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18/01/06 - GENERAL MOTORS
PLACE, VANCOUVER, BC Review
by Steven Stanley: It was a last minute decision to do the shows in BC for me so I setoff at 2am (GMT) on the day of the show from my house in Sheffield. Got to the airport (Gatwick) in London at 8am... and took off with no delays for around midday (GMT). On the way I saw the vast expanse of ice that is Greenland,the Northern territories and the snow filled rockies... stunning.
(Above) The Rockies in Canada About 10 hours later I arrived in Vancouver at 2pm (Van time)... I was greeted by longtime BA fan and good friend Bryan King... he tells me he's heard 3 BA tunes on the radio in the past hour!... we head off downtown to our hotel. There was a huge BA poster in HMV opposite our hotel (The Hyatt)... only in Vancouver would that happen nowadays. Gary (another BA fan who had come from England), went to meet his wife Jackie and friends at a different hotel. Upon myself and BK's arrival at the hotel we were greeted by fans Karen and Nancy. I quickly went to my hotel room to freshen up after the flight and we headed off to Robson street to catch up, have some drinks and some food before the show. On everyones lips accross the city you hear the words 'Bryan Adams...' mentioned. It's as if everyone is going or knows someone who is going and they are proud of the hometown boy made good. Anyway, myself, Bryan King, Karen and Nancy grab a taxi and head to the show. We go past the Queen Elizabeth Theatre and see people queing to see the newly reformed INXS... each to their own I guess. The GM Place is an arena located across the road from the monster BC Place Stadium where the original 'Somebody' video was filmed... and co-incidently where BA's latest duet partner was discovered getting her breasts out at a BC Lions game... yep Pamela Anderson. Once inside the venue I'm straight inside to get an 'Anthology' shirt with 'Vancouver'...etc on the back... just had to be done! It didn't take long for Linda and Petra to come and find me!... we had a chat and it was nice to meet them, as it was all the other baddies. It was also nice to meet Michelle Larsson from the BA Office again... very nice person. I didn't go to the fanclub this time around because I'd been before and didn't have time anyway. Daniel Powter was ok as a support act but I've seen better (he was good don't get me wrong but he wasn't rock based and to my taste). Obviously his 'Bad Day' song was nice to hear as it's cool and made it big in England... apparently he hasn't quite made it in Canada & the USA though... shouldn't be too long before he does. The stage is totally different since last time we saw him in Europe and the UK. There is a big black curtain covering everything up and the support bands play infront of it. Even Gary's keyboards are covered in black.
So... show time. The lights go down and a phenomenal roar emerges as people in the side stands see figures behind the stage. The lights fade up slightly so you can see the curtain drop to reveal a big 'X' light structure and white curtains. Then you hear Keith play the opening chords of 'Room Service' and Bryan walks onstage. The place errupts.
From then on the show is full of everything you would expect from a BA show... except with the Vancouver vibe. It was a shame he didn't do 'Lonely Nights' but nevermind. About 5 or 6 songs into the set the white curtains are pulled down the reveal the 'Room Service' guitar banners. It was the first time I'd seen Bryan play the Gretschs since I first saw him back in '97... what a difference they make to songs like 'Summer Of '69' and 'Hearts On Fire'.... bloody fantastic. To my surprise they were also used for 'It's Only Love', 'Kids Wanna Rock' and even 'The Only Thing'. Bryan mentioned that his brother, Mum and Dad were in the crowd along with friends etc... he was obviously nervous and he kept making mistakes lyrically... but only the keenest of fans would have been able to tell..... apart from at the end of the show when he started to sing 'The Way You Make Me Feel'... he stopped and told the crowd he couldn't remember the words!!! Eventually he got there though! A female fan invaded the stage at the end of 'Run To You' which was funny... BA then confessed "I love my job!"... which got big laughs!
He also talked about the fond memories of his time in Vancouver, and about writing the songs there with Jim Vallace. He pointed out Jim in the crowd before launching into one of their great songs. Jim was lovin' it! The 5-song acoustic set at the end was a bit much for me... trim it down and keep the band on longer Bryan. It was cool to hear 'Please Forgive Me' acoustic though. He's done it before on previous tours but this time he played the full version. The funniest bit of the show was when he introduced Keith before 'It's Only Love' as "from the projects"... it was cool to see him throw the guitar in the air (it's now become commonplace during every show... too right!). Vancouver had received rain for a record number of days in a row (since 1953 or something) before the show... so the day BA rolls into town... no rain in sight! He mentioned it during the show and the crowd cheered. After the show myself and Bryan King made a beeline for Jim Vallance (who had gone to the show with his son and friends)... all I can say is what a nice guy he is! He thought the show was great and says he tries to catch one every couple of years. The only problem with the show was that the security was VERY strict... they didn't allow anybody to enjoy themselves...I'm surprised we were allowed to stand up! Maybe Bryan would have said something in another city to the security... but with his friends and family being there in Vancouver, I'm not surprised he didn't! Overall a great show... didn't bother stopping to talk to Bryan afterwards as I was too tired. Went out with Bryan King, Karen and Nancy to have some drinks on Robson Street before a well deserved sleep. An early ferry to Vancouver Island & Victoria awaited... Setlist: ********** Review
by Tom Harrison (The Province): It might be a long road back to Vancouver, but last night's concert by Bryan Adams at GM Place finds him at a crucial point in his career. The show was a great sing-along, with guitarist Keith Scott particularly inspired during "Kids Wanna Rock," "It's Only Love" and others -- but a stock-taking for Adams. The seemingly impossible has happened. He's reached middle age. He's not the automatic hit-maker on the radio these days, plus Adams' just-released Anthology can symbolize so many things -- the end of an era or the beginning of a new one. It leaves you wondering. It probably has Adams wondering, too. Fortunately, he can perform and does. Is that why he likes playing live? Cares are so far away. You just drop everything and become one with the audience. The career and your age are so far away that they don't mean anything. You immerse yourself in the music and lose yourself. So you've got Adams doing what he does best and loves to do. There were a couple of songs from Room Service, the last studio LP, but most of the show, as it has been, was devoted to the hits from Anthology: "Somebody," "Can't Stop This Thing We Started," "Heaven," "18 Till I Die," and "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You." Tiffany from Burnaby sang with him on "Baby When You're Gone" and Adams did a solo encore, looking very comfortable. Still, it must have crossed his mind what he could do next. That's why we have a second wind. It's hard not to think of Elton John when Daniel Powter flies up to falsetto during "Jimmy Gets High." Adams' opening act fronted a quartet from behind his keyboard. The piano and the construction of his songs only reinforce the Elton in comparison. He didn't have far to go before Powter could transform him and his band into Benny and the Jets. | |||
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Pictures
by Steven Stanley
Opening the show with 'Room Service'
BA on acoustic during 'Back To You'
Bryan comes down to the fans for 'The Best Of Me'
He gets the crowd goin' during 'The Only Thing'
The stage invader for 'Run To You'
Nowadays only in Vancouver would you see a 4 metre high illuminated BA poster at the front of an HMV store.
BA during '69
Keith!
I meet Linda & Petra
Me n' BK havin' some Stella :) |
