutes late due to a technical issue that caused a constant clicking sound throughout the night, Adams started with a tender, alt.country gem in Oh My Sweet Carolina from his 2000 Heartbreaker album. With an upright piano to his right and a pair of acoustic guitars, which he occasionally playfully scolded, he then launched into the title track off his new album with ease.

Yet his between song banter almost eclipsed the solid body of work, veering from discussing the unique history of the Winter Garden Theatre to his recent affinity for the novel Dracula. The latter even resulted in an improvised song about Dracula and the vampire's love of cooking in Transylvania, which cracked up everybody. Not to mention describing Chicago pizza as “a cake of madness.”

Despite being away from the road for some time, Adams appeared to be quite at ease onstage, conversing with the audience when not defusing the situation with a potential heckler obsessed with the band Napalm Death. Fortunately, there was very little to find fault with during Firecracker and New York, New York, the latter reworked on piano for a sombre, melancholic affair.

Switching from his chair centre stage to standing at a microphone to his far left – and taking his lyric book with him always – Adams hit his stride roughly halfway through with the thoughtful My Blue Manhattan, the terribly melodic Two and Everybody Knows. He would also dust off Dear John from his Jacksonville City Nights album after a fan tweeted the request, adding if he messed it up he would simply “devolve it into Back In Black.”

Much of the material was pure alt.country gold, whether the warmer, uptempo Chains Of Love or the roots-rooted This House Is Not For Sale. And given his prolific output – which he has incredulously been taken to task for by some – the consistency is what separates him from so many others.

As the homestretch began, Adams said the clicking noise, more noticeable on the piano songs, made him “feel like (Nine Inch Nails') Trent Reznor is doing beats.” It didn't irk the audience too much as the musician delivered another improvised ditty about his Motorhead sweater, sung from the sweater's perspective, which followed My Winding Wheel and 16 Days.

Regardless of whether he was playing the part of consummate songwriter or part-time comedian, Adams, without question, clicked with most of the crowd on this night.