WINNIPEG -- They may not be kids anymore, but fans of Bryan Adams still wanna rock.
At least, that was the impression left by the 2,305 fans who caught the Canuck singer/songwriter's performance last night at the Centennial Concert Hall.
Though many of the mostly thirtysomething crowd didn't seem quite sure how to behave at first -- should they sit or stand, clap or stomp, smile or howl -- it didn't take them long to lose it once their white-clad good guy hit the stage.
From the opening strains of Back to You through 18 Til I Die and Can't Stop This Thing We Started, Adams let it be known with his first three tunes that his show was going to be neither a staid nor pompous production. The scrappy native of Kingston, Ont., makes no bones about the fact he's a pop/rock traditionalist and that all he wants is his fans to have a good time.
So have a good time they did, while Adams and his longtime sidemen Keith Scott (guitars) and Mickey Curry (drums) conducted a veritable clinic on how to put together an '80s rock 'n' roll show.
Clinic is the appropriate word, too -- not only because the three players (Bryan wields a bass on this tour) are wearing matching white clothes and playing against a white backdrop, but also because Adams has been a radio fixture for the past 20 years, and if anyone knows how to put together a CanCon hit parade, it's the guy they used to call The Kid.
And so it rolled, a live jukebox filled with nothing but Adams hits.
Straight from the Heart took the edge off the uptempo opening troika, just as Summer of '69 immediately picked up the pace, with Adams and Scott racing from one side of the concert hall stage to the other. The singer even had to operate the guitarist's wah-wah pedal at one point, as both men were in the wrong places.
It's Only Love became a stomping, riff rock guitar workout for Scott (a classic, Les Paul/Strat through Marshalls kind of axeman). Then came (Everything I Do) I Do it for You, which fared rather well without the lush production it was given on the Robin Hood soundtrack and on Waking Up The Neighbours.
Armed with just his raw throat and an acoustic six-string at song's beginning, Adams reminded listeners that his biggest hit is also one of his prettiest melodies.
The show's understated production values mirrored Adams approach to Everything I Do. Using colour very sparingly, Adams and co. relied instead on a series of white strobes, siren lights and spots to illuminate what they were doing. When the house lights came up, as they did on several occasions, the crowd roared with delight -- even carrying the tune on Summer of '69.
The effect was almost that of an intimate barroom gig. No frills, no smoke and mirrors, just three guys, some Fenders, some Gibsons, some drums and a pocket full of good songs.
For those who love Adams, it rocked.
JAM! Rating: 4 out of 5
Canadian Tour Reviews
Jubilee Auditorium, Edmonton - Jan 19, 2000
Massey Hall, Toronto - Jan. 11, 2000
National Arts Centre, Ottawa - Jan. 8, 2000
Metro Centre, Halifax - Jan. 4, 2000
