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20/01/00 - JACK SINGER
HALL, CALGARY, ALBERTA Review
by Lisa Wilton (Calgary Sun): Everywhere he goes, the kids still wanna rock. And at last night's Bryan Adams concert at the Jack Singer Concert Hall, those kids came in all ages. It just goes to prove how popular and accessible his music has always been. There were many who remember Adams back in the day when he was nicknamed "The Kid" and stormed arenas across the world, playing early hits such as Cuts Like a Knife and Run To You. But there were just as many fans who were delighted to hear more recent fare like Back To You and When You're Gone. For the latter song, recorded as a duet with Sporty Spice, Adams invited a high school girl from the audience onstage to sing Sporty's part with the help of a lyrics sheet. Adams didn't disappoint the young or slightly-less-young among the sold-out crowd. Not only is this cross-country, soft-seater theatre tour a chance to promote his new book of black-and-white photograhy, Made in Canada, but it's also meant to help sell some copies of his latest greatest-hits album, The Best of Me. And that's exactly what he gave the adoring audience. Clad from head to toe in pure white, a bass-playing Adams was joined onstage by two similarly clad musicians -- guitarist Keith Scott and drummer Mickey Curry, both of whom have played with Adams since the 1980s. Perhaps it was meant as a nod to his torn-jeans-and-white-T-shirt past that Adams decided on such a clean and simple set. The white backdrop and white stacked amps made Adams, his band and the stage look like something out of Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange. The hits came fast and furious, as Adams tore through Back To You, 18 Til I Die and Can't Stop This Thing We Started in the first few minutes of the show. How considerate of Adams, then, to play one of his classic Bic lighter ballads, Straight From The Heart, just before the crowd got tuckered out. But Adams allowed the audience to catch its collective breath for only a moment before launching into Summer of '69, which got most people on their feet and singing at the top of their lungs. Adams' between-song banter was limited at first, but as the night wore on, he became more chatty and comfortable. While the visuals mainly consisted of flashing white lights, there were minimal bursts of colour on the backdrop during some songs. If there was any song that showed off the amazing talents of Scott, it was It's Only Love. The fleet-fingered guitarist shone as he played his blistering solo while Adams stepped out of the spotlight momentarily. I'm not sure why Adams decided to pick up the bass. Though proficient, he looked a little awkward playing the instrument compared to how natural he looks playing the rhythm guitar. That was my one complaint about his performance last night. While he did pick up an acoustic guitar on On A Day Like Today, some of the songs sounded a bit thin. Just one more electric guitar would have filled out the sound nicely. That quibble aside, Adams proved last night that he needs no gimmicks or frills to put on a good rock show. | |||
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