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16/01/06 - PROMO: MUSIC
WORLD, CHINOOK CENTRE, CALGARY, AB Review
by Jackie Wilson:
Arriving off the 10am Air Canada flight from Vancouver, the
anticipation and excitement was starting to take effect demonstrated in the form
of jittering and shuffling, rather like Chris (A)! You see Chris, you may not
have been with us in body, but you certainly were in our minds! Conscious of a
possible queue at the book signing we promptly checked into the Westin, showered
and made our way to the Chinook Shopping Mall. On arrival at 2.45, we were shocked
to find that the queue had grown rapidly since K had phoned and we were, at that
point, uncertain that we ‘d get to BA in time. The store was stiflingly hot
and with layers of padded clothing I was wilting fast!! We were absolutely delighted
to meet Anne-Marie, Noreen and Gail and Cosmos (Sayura) who, I might add, was
very well positioned near the front of the queue :) We also had the pleasure of
meeting Sue L and Paul (Roadman). They shared their experiences of the Edmonton
gig with us and then we dutifully returned to our positions in Q! There were lots
of pretty young girls in the queue (including us of course ;P) who were like so
“OMG Bryan Adams is gonna come thru that door” and “I just so love
Bryan Adams” – whilst they were in the queue they decided to buy a couple
of his albums *g* - so sweet!! Our position of about 80+ in the queue just happened
to be right outside the back entrance to the store and so before too long it became
evident that he would be walking right by us (well you know me, I’d have
been expecting him to come through the front door!). Needless to say each time
every store attendant and his dog opened the door my stomach reached my mouth!
When it was finally Bryan’s turn to come out of the store room I took a great
picture…... of his hands and his back!! You see this “Newbie” thing
just keeps dragging on and I just ain’t prepared for these types of moments.
Good job Kathryn is calm and collected :) Anyhow, BA makes his way to the front
of the store to lots and lots of cheering and the local press were out with video
cams. Errrrhemm!! Cue celebs Kathryn & Jackie! Well, I didn’t take that
large Welsh flag 5,000 miles for nothing did I?? So K attracts the attention of
the said reporter whilst I give a wave of my flag and we somehow had her mesmerised
with the dedication of BA’s BADDIES! K’S 69’th gig was due in Vancouver
– my dedication was much less impressive - it was my 25th. In any case, she
kinda thought BA was a lucky man to have so many committed fans …. Or did
she say that his fans should BE committed??? So, she took a photo which was totally
unflattering to me and we ushered her on to Anne-Marie, who of course, had travelled
all the way from Down Under :) We eventually got
close to BA and the Russian shotputter security guard (not Jody btw) was taking
no prisoners! “Only one item can be signed and have it ready”. No problem
for us – glad to get the opportunity :)
K got her chat with BA and so
told him of her trip to Canada to share her 69th gig in his hometown – he
was impressed! I sidled up along side him and wished him a Happy New Year and
asked him about his break and his health zzzzzzzzzzz. Chatted a bit more about
our trip and he called me crazy and then one of the security guards took some
photos – whoah hoo! Cloud No. 9… Left the store and chatted with other
baddies and had some picis taken before returning to hotel to freshen up. ********** Review
by Nicole Vaive (Calgary Sun):
Bryan Adams still has what it takes. Just
ask the throngs of eager, CD-clutching fans that packed the Chinook Centre Music
World location yesterday afternoon. At first, it seemed like a typical Monday
afternoon at the mall. So quiet, in fact, one wondered if they were in the right
place. Then I saw it. Fans spilling out the doors, holding their memorabilia tightly
to their chests. Every few minutes a cheer would go up from a different corner
of Music World as the line, which snaked through the aisles, crept slowly forward.
They proved old and young, as nine-month-old Camryn
Sleeman bopped and smiled in mom Jana’s arms. They were from all over the
world, and they all happily — and patiently — waited for hours just
to get a peek at the Canadian superstar. Or, even better, his signature. One young
fan even brought a school project dedicated to Adams, hoping to get it signed.
For some fans though, it would be just one more autograph
to add to the collection. “We’ve come from England,” said Kathryn
Cave of Birmingham, with friend Jackie Wilson by her side. “We flew into
Calgary this morning.” The women are no stranger to Adams’ concerts.
Cave has seen him live 69 times, and Wilson is catching up at 23. Cave says they’ve
met Adams so many times they’ve “lost count,” adding he even recognizes
them. Though not everyone was going to last night’s
concert, one thing seemed certain, these fans love their homegrown hero. | | |
