Member Review: Bryan Adams

BPD subscriber ArtemisT writes:

Bryan Adams delivered all the hits and then some during his 30-song, two-hour-plus set.

On a well-lit stage and dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved black shirt, Adams launched into House Arrest, Somebody, Here I Am and Kids Wanna Rock to kickstart his trip down memory lane.

And what better reason than the 20th anniversary of the release of Waking Up The Neighbours?

The expected softballs and radio balladry such as Thought I’d Died And Gone To Heaven, Do I Have To Say The Words? and of course (Everything I Do) I Do It For You would be a given on this night.

But Bryan flexed some muscle through the infectious pop-rock of Can’t Stop This Thing We Started, 18 ’Til I Die, Back To You and Summer Of ’69.

Adams’ band of guitarist Keith Scott, bassist Norm Fisher, keyboardist Gary Breit and drummer Mickey Curry are about as good as it gets in pop and roll. And each allows Adams the freedom to ply his craft as a singer-guitarist and fill his role as entertainer.

The combo continued to lean into it with Cuts Like A Knife, before being joined onstage by a young lady from the audience who filled in for Spice Girl Mel C on When You’re Gone.

The audience-femmes swooned and sang during Heaven and Please Forgive Me, but the evening was far from over. The hits just kept a-comin.’ The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You, segued into Run To You, which sent the crowd bonkers.

A solo acoustic foray featuring Straight From The Heart and All For Love (the collaboration featuring Adams, Sting and Rod Stewart) brought the evening to a close and sent me and 13000 others to the exits with smiles.

Member Review: Bryan Adams

This just in from Billingsboy:

The idea of Canadian pop/rock mainstay Bryan Adams stripping down his sounds on stage is nothing new. After all, he turned in one of the most famous "MTV Unplugged" episodes of all time and recently released the CD sequel of sorts Bare Bones,, which chronicles past hits and more current material in acoustic settings.

As opposed to the arena settings he's used to, we were treated to the personal side of the popular but sometimes underrated troubadour.

Sure, Adams took care of monster smashes like "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" and "Summer of '69," but they came within the first half, suggesting he puts greater stock in more overlooked album material. Cuts like the pleading "Here I Am" and the gorgeous ballad "Do I Have To Say the Words?" might not have earned the same level of exposure, but they were actually better examples of his skills as a songwriter.

Another key quality in the success of the performance was Adams' decision to not take himself too seriously, poking fun at the fact he often gets questioned in customs as to the reason he's entering a country (which is often followed by an airline attendant saying they once saw him open up for Journey). He also stopped "Please Forgive Me" midway through to ponder what it would've sounded like as a country song, accompanied by his best Willie Nelson drawl. (He may even want to consider pitching "The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You" to Shania Twain).

Even though ballads like "Let's Make a Night To Remember" and "Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman?" oozed with their fair share of schmaltz, they nonetheless served as guilty pleasure sing-a-longs. Yet it was the standing room only encore that started with "Somebody" and ended with "Straight From the Heart" that demonstrated Adams is just as confident as a rock n' roller as he is a balladeer who has no trouble crafting equally catchy tracks in either arena.

Backstage, Bryan was equally relaxed and spent about 15 minutes "jus' hangin' with me and the three others who I got passes for.

It was a real treat for all of us. Thanks so much BackstagePassDirect.

You're so welcome Billingsboy.

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