EDMONTON -- The Canadian king of arena rock isn't going to play a theatre without a few tricks up his sleeve.
The best one at Bryan Adams' sold-out concert in the Jubilee Auditorium last night was how surprisingly well his big, simple rock anthems translated to the intimate setting. Dressed in white on a white stage while playing white instruments lit by white lights - making the few splashes of colour mean so much more (take it as a metaphor for his music, if you like) - the 40-year-old rocker pulled out his hits while playing bass, accompanied by only two musicians: Keith Scott on guitar and Mickey Curry on drums.
While the lack of bombast was refreshing, there were moments of uncomfortable emptiness. Songs like Cuts Like a Knife could've used another guitar. And as a bassist, Adams makes a terrific singer. Only a few times did he manage to hit the pocket just right. Rock Steady wasn't one of them - it was anything but.
But once Bryan's Above Average White Band hit its stride, they could do no wrong. An adoring crowd of 2,700 provided enthusiastic backup vocals wherever required. They sang half the first verse of Summer of '69 by themselves and most of Straight From the Heart, as well. By then, a couple of hundred fans had rushed the stage. A Canadian flag banner was brought out: "Bryan Adams Rocks Canada!" which seemed to sum up the sentiment of the evening.
With nothing but the star's raspy vocals broken up by guitar solos, it could've become tedious were it not for Scott's tasty playing. Fluent on electric, slide and Spanish guitar, he turned out to be Bryan's secret weapon. He was a pleasure to listen to.
And now we come to trick No. 3: Getting an audience member to sit in. It worked beautifully, as it always does. The victim ... er, volunteer this time was Jan the choir teacher from Grande Prairie, brought up to sing backups on When You're Gone. They made fun of her operatic vocal style afterwards. The crowd ate it up.
Adams has played out this scenario thousands of times before, of course. Seemingly unaffected by the smaller venue, he knew exactly what to do, how to pace the set, where to slow it down, where to rock out, where to talk. It was amazing to realize that nearly every song he played was a big hit in some form or another. In many cases, they sounded stronger uncluttered by production then they do on record. Even the gooey love ballads seemed to come off better, and not just because he's switched to acoustic guitar. The early highlight was (Everything I Do) I Do It For You. More ballads would follow, sprinkled strategically throughout the two hour-plus show. He's done it again: Say what you like about his songs, Adams is a master showman in any setting.
Bryan then and now
In 1998, Bryan Adams played the Building Formerly Known as the Coliseum. Before that, in 1994, he was at the stadium-sized Big Sky concert. Last night, it was the Jubilee Auditorium.
Is Adams' popularity shrinking? Now that he's turned 40, is he ready to settle down into the soft-seater circuit? It didn't seem that way last night. Here's a wee comparison study:
OPENING SONG - 1995: Summer of '69; 1998: The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me (Is You); 2000: Back To You
SET LIST - 1995: All the hits; 1998: All the hits; 2000: All the hits.
SPECIAL EFFECTS - 1995: Mini-stage interlude in the middle of the crowd; 1998: A bevy of fashion models parading across the stage; 2000: Cool lighting.
STAGE DESIGN - 1995: Great big "Hudson's Bay" logo and a 200,000 watt sound system; 1998: Big rock clutter and on-stage bleachers filled with contest winners; 2000: Austere. White on white with white lights.
INSTRUMENTATION - 1995: Guitar, guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, backup singers; 1998: Guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, percussion, backup singers, uilleann pipes; 2000: Guitar, bass and drums. Adams played bass.
OPENING ACTS - 1995: Over three days, every Canadian who ever performed on the Rita MacNeil show, including Rita MacNeil; 1998: None; 2000: None.
CROWD - 1995: 30,000 screaming fans on their feet from the start; 1998: 11,000 screaming fans on their feet from the start; 2000: 2,700 screaming fans who remained seated (except for the ones that stormed the stage).
OVERALL FEEL OF SHOW - 1995: Meat 'n' potatoes rock; 1998: Meat 'n' potatoes rock; 2000: Meat 'n' potatoes rock - hold the gravy. Are you hungry yet?
CROWD SINGALONGS - 1995: Yes; 1998: Yes; 2000: Yes.
COMMENT - 1995: "Big Sigh ends in a big bluster of Canadian rock 'n' roll from a master showman"; 1998 - "The musical equivalent of a Big Mac: tasty, filling and predictable"; 2000 - "A showman in any setting."
Canadian Tour Reviews
