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12/03/04 - TAJ MAHAL, ATLANTIC
CITY, NEW JERSEY Review
by Alicja Bodziony:
Atlantic City was an experience. We were in the 7th row
center. Bryan came on and of course we were on our feet. Guess what he started
with? Yup, “There Will Never Be Another Tonight” :).
Security was
very strict, there were security guards in the aisles up front that wouldn’t
let you through unless you had a ticket. We desparately wanted to get out of our
row as the people behind us were giving us a hard time to sit down. They were
pretty nasty pushing the chairs into us. Since we wouldn’t sit down, one
of the guys behind us actually went to the security guard to make us sit down,
but I guess it didn’t work and the guard must have told him he can’t
do anything about that cause no one came up to us.
There were seats in front
of us so we climbed over to the row in front of us so they wouldn’t harass
us. There weren’t many people standing (except for the first row and quite
a few on the right side - Bryan was even wondering what was going on there ?),
but heck, we weren’t about to sit down! We didn’t let that get us down
and proceeded to have an awesome time and an awesome view, as Bryan was straight
in front of us. I’m sure he saw us cause we were the only one’s standing
there :). I was told by the box office that Bryan had access to the first few
rows. I think it was more like Donald Trump cause you had these people in suits
and ties and they were all sitting, hmph.
During the show, we saw security
walk out a drunk guy from the first row and a gal who was fighting with another
woman. I even had a drunk guy sitting next to me who passed out before Bryan even
came on. Ok, enough about this. Now about the show. 
I
must say that even though the crowd wasn’t very enthusiastic, Bryan was still
all smiles and doing what he does best and that’s all that mattered. He worked
the crowd during “Cuts Like A Knife” and did not give up on them. It
turned out to be quite long as the crowd couldn’t get it loud enough and
Bryan kept giving us more and more chances till they finally woke up! In the end
he said it was a good one. “The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You”
was also good. Bryan was having a lot of fun with the you-you-you-you-you-you-you
part as the audience was all over the place on that one...lol.
During the encore
is when Bryan realized what was going on with the security and then made them
leave. Then a whole bunch of people came to the front and filled the aisles. All
in all it wasn’t too bad of a crowd, just some people have to make it harder
for
others :(. Also during the encore, we held up a sign thanking the boys
for 4 incredible nights to remember, he read it out loud and thanked us for coming
to the shows, but we’re like no, THANK YOU! (Can’t believe he read it
out loud :))
We were hoping for another oldie ,hehehe, but it wasn’t
meant to be. He finished with “Straight From….” and “Depend
On Me” and in the end the audience must have left an impression on Bryan
cause he said a few times that we’ve been a fantastic audience.
I must
admit that I was wondering what the crowds and shows would be like in upstate
NY as they are more laid back. All I can say is that I really wasn’t prepared
for the wonderful experience and it seems that it was the AC crowd I should have
been worried about....lol.
I would also like to say thanks to all the badfans:
Ang, Maddy, Shannon and Paul, Cheryl and Andrea. It was good see you guys again
and meet you too! And of course to Bryan and the band, life would be pretty boring
without you. YOU ROCK! :)
Roll on Vegas!!!!! 
Setlist:
There
Will Never Be Another Tonight
18 Til I Die
Let's Make A Night To Remember
Can't Stop This Thing We Started
Back To You
I'm Ready
Summer Of
'69
It's Only Love
Everything I Do
Cuts Like a Knife
When You're
Gone
Heaven
Somebody
The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You
Cloud
#9
Run To You
This Time
Straight From The Heart
Depend On Me ********** Story
by Vince Schmelling:
Bryan Adams/Lis Bouchelle - Taj Mahal Arena, Atlantic
City A packed house filled the arena at the Taj Mahal
in Atlantic City for the hit-laced show Bryan Adams puts on whenever he hits the
road. The audience spanned all age groups, and they knew the words to almost all
of the songs Bryan pulled from his extensive catalog of rock radio staples. The
show began, however, with something the crowd wasn't expecting... a set from local
rising star Lisa Bouchelle that transfixed all those in the arena, and drew a
response rarely seen from an opening act not familiar to most in the audience. From
the first notes of her opening number, "A Kiss Is Worth 1,000 Words,"
it seemed she had the crowd in the palm of her hand. With her striking looks and
expressive vocals, she won them over with just an acoustic guitar and a bass accompaniment. Besides
demonstrating her vibrant voice and guitar playing abilities, she treated the
crowd to some intricate percussion during "The Detective," a song she
performed with only bass guitar, vocal and shaker eggs. When she closed the show
with the uptempo "In The End," the applause she drew rivaled that of
a veteran concert headliner. After her performance,
she went out into the arena to watch Bryan Adams from out front, but was mobbed
by people asking for a picture, an autograph, or a way to get one of her CDs.
Several of the celebrities in attendance went out of their way to stop by after
the show and let her know how much they liked her performance, including hit songwriter
Andrew Fromm, Grammy winning producer Joe Donofrio, and even Bryan Adams himself.
"The best looking opening act I've EVER had," laughed Bryan, and he
asked her to leave a CD to take with him. 
(Above)
Bryan and Lisa Bryan hit the stage with a tough act
to follow, but with hits like "Summer Of '69," "Cuts Like A Knife,"
and "Everything I Do (I Do It For You)," among others, even a workman-like
effort would have sufficed, but he gave it a lot more. He put on a straight ahead
rock and roll show that proved you don't need fancy lighting
and effects, just great songs and a tight band.
Long time guitarist Keith Scott
ripped through the signature solos in many of the songs, and Bryan's voice hasn't
aged one bit, with his vocals sounding exactly like they did when he recorded
his biggest hits. The concert was a double winner
for music fans... a night of great hits from one of the venerable rock stars of
our time, and a coming out party for a star of the future... and judging from
the reaction of the crowd at this show, the not-to-distant future at that. | | |
