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10/01/07 -
SOVEREIGN PERFORMING ARTS
CENTER, READING, PA Review by Jim Kerr (Reading Eagle):
Fans who came to see Bryan Adams at the Sovereign Performing Arts Center got more than they bargained for Wednesday night, as the Canadian-born rocker put on two concerts of sorts. Playing to an audience that appeared to be about age 42 on average, Adams opened with a series geared at the younger set. Tunes such as “Open Road” from Adams' 2004 “Room Service” CD and the hard-rocking 1996 anthem to staying forever young, “18 Til I Die,” had the under 35s up in their seats and dancing early, while many older fans struggled to keep up with unfamiliar lyrics. Drawing from his 2005 “Anthology” CD, a 2-disc set of 36 songs from nearly 30 years of music, Adams showed why the great ones stick around. Though he appeared thinner than in years past and his hair is cropped short these days, the 47-year-old Adams is anything but an aging rocker.
For many in the sold-out crowd, things really didn't get going until about 40 minutes into the show, when Adams sung these words, “I got my first real six-string, bought it at the five-and-dime …” The nostalgic “Summer of '69' got the party started, as the five-piece band fed off the crowd's rousing reaction and the stage erupted in white light. It was the first signal to older fans that they were going to get what they came to hear vintage Bryan Adams from the early days of MTV. Adams seemed to realize it too, as he ramped up his voice and dared for the first time to stop singing and let the audience complete the lyrics. By the time he did “Cuts Like a Knife” two songs later, nearly everyone was up and shouting the “nah, nah, nah” refrain in unison, as Adams pointed the mic and encouraged more noise.
From there you could sense Adams was creating a connection with the Reading faithful that would last throughout the 2-hour show. He praised the Sovereign Performing Arts Center, calling it a “really beautiful venue,” and he wondered aloud, “Why haven't we ever played Reading before?” One highlight came from the audience itself, as Adams summoned a female fan to join him on stage in a duet of “When Your Gone,” a song that he performs on “Anthology” with Hollywood starlet Pamela Anderson. The lucky gal Wednesday night identified herself as Denise from Reading, a cake decorator at Sam's Club. After offering to bake Adams a cake, Denise showed no inhibition as she sang her part flawlessly, dancing and joking with Adams and at one point even patting him on the backside. Though the newer songs were OK, the night was special because of the old tunes that took listeners back to carefree days of youth when you'd “turn up your radio” to “This Time,” dance to “It's Only Love,” and slow it down for “Heaven.” After the band left, Adams stuck around for a solo set, including an unplugged version of “Straight From The Heart.” It was a cool way to end a great night.
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® 2007 18 Til I Die.co.uk. All rights
reserved.
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Thanks to Jason for the setlist. Pics by Alicja and Teresa Bodziony IN THE ACOUSTIC ENCORE OF THE SHOW BRYAN PLAYS 'I'LL ALWAYS BE RIGHT THERE' FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 05/01/00 IN CHARLOTTETOWN... NEARLY 7 YEARS TO THE DAY!
BA kicks off with 'Room Service'
Bryan rocks out on '69
He lets fans strum his Gretsch
A K-man solo on 'It's Only Love'!
Great shot of Keith
Bryan ending the show acoustically |
