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24/01/00 - QUEEN ELIZABETH THEATRE, VANCOUVER,
BC Review
by Kerry Gold (Vancouver Sun): It seems like a hard fall, to go from the cavernous GM Place to the relatively cozy Queen Elizabeth Theatre in a short span of two years. But the eternal rock 'n' roll juvenile, Bryan Adams, apparently opted for intimacy on this tour, and the loyal fans who sold out the theatre Monday night seemed grateful for it. Of course, fans probably know by now that 40-year-old Adams, who dwells in London these days, is a guaranteed good time; the kind of performer who opens up graciously and with good humour in front of a large crowd. He always seems to give it his all, which at this point in his long career is a stack of well-worn hits that have sold 55 million records -- songs so familiar they can get thousands of people singing along to the words. His last album hasn't fared as spectacularly though, especially when you consider that Robin Hood ballad, which won him fans in every corner of the globe. Like Neil Diamond, Elton John and Tom Jones, he might just go on to become one of those artists who can coast on an old catalogue of hits instead of spawning new ones. He did just release his second greatest-hits album. Anyway, there is that new look which he's chosen for his tours lately. Instead of appearing with his full band, he's opted for bass duty as part of a three piece. Adams and Mickey Currey on drums and Keith Scott on guitar were decked out in white, as in all things white -- white clothes, white shoes, white guitars, white drums, white amps. It was the first time that a Vancouver audience got a chance to see the new look. Apart from the style make-over, however, not much in terms of performance was lost for the devoted Adams concert fan. In fact, compared to the occasional tacky display of his GM Place show two years back (girls with boas, an Elvis impersonator), the trimmeddown concert was a welcome change of pace. Judging from the first hour of the show, anyway, nobody could have complained about the newly minimalist Adams. Adams is wired with the ecstasy of a diehard rock 'n' roller, which is a fundamental necessity when you're singing about staying 18 until death, and a certain love-struck summer during which you were way too young to have been a teenager in love. He's like a fantasy rocker living out his dream, and his audience is there to eat it up. Twenty minutes late, he got right to the heart of it with Back to You, which was enough to rouse the crowd immediately to its feet and into the aisles. He followed with 18 Til I Die, which, no matter how loud he hollered it, is just too thin on top to be convincing. His mostly acoustic rendition of Straight from the Heart was a highlight, refreshingly simple and honest, with only the briefest of accompaniment from Currey and Scott. It was carried by Adams' strumming and hoarse vocals, which even for Adams, were exceptionally rough (this is the end of the 13-stop tour, remember). And guitarist Scott, who beefed up Adams' simple pop tunes with masterful electric guitar solos, is always a major feature of the show. ********** Pre-show article and interview by Tom Harrison (The Province): It's not certain which came into Bryan Adams' life first, photography or e-mail, but he's making the most of both. All along his 13-city Canadian tour, Adams has been promoting his book, Made In Canada, a collection of his photos of prominent Canadian women that is raising awareness of, and money for, the Canadian Breast Cancer Society. Adams got seriously interested in photography when he moved to London; that's his own handiwork with the lens and shutter that provided the cover for his album, On a Day Like Today. Around the same time, Adams discovered the efficiency and empowerment of e-mail, which he's used ever since to communicate with his managment's office, for instance, or to conduct interviews. That's how this interview was completed. Necessarily dispensing with small talk and blindingly fast repartee, a short set of questions was compiled and forwarded to Adams somewhere on the road and he, bless him, responded immediately, with the stipulation that his answers be printed verbatim. With the 40-year-old Adams back home Monday and Tuesday for two sold-out shows at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, here are his thoughts on playing bass, photography, the snarls that strangled On a Day Like Today (a success here and in Europe, a stiff in the U.S.) and a hint of where he's headed after the current Best of Me hits retrospective has run its course. Tom Harrison: What prompted you to play bass on-stage? Bryan Adams: Keith Scott (my guitarist) bought me an original '60s Beatles bass as a birthday present a few years ago, and when it came time for touring, I didn't want to go out as we always had, so I suggested to Mickey (my drummer) and Keith that we try it as a three piece. It's been a blast, touring has never been better. TH: Are you playing bass on this tour? How does it change your approach