| ||||
|
|
14/08/04 - STAR PAVILLION,
HERSHEY, PA Review
by Steven Stanley Anyway we arrived and I met Karen's friends Patti and Rose. The venue was right next to the Hershey chocolate factory so we went in there first. I didn't have a ticket so I bought one and just went in when everybody else did. Not saying how I did it but I ended up with a front row centre ticket under BA's mike which was cool. Irish support band 'Mr North' were quite cool I wouldn't mind them supporting again. Bryan and the band came onstage soon enough and everyone instantly stood up and didn't sit back down. 'There Will Never Be Another Tonight' packed a punch as always and surprisingly at the time 'Open Road' was played next (it was previously mid-setlist earlier on in the tour) so I wasn't expecting it and therefore missed the beginning to video it! He also had a sneaky harmonica in his pocket instead of the big thing round his neck like he had been doing. Standard songs followed... another early highlight was the guitar battle between Bryan and Keith during 'House Arrest' that we saw 2 months previously in Hull and Stoke. The WYGG was quite good... Dara from Mechanicsburg was her name. She had on a very stylishly ripped 'Waking Up The World' t-shirt... BA asked her where she got it from and she said she bought it from the Salvation Army and made it herself or something lol. It was quite funny. She was in a band as well so she didn't sound that bad but you could hardly hear her. 'Heaven' followed and then surprisingly 'Heat Of The Night' which I was chuffed to bits to hear! 'The Only Thing' rocked everybody's socks off as normal... he played a fan request in the encores because someone was holding up a sign so he played 'One Night Love Affair'... I can never recall that song being played so late in the show before. Acoustics of 'Straight From The Heart' and 'Depend On Me' ended the show... as they had done all year but they still sounded awesome as always.
Didn't meet BA and the band after the show... think they went off straightaway, but we did wave to 'Mr North' the support who looked like they were driving themselves to the next gig in Pittsburgh in a white van! All in all an enjoyable show with a couple of surprises in the setlist. Setlist: Review
by Kira L Schlechter: When artists tour, they usually have something -- most often albums -- to sell. But it becomes an interesting scenario when they don't, as in the case of Canadian rocker Bryan Adams. His last studio album was made in 1998, and he won't release another in the States until next year. Nonetheless, he brought his very brief American tour to The Star Pavilion at Hersheypark Stadium Saturday night, and it was a case of absence really making our hearts grow fonder. Without any product to push, Adams gave an intimate performance charged with immediacy and loaded with audience participation that made the smallish crowd feel as though they were in his living room, not a huge outdoor amphitheater. Stepping out with his band in an unassuming, low-key manner, in a black T-shirt and jeans, Adams, 44, launched into "There Will Never Be Another Tonight." Just as he started, so did the rain, but it didn't last long enough to dampen anyone's spirits, least of all Adams'. He stuck with that charmingly humble manner throughout, not only in his easygoing stage presence but in the way he treated his material, abandoning his usual rather bombastic style in favor of a loose, underdone, organic feel. The defiant "18 'Til I Die" rocked suitably, while "Let's Make a Night to Remember" was sultry. He gave "Can't Stop This Thing We Started" a lovely little swing and "House Arrest" full-throated rein. Adams was in fine rasp throughout, his speaking voice tinged with a bit of a British accent, and he looked fit and trim. He did a solo take on "It's Only Love" (usually a duet with Tina Turner), highlighted by blazing solos from him and longtime guitarist Keith Scott. But the real treats came with his radio staple "Summer of '69," which he stripped down to a bare-bones acoustic arrangement. It gave the song a newfound sense of poignant reflection and a sweetness it had previously lacked. He did the same with his gigantic hit "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You," freeing it from cliches and giving it back the romance the original version -- made famous in the film "Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves" -- buried under layers of production. He followed "Back to You" with a terrific "Cuts Like a Knife," the crowd bellowing along to the song's trademark na-na-nas for all it was worth. He then asked for an audience volunteer to sing with him on "Baby When You're Gone" and got himself a real winner -- Dara from Mechanicsburg, who, appropriately enough, sings and plays guitar in the band Charlie Foxtrot. She gave Adams a run for his money, tearing up the vocals, adding a bit of ad-libbed harmony and doing a little bump-and-grind with him, leaving him obviously delighted. Another change-up came with "Heaven," which is usually a ballad, but Adams upped the tempo, gave it a meaty swing, and took the solo way down, effectively removing any sappiness. "Heat of the Night" was rich and full of bottom, and "I Need Somebody" was playful and spunky. Adams has always been a PG-13 kind of guy, and "The Only Thing That Looks Good on Me Is You," which ended the set, was about as explicit as he got. He kicked off the encore with an open and shimmering "Cloud Number Nine" and the searing tale of infidelity that is "Run to You." He took an audience request for "One Night Love Affair," then dismissed the band for wonderful solo acoustic takes on "Straight From the Heart" and "Depend on Me." Adams has really backed off his material, scrapping all the trappings he piled on himself during his '80s heyday. It seems as though he's not taking his music or himself as seriously anymore. Is that maturity? Who knows? Who cares? If he continues to deliver great live performances like Saturday's, we'll forget all about the old Adams (er, the young Adams) and firmly embrace the new one. Opener Mr. North, from Dublin, Ireland, got the evening under way with a set of Coldplay-influenced but somewhat ragged and uneven tracks from its album "Lifesize." | |||
|
® 2003 18 Til I Die.co.uk. All
rights reserved.
| ||||
|
All pictures by Steven Stanley
BA on harmonica during 'Open Road'
Front row centre under BA's mike... where else would ya wanna be? (I can hear Adrian shouting Keith's already!!!)
'Let's Make A Night To Remember!'
Karen, me, Rose and Patti |
