www.18tilidie.co.uk

07/02/98 - CIVIC CENTER, CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI

Review by Doug Gallant:
If Bryan Adams wants to be 18 'till he dies' who's gonna stand in his way? Who wants to!

Certainly not any of the 5,000 people who packed the Charlottetown Civic Centre Saturday night to see the veteran rocker kick off his latest national tour. It's difficult to imagine a more perfect marriage between artists and audience that that witnessed on the weekend.

From the opening chords of The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You to the closing notes of the ballad that constituted his third encore some two hours later, the audience was his and he was theirs.Virtually every song Adams dished up from his huge catalog of radio-friendly hits was greeted with cheers, whistles and thunderous applause, applause so heavy at times that Adams was forced to pause and give in to the audience, picking up where he left off at the first available opportunity.

But Adams didn't seem to mind. If anything, he had fun with it.Fun usually isn't a word utilized to describe rock concerts, but it seems appropriate in describing Saturday night's show.For example. How often in a rock concert with an artist of Adams' stature do you see a band recruited from the house and given the nod to play?To the delight of the crowd, Adams called out for a bass player, a guitarist, a singer, a drummer and tambourine players, got them up on stage and let them rip into the song of their choice.The enthusiastic version of Summer of '69 that followed may not have been quite up to snuff, but the crowd ate it up.

But the rest of the night belonged to Adams, and he gave them everything they came for - and more.He gave them Adams the rocker, belting out hits like Run To You, Cuts Like A Knife, Can't Stop This Thing We Started and Summer of '69.He game them Adams the balladeer, pouring himself into pop gems like (Everything I Do) I Do It For You, Straight From The Heart and Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman?And he gave them Adams the entertainer, and adrenaaline-powered and highly animated performer who bounded from one end of the massive stage to the other, getting as close to his audience as was humanly possible without throwing himself into the crowd.

Adams was in excellent voice, hitting just about every note he reached for, even on a cold start from a crowd-enforced break.His guitar work was solid, as was his work on harmonica on those few occasions when he brought it out.

And he got yeoman service from his band, particularly from longtime friend and guitarist Keith Scott, who's versatility and showmanship almost make him a draw himself.Adams also treated fans to an unadvertised surprise, Irish piper Davy Spillaine.A star of the first order in traditional music circles through his work with legendary acts like Moving Hearts and Planxty and his own solo albums, Spillaine played on only half-dozen songs but his contribution was decidedly charming.

Hopefully the success of Adams' show will help pave the way for other major road shows at the Civic Centre. It should prove to promoters, some of whom are still touchy about booking P.E.I. dates, that for the right act Islanders will line up for tickets. Adams sold out in a day.

Review supplied by Ryan MacPherson