Adams shows there’s plenty of meat on his bare bones...

Bryan Adams: The Ultimate Tour 3Arena, Dublin Verdict: Everything he does is pretty impressive

ONE of the best gigs I have ever been to was Bryan Adams’ Bare Bones tour in the Olympia Theatre. It was just him and a guitar — no backing singers, no musicians, no costume-changing nonsense, just pure music.

That was six years ago and I haven’t managed to see him live since. Going to Monday’s show, I wasn’t sure what to expect: would it be as pared back as that wonderful, intimate night or would he return to the rock ’n’ roll stage shows of his past?

The answer is a bit of both. Adams has branched into photography in recent years and has decided to incorporate it into his concerts.

Before he even took to the stage, a large, side-on picture of him dominated the backdrop. It was still and silent but at intervals, he would turn and bark, blink or yawn, or someone would walk past and interact with him.

It’s clear that he’s keen to bring some of his artistic endeavours into play with his music and the backdrop was central to the show. For some songs, it showed a video of him going about his daily life while singing perfectly in time with what was happening on the stage. Others were illustrated with space walks or headshot montages.

But whatever was happening behind him, as always, the vital elements were on the stage.

He trawled through his incredible 35-year back catalogue to belt out all the hits, including Run To You, All For Love, Heaven and, of course, the record-breaking Everything I Do, I Do It For You.

He’s still got the energy, voice and passion to keep an entire crowd on their feet the night. And with an encore that involved himself, a guitar and a bit of Whiskey In The Jar, he proved he’s still got the bare bones too.