It may feel like we haven’t seen him since the Summer of 69, but in fact it’s been six years since Canadian rockstar Bryan Adams toured our Australian shores.
This time Adams has brought his So Happy It Hurts Tour which kicked off in New Zealand last week, with the first Australian show in our great city of Melbourne. The sizzling summer weather accompanied the hordes of keen concert-goers en route to Rod Laver Arena, ready for their hot date with Bryan Adams. Hitting the bar to hydrate before the show, I saw the crowd chomping at the bit to get to their seats and get the night started.
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Supporting the tour was UK singer-songwriter, James Arthur. The former X-Factor winner opened the night with his five-piece band, navigating through some of his biggest hits including ‘Celebrate’, ‘Impossible’, ‘Lasting Lover’, and my personal favourite, ‘Say You Won’t Let Go’. Arthur joked that he only had 12 fans in the room, but that could not be further from the truth with the majority of the audience singing along and fully engrossed in his heartfelt songs that showcase his hauntingly beautiful voice. His cover of Christina Perri’s love song ‘A Thousand Years’ had the crowd ecstatic and raring for the night ahead.
A sold-out show meant the arena was jam-packed, and with the balmy air thick with excited anticipation it was show time as the introduction video played out with the spoken intro to ’Kick Ass’ which revved the audience right up as it hit its crescendo into the music, which then had Bryan Adams appearing out of nowhere from the darkness of the stage. With the stage drenched in fiery red lighting, the crowd completely erupted and were up from their seats dancing.
Now I do have a confession to make that I was today years old when I realised in this moment that the bass player in Bryan Adams’ band is… Bryan Adams! With his three-piece band in tow, his classic hits were being thrown at us left, right, and centre with ‘Can’t Stop This Thing We Started’, ‘18 Til I Die’ and ‘Please Forgive Me’ absolutely rocking the room and had every single person in the place singing along. His music brings this huge hit of nostalgia, and it certainly had us ‘thinkin’ about our younger years’ as each song transported everyone back to a moment and memory in time.
With multiple mics set up around the stage, Bryan worked the whole area including the catwalk off the front of the stage, chopping and changing mics ensuring everyone in the audience got the best view possible. ‘Shine A Light’ is a song that was written for his father, however this night it was dedicated to the late great Michael Gudinski, as he’d been Bryan’s promoter since he first visited Australia back in 1984.
Putting on his most hilarious Australian accent, he exclaimed that he still expected Michael to come bowling in to say “Bloody hell Bryan! A sold-out show!” This was certainly a moving and goosebump inducing moment as the room was lit up with twinkling phone lights to set the mood for the moving song. Another moving dedication was to the legendary Tina Turner as he sang their duet ‘It’s Only Love’ and was certainly a crowd favourite.
90’s hit ‘When You’re Gone’ which he originally sang with Spice Girl Melanie C also had the crowd singing every word as he played an acoustic version with just his guitar. ‘The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You’ had the crowd going a little feral, and with it’s provocative lyrics and gritty guitar riff it’s certainly one of my personal favourites. Songs like ‘Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman’, ‘Heaven’ and ‘Everything I Do(I Do It For You)’ really got the hearts fluttering and the ladies swooning whilst they melted through the floor, and absorbing the tender lyrics of each I couldn’t help but think that with Valentines Day just around the corner a lot of blokes could take a leaf or six out of Bryan Adams’ book.
‘You Belong To Me’ brought some fun and hilarity as Adams told everyone it was a dance song and that the cameras would be looking for the best dancer but if you couldn’t dance, then taking your top off and swinging it above your head was a sufficient effort. Some of the sights on the big screen of the keen punters topless and shaking their thang really was hilariously entertaining.
Cruising through more classics like ‘Back To You’, ‘Summer of 69’ and ‘Run To You’, Bryan’s energy was high as he swapped between bass guitar, electric and acoustics guitars and even harmonica, and the crowd were hanging onto every single note. During the night there were two epic blimps that floated over the crowd, the first prior to him coming on was a huge silver boxing glove to promote his new song ‘Roll With The Punches’, and the second a large car with working head and brake lights with his name and ‘So Happy It Hurts’ scrawled up the side. A very cool edition to what was already an incredible show. Finishing off his banger-riddled set was ‘Cuts Like A Knife’ and a cover of Frankie Valli’s ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’, before embarking on an encore with a twist. Bryan invited James Arthur back on stage and together they sang James’ song ‘Rewrite The Stars’, before then disappearing from the stage to run through the crowd with his guitar and setting up camp at the other end of the arena on a small makeshift stage, giving those down the back a temporary front row seat. For this, he sang ‘Straight From The Heart’ that he had written for his dearly loved and supportive mother.
This was certainly a night that this passionate crowd would never forget, singing and dancing on their feet for its entirety to this rock and roll legend. Bryan Adams is a true icon in the music industry with his distinctly raspy but powerful voice and brilliant musicianship, and his genuine love and appreciation for his fans is evident in his interactions.
During this night alone he recognised and acknowledged a couple of dedicated fans who come to his shows every single time he’s in Melbourne, as well as getting a fan on stage to sign her arm (Shelley, My Dream) so she could get it tattooed after he’d read the sign she was holding up. With a tight band that includes lead guitarist Keith Scott and his face melting guitar solos, the talented group seem to genuinely have fun together on stage whilst they entertain the masses. Despite a career that has spanned over 40 years he’s still going strong and appears ageless as there is no hint of slowing down anytime in the next four decades. Bryan proved that he can till turn your fire on no matter who you are.
This was such a memorable and brilliant show and departing with a croaky voice from all the singing is a sure sign that this won’t be the last time that I see this rock icon in action.
This is one show not to miss so if ‘you’re wanderin’ around the house all night, wondering what the hell to do’, get your mits on some tickets and go and catch him whilst he’s here, because I can guarantee you won’t regret it.