to performing? BA: Yes, I'm playing bass on tour, and it changes our approach immensely, because now there is less on stage and that means the arrangements have to be exciting and work for a three piece band. There is no room for error either. TH: How does it change the interaction with the others in the band? BA: Well, if something happens amongst us, we have a giggle right away, because it's so easy to hear each other. Some really funny stuff happens, mostly inside rumour, like if I flub a note or Mick drops a stick . . . it's just funnier. TH: I suppose you've got your camera(s) with you. BA: Of course! TH: Does touring give you much opportunity to shoot? BA: If I want to, but normally it's just pick-up shots, nothing studio. John Mellencamp says that his painting is not so much a creative outlet for him as it is problem solving -- learning how to tackle something through a different medium. He would say that. TH: What is photography to you? BA: I've always seen music and art as the same thing, it's the process of being able to create something from nothing, so photography is just an extension of that. TH: Does what you see or learn from photography add something to your songwriting? BA: No. It adds something to my CD sleeves . . . TH: Got another photography expedition in mind? BA: Yes. At the moment I'm setting the book Made in Canada to be released in the UK. To do this, I have been putting together another series of portraits for an exhibition and an auction to raise money for a foundation called The Haven Trust that helps families and victims cope with the trauma of breast cancer. So, I'm shooting away. TH: How much material are you performing from On A Day Like Today? BA: Between six and seven songs. TH: What's your assessment of that album now? BA: A good record. Quite a personal record when I reflect on it. I had a lot of answering to do for the lyrics I wrote. TH: I thought it contained some of your best work ever but it hit a wall in the U.S. What went wrong? BA: When you cut to the chase, I don't play the game like I should. Most artists in my position would have moved to America and got a house in Malibu. I prefer to rent a hotel room for a few nights, so as a result, I'm not that visual and in America if you aren't seen, you aren't heard. TH: I read a couple of references to Bob Rock in some of your interviews at the time the album was released where you were critical of his production. It appeared that you wanted to distance yourself from the record by putting the blame on him. I thought it was a strange way to promote a new album, especially as Bob was really gracious in his interviews. How do you feel about that now? BA: I don't remember what I said, but bear in mind that sometimes making a record can be an intense thing between artist and co-producer and a lot of steam gets blown around in the final stages of release and mix. It's better to reflect on the whole project than get caught up in the petty shit that happens between people, and I think it's a good album and I'm glad we worked together. TH: Greatest hits or "best of" albums often signify the end of an artist's contract with his label. How much longer are you going to be with Interscope? BA: I have two more albums to record for them. They inherited me as an artist when Universal bought PolyGram/A&M records a year and a half ago -- that was a tumultuous time for everyone. I can remember trying to call people to find out who was going to shoot videos, do art work, promo people, field staff etc. and they were all gone. Some of them I had worked with for 20 years. All fired. It was weird. I still haven't heard from anyone at Interscope about what they would like to do together. There is no plan. It's kind of disconcerting, because it makes me feel like I don't belong there. TH: Music has broken down not only along idiomatic lines but age. It's no longer a given that veteran or established acts can get radio play anymore, for example. How are you positioning yourself as a musician, writer or performer? BA: Who knows! I wouldn't know how to "position myself" if you told me! I'm just doing what I do and hopefully I'll squeeze a little song in here and there. I have never been calculating about making music. TH: Looking for new collaborators? BA: Sure. I was very open on the last album and wrote a lot of good songs from being that way. I've got a few ideas about the next stuff, but I will probably continue to work with the same people again. TH: I keep thinking that rock and roll is ripe to be discovered by a new audience, especially if rock and roll returns to showmanship and exciting playing (as opposed to wanking). How about you? BA: Tom! You sound like an old fart! Listen, people who buy records today think that their musical heroes are great. They're not interested in hearing Dad's music or what their parents listen to on the weekends, they want their own stuff to embrace and discover and annoy their parents with. Music is escapism, not realism. Setlist: | |||
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