A CELEBRATION FOR THE AGES
Adams still knows how to throw a great party
Bryan Adams held an anniversary celebration for the ages Monday night at the Brandt Centre. Adams was in town with his Reckless 30th anniversary tour and a large crowd was on hand to help the 55-year-old rock icon celebrate the milestone album, which sold 12 million copies worldwide.
The strength of the album was evident quite early as Adams devoted the first hour of the show to Reckless.
“The first half of the show, which you’ve probably already noticed, is black and white and then dramatically, like the Wizard of Oz, we’ll go into colour,” explained Adams. “But for the nostalgia, we’re in black and white.”
Whether it was the hits from Reckless — Run To You and Somebody both reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts in the U.S., while Kids Wanna Rock, Summer of ‘69, One Night Love Affair and It’s Only Love were Top-10 hits — or the tunes like Ain’t Gonna Cry, which Adams described as a “lost song,” and Reckless, which ironically didn’t make the final cut for the album, the material has stood the test of time quite well.
As he worked his way through Reckless, Adams also took time to discuss a few things with the crowd. He jokingly apologized for Tina Turner being unable to join him for It’s Only Love, but was serious in pointing out how fortunate he was to work with her.
“I recorded that with her when I was 24 and it was an immense opportunity,” said Adams. “She had an album coming out after Reckless, Private Dancer, you may have heard of it. We went on a European tour together and every night I got to sing with Tina. Thank you Tina Turner, wherever you are.”
He also got the opportunity to recognize Jim Vallance, his longtime writing partner, who flew in from Vancouver for the show and joined Adams onstage for Heaven.
“Have you ever played Regina before Jim?” Adams asked as Vallance sat down behind a keyboard. “I think Jim is making his Regina debut tonight.”
Adams didn’t spend a lot of time reflecting on the past 30 years, but he did try to put Reckless into perspective. “When this album was put out, it was put out on a thing called vinyl,” he said with a laugh. “You remember vinyl, right? Then the record company had a great idea, they said they were going to put the album out on a CD ... Of course you know what CDs are — you hang them on trees to scare the birds away.
“I don’t know what my point is. Oh yeah, things have changed.”
He also had an interesting story about Let Me Down Easy. “Jim and I wrote this for Stevie Nicks, but we didn’t know Stevie Nicks so she didn’t get the song,” he chuckled. “It ended up getting recording by Roger Daltry of The Who. It was recorded for Reckless, but ended up on the scrap heap, until now.”
As Adams segued from his Reckless songs to the rest of his vast catalogue, one thing became evidently clear — he’s as dynamic a performer as he was 30 years ago. It’s a cliché, but Adams truly sinks his heart and soul into his music and that’s a major reason why he connects with his fans.
And while he’s an international star, Adams still gives off a vibe of being one of the boys and that also goes a long way in attracting and maintaining fans.
Of course it also doesn’t hurt to be immensely talented. His voice, which is a wonderful mix of raspy silkiness, is strong and distinct. It’s quite likely that other artists could have hits singing Adams’ songs, but it’s his voice that separates his versions from those by anybody else.
The crowd, as it is at most Adams’ shows, had an active role in the concert. Adams expects the fans to participate and sing during a number of songs. He also looked for something a little special for If You Wanna Be Bad You Gotta Be Good.
“I’m looking for one wild woman that can dance,” said Adams and to the surprise of no one, there was multitudes of volunteers. He settled on Trish, who was in the spotlight as she danced on her chair.
Adams asked who was with her and Trish pointed out her husband, who was busy taking photos of the scene. Adams had quite the message for him: “If you don’t get lucky tonight, you’re never going to get lucky.”
The quality of Adams’ band — comprised of Keith Scott (lead guitar), Mickey Curry (drums), Norm Fisher (bass) and Gary Breit (keyboards) — was also instrumental in making the 28-song, 135-minute show a success.
His encore included acoustic versions of She Knows Me, Straight From The Heart and All For Love. This was quite a treat, just as anyone who has been fortunate enough to catch Adams’ Bare Bones tour shows could attest to.
Adams told the crowd numerous times during the show that he loved it when they sang, so he really must have loved Straight From The Heart because the crowd sang every word from start to finish.
He certainly did make it a night to remember.