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06/04/06 -METRO CENTRE,
HALIFAX, NS Review
by Teresa and Alicja Bodziony: The following day before the gig, we drove to Peggy’s Cove, which is one of those places you must visit as a tourist. I also read that it is one of the most photographed places in Canada. The weather was cloudy and it was very windy and cold but it was well worth the trip. Must definitely go back there in the summer, can just picture a perfect blue sky, the greenish-blue water, and those waves hitting the rocks by the lighthouse.
We get back, still had some time to relax and shop and then it was time for what we really came for! We got to the venue and took our seats in the third row, center left (thanks to the fan club pre-sale), and all we could hear was screeching teen-age girls in the first row and then the second row was filling up with screeching middle-aged women. It seems they all had been upgraded to those seats from the nose-bleed sections. They were all genuinely happy, funny, one guy said: “I won’t be needing my binoculars now”...hehe. Kathleen Edwards and her band take the stage at 8 o’clock and played for about 30 minutes. She was a good opening act and said how grateful she was for opening up for Bryan and was hopeful she would open up for him in the future. We also met up with Cuky from Spain and Adina from Germany who wound up sitting next to us. But, right before the show, they went over to the right side of the stage by the barricade and Teresa and I stayed on the left. Security was practically non-existent, no one said boo to us for standing there. Soon after, people gathered behind us and who should that be but Sandra with her daughter and Liz from Torronto. It was a pleasure meeting you, badfans sure are the nicest people!!!
Minutes later Bryan and the boys took the stage and played for 2 hours and 15 minutes. They ripped through the set, giving it all they had, with throbbing veins, guitar strings popping and guitars-a-dropping (oops Keith). They started with “So Far So Good” with Bryan using the gold gretsch , what a beauty! Really loved hearing it live and it is a great opener. From the very start, the reception was outrageous. They went into Somebody and This Time and with each song the audience just got louder. I must also add that the acoustics and sound in that place were incredible! I was having too much fun to jot down a set list but I’m sure it’s the same as the other nights in the maritimes.
Bryan mentioned he feels as though he’s been in Halifax for a week cause he woke up in the morning with the same view he had from a week ago...lol. He then proceeded to say that this year he’s already been to South Africa, Pakistan, India, etc.... and that is anyone needs a vacation he sure has a lot of frequent flyer points.....lol. He then said: “life is long, don’t let anyone ever tell you that life is short, life is long!” He’s accomplished so much in his life that I can definitely see where he’s coming from by saying that. Great words of inspiration!
In my opinion, the highlight of the show last night had to be Cuts Like A Knife. After the song, the audience’s reaction didn’t seem to be ending, and Bryan just stood there in awe. After the crowd finally settled down, Bryan said that could have been the best response EVER. Kids Wanna Rock was very different. It was done acoustically with Keith on the Spanish guitar. While the rock version will always be my favorite live song, it wasn’t all bad. I was just thrilled it was played as Bryan sometimes omits it from the set list. I guess I’ll compare it to the time Heaven was changed to a faster version. For some (like Teresa :) ) it was hit from the beginning, for others it took some getting use to. I personally applaud Bryan for trying something different (take a look at the MTV Unplugged album), and once you see Keith’s finger-work on that spanish guitar you will most likely appreciate the change, believe me! :))) Bloody amazing! Gary gets a nice solo in there too and Bryan sang a verse from the song “Get It On” (by T-Rex) in there too , so that made it even more interesting.
Hearts on Fire, what can I say, always a favorite! The WYG girl was a young girl named Megan. She did pretty well, ran away from Bryan a couple of times, but she got Keith on his knees playing in front of her, him lovin every minute of it too..lol. Was cool to see something different. For It’s Only Love, Bryan invited Kathleen Edwards to join him and it was again something different. They did very well together and when introducing her Bryan stated she was one of his favorite new artists and that she was the future of Canadian music. Bryan really enjoyed himself up there with her. Towards the end on Run To You, Keith threw his guitar up in the air, it was twirling and came down so fast that it hit the stage (all I saw was a cloud of dust from the impact) and then bounced off into the pit area. Poor Keith, he looked so naked without his guitar, by the time he got another one, Bryan finished the song. I hope no major damage occurred.
