TORONTO - Bryan Adams may live in a completely different sphere than most of his fans -- one where he interacts with royalty, supermodels and Pamela Anderson. But he has never forgotten how to connect with them.

At last night's Air Canada Centre show -- Adams' first in the venue, as he announced proudly -- that fact was evident in the extremely warm reaction the crowd gave to every single song he played.

Young girls and couples in their 30s and 40s clapped, sang along, lit up their lighters and cellphones and danced in the aisles as Adams told his tales about nostalgia for lost youth -- even if he was too young to have done much in the summer of '69 -- the pleasures and trials of relationships and the power of rock 'n' roll to transport its listeners beyond their ordinary lives.

Adams is touring in support of his latest album, Anthology, a two-CD collection of hits, plus three new recordings, that spans his quarter-century-long career. So the show served as a kind of primer on his working guy riff rock, and a scan through 25 years of Canrock at the same time.

The hit-laden set list reached as far back as 1981 with Lonely Nights, and included other early hits like This Time, Somebody, Cuts Like A Knife, Summer Of '69 and Heaven as well as later smashes like Can't Stop This Thing We Started, The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You and the dreaded (Everything I Do) I Do It For You.

Adams, still boyish at 46 in black T-shirt and jeans, played everything with seemingly boundless energy and infectious enthusiasm.

When it came time to tackle the catchy Spice Girl duet When You're Gone, which he re-recorded with Pamela Anderson for Anthology, Adams picked a volunteer from the audience to come up on stage and gamely sing her part.

It was a big crowd pleaser, perhaps even bigger than bringing out Anderson herself would have been. That's how devoted his fans are.

R&B artist Divine Brown was an unusual choice to open for Adams, but the powerhouse Toronto singer made it clear she's meant for the big stage, winning over the Adams crowd with originals like U Shook Me and the outstanding Old Skool Love from her self-titled gold album as well as covers of Joni Mitchell and Aretha Franklin songs. Nervy, but she pulled it off.