Ahhhh, now for Best Of Me. Of course, he came down into the crowd, went to the right side of the stage first and when he came on our side he stopped right in front of us. I gave him my hand and pulled him up and put my arm around his waist, closed my eyes and put my head against his chest. Next thing I know, I opened my eyes and all I could see was flesh.....OMG...his shirt was over my head. When did that happen? Holy Smokes! People were pushing over my head trying to get a piece of Bryan, here I thought it was their hands swarming over my head when what I actually felt was his shirt go over my head. All too soon, it was time to come up for some air...breathe, breathe, breathe. I was a very happy girl. Plus, I also caught one of Mickey’s drumsticks after the first set, how lucky was I? I can’t even begin to describe the crowd for the acoustic encore. He told us to go home already, but they just didn’t let up. First was Please Forgive Me, then Straight From the Heart, the All For Love and he finished with Remember. But before Remember, he said it was going to be the last song cause he didn’t have dinner yet. At the end, when he got a word in, he thanked Halifax for being such a great audience and he said that he will remember Halifax not for his award, but for that night! He then said be good to each other, take care of each other and then just said I Love You and walked off. WOW! Afterwards, we waited by the tour bus with our new baddie friends :) and first came out Gary and Norm who signed stuff, their hands probably frozen, bless them....very sweet! Then came out Keith who also signed and posed for some pics and right after out came Bryan. There was quite a large group waiting and I didn’t think he would stay. He went on the bus and signed for everyone from there. When it was my turn I handed him my ticket to sign and he looks at me and in a teasing voice said: “aren’t you the one who was sucking my belly?” Oh dear, he knew who I was...lol...I said yes and I must have turned a deep shade of purple. I thanked him for a fantastic show and congratulated him on his award. I also mentioned that all his NY baddies are waiting for him and he looks at me with that great big smile and says: “I can’t wait”. Had
we known about the gigs in the US in May before these gigs went on sale, we probably
would have passed on this one but, I am so glad we didn’t. We met some wonderful
new baddies and also got to explore another wonderful Canadian city. *********** Review
by Stephen Cooke (Herald.ca): ""Bryan Adams has had so many hits, he wouldn’t have to work another day in his life,"" said singer-songwriter Kathleen Edwards, opening for the newest Juno Hall of Fame member at the Halifax Metro Centre on Thursday night. ""He could just play New York or L.A. once a year, maybe Vegas, and that’s all he’d have to do. But instead he comes to the Maritimes to play for you. Truly, he’s a Canadian man at heart."" It does seem as if Adams’ chart-topping power ballad (Everything I Do) I Do It For You was written for his fans, who still pack arenas worldwide to hear a long string of hits that spread back over 25 years. Halifax was no exception, as Adams returned to the city and venue where he received his Juno Awards honour only five days before. ""I feel like I’ve been here a week,"" grinned the globetrotting Adams between songs. ""Of course we were here last week, but then I looked out my window this morning and saw the view and I thought maybe I’d been here all week. ""I really love this city; today I was walking down the street and this guy passed me and said, "Hey aren’t you? . . . Naaaah . . .’ Of course there was no mistaking Adams as he ripped into hits like I Need Somebody and This Time, getting the crowd to its feet instantly, and playing to it as much as possible, using the far right and left platforms to get as close to the fans as he could. There were occasional flashes of new material – like the Springsteen-esque Open Road from his latest CD Room Service – but for the most part it was the tried and true, with an emphasis on the rocking titles, like the anthem 18 ’Til I Die, which was accompanied by a lot of shouting and fist pumping from the crowd of largely non-18-year-olds, and Summer of ’69. which Adams played on a vintage green Gretsch, while guitarist Keith Scott held his axe out over the front row as fans eagerly attempted to strum it. ""It’s great when your songs can cross boundaries,"" said Adams, describing his route to the Maritimes via South Africa, India, Pakistan and the Middle East. ""As a songwriter, it’s the greatest thing you could wish for. ""This is a song I wrote after lunch 14 years ago . . . it was inspired by a sandwich, I wish I could remember the recipe."" With that, Adams launched into (Everything I Do) I Do It For You, as hundreds of lighters went up in the air, and groups of female fans linked arms and swayed back and forth. They got a little more rambunctious after Cuts Like a Knife though, as the crowd stamped their feet and screamed during an extended ovation that even left Adams taken aback. ""That’s gotta be the best response we’ve ever had in the Maritimes,"" he beamed. He also got a big response when he pulled 16-year-old Hants East Rural High student Meghan Skinner out of the crowd to sing Baby When You’re Gone. Despite a sore throat, the onetime Sporty Spice wannabe strutted like a pro, and even joined Scott in some choice air guitar. Other highlights of the two-and-a-half hour show included a bluesy, acoustic treatment of Kids Wanna Rock, with a deft Gary Breit keyboard solo and a slice of T-Rex’s Bang a Gong (Get It On), and a duet with opener Kathleen Edwards on It’s Only Love, with the Juno-nominated Ottawa roots-rocker taking the part originally sung by Tina Turner. ""I don’t have her voice or her legs,"" she warned Adams. ""Yeah, but you’re Canadian,"" he grinned. And that’s what matters most. Setlist: | |||
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® 2006 18 Til I Die.co.uk. All
rights reserved.
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Photos by Alicja, Theresa, Wendy and the Herald
Opening the show with 'So Far So Good'... the end of the 'Room Service Guitar'?
"18 Til I Diiiie!"
Bryan lovin' it onstage
Bryan rockin' out in Halifax
BA on his strat
Bryan gettin' the 'Back To You Bounce' goin'
"The Only Thing I Want..."
The K-man!
BA and support act Kathleen Edwards doing 'It's Only Love'
Bryan onstage |
