Bryan Adams for the win!

I went to my third Bryan Adams show last week, after a 19 year hiatus which was much, much too long.  I always talk about Bon Jovi or Michael Buble in terms of music I like, but I have, in fact, been a Bryan Adams fan since before I ever knew Bon Jovi existed.  I’m just not, y ‘know, totally rabid and scary about it. :o)  I save the rabidity for the Jovi, but I can do overkill with anything I like.  Just as anyone who reads my Facebook status updates can attest.

The last time I saw BA live was April 9, 1992 in Charlotte, NC at a show I attended with my college roommate Kelli. So it was more than fitting that I break my Adams fast with Kelli as my “partner in crime”.  BA is on his “Bare Bones Tour” that he’s been doing shows for since 2008 I believe. It’s just him and his acoustic guitar and a pianist to accompany some of the songs and let me say, it’s amazing. I think I enjoyed it more than the other times I’ve seen him live (not that I have sharp memories of those shows I’m sorry to say after 20 years or so) because there wasn’t so much “racket”.  Concerts are, by their nature, pretty loud events and folks are screaming and singing along.  There was certainly that at this show, but there was quiet too.  Quiet so you could hear the singer and the songs.  And you could hear the patter between singer and audience.  He even took the request of “It’s Only Love” at one point and had the requester stand up and tell him her name.  I must say, BA does a passable imitation of Tina Turner as well. LOL

Of course, taking one request led to people constantly screaming out songs and finally he looked at some woman down front who called out something and said, “Look. Here’s how it’s going to work… I’ve kind of got this set list in my head that I’m going to follow…”  But he was good-natured about it and laughing.  As he did when an audience member yelling out for him to play “(I Wanna Be) Your Underwear”. 

Magazine cover from 1985 that I found in a scrapbook.

There were no photos allowed at the show which was a bummer since I love to take pics at concerts, but I can respect the rules. Unfortunately, so many people could not. No one was kicked out, but having security going after them constantly was a tad distracting.  However, it’s not like Bryan changes his look much – which is more than fine by me. I’ve always thought the man was a hottie and age hasn’t changed my opinion.  He looked like, well, Bryan Adams. LOL  Jeans, black shirt, black work boots.  If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. 

He’s good with the audience patter and rather self-deprecating at times.  I know he’s a very private person who doesn’t give out tons of details about himself and I also got the impression that maybe he’s rather shy.  You don’t think about public figures are being shy or quiet, but I imagine it’s hard having millions of people think that they know you just because they’ve read about you or seen you on a chat show or listen to your songs. 

At one point when it was quiet in the audience before a song a woman yelled out, “Congratulations on the baby!” (He is expecting his first child in May with his assistant.)  He waited a beat and looked down at the floor and said quietly, “Thank you.”  I had wondered if anyone would be ballsy enough to say something about his impending fatherhood and he didn’t seem upset in that moment just… quiet.  Again, everybody all up in your business.

I promised my friend Naomi over at Chasing Inspiration a set list and here it is – or at least what I can remember! – but not in any particular order:

Run to You (show opener)

Here I am

Back to You (my personal favorite)

I’ll Always Be Right There

Somebody

Summer of ‘69

It’s Only Love

Not Romeo,  Not Juliet

The Only Thing that Looks Good on Me is You

Let’s Make a Night to Remember

Straight From the Heart

This Time

Heaven

Cuts Like a Knife

Alberta Bound (which he changed, of course, to Carolina Bound)

Can’t Stop This Thing We’ve Started

Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?

Everything I Do (I Do it For You)

Please Forgive Me

I Still Miss You… A Little Bit

That’s not a comprehensive list because I just can’t remember all the songs.  There was one I did not recognize but can’t suss it out from looking at song titles on his web site.  I recognized all the songs except for that and “Alberta Bound” because I’d been brushing up on my Bryan for the past few weeks since I like to sing along… or at least lip synch to spare everyone from my voice. :o)  The songs that got the biggest reactions were predictably "Summer of 69" and "Everything I Do..."  which are not bad songs, but I have others I like better.  *shrugs*  Everybody's different!

Another scrapbook page with an advert for the Waking Up the Neighbors record, early 90s

That was another great aspect to me of the show – the folks in the audience knew those songs. I can’t stand being at a Jovi show and when they do new material (which is frequently defined to some as anything after Slippery When Wet) and folks sit down and almost ignore the band.  It’s so silly to me and annoying as well.  Why pay that much to go to a show if you don’t know the songs or worse, don’t care about them?  Concert tickets are far from cheap, so it seems like a waste to me. I only go to shows when I know I like the band and the songs.  But I know not everyone is that way. Fortunately, however, that is how the audience was for Bryan.  Such a refreshing change from a Jovi show.

Kelli and I with the tour bus int he background. Only pic we'll get!

I had been making jokes about looking for his tour bus all night and as we drove off, Kelli and I actually saw the bus and a few folks waiting by it.  So we decided to do what any intelligent women somewhat out of their teenage years would do – we stopped and joined the people waiting!  At first we were only going to wait for about 30 minutes, but then we kept extending it and ended up waiting an hour and a half until the man himself came out to get on this bus.  Bless him, pro that he is, they lined us up down the side of the bus and we got to go on and get something signed.  No photos allowed, unfortunately, and from talking to a couple of women also waiting who have met him several times before, that’s not unusual. Apparently he doesn’t like having his picture taken, so when the man with him said no photos and the lighting was bad, we weren’t surprised.  It would have been nice to have a picture with him, but I take lousy photos myself and if the man doesn’t want his taken, I can respect that. There are tons of pics of him with fans around the net, but again, not a big deal. It has also made me think in the past few days once again about how hard it must be to a celebrity.  People want your time, you photo, they want you really and if you gave and gave, what would be left for just…you.  So really, can’t blame the man for not wanting possibly unflattering photos out there in the world 

Considering the blithering idiot I would surely become if I ever met David Bryan, I have to say I wasn’t having a teenager girlie hissy fit over this.  Oh, I was excited, don’t misunderstand, but not flipping out which is totally how I would expect myself to react since it’s my standard MO. 

I could not find my ticket so Kelli had given me hers which I felt very bad about later because when she handed him a piece of paper to sign he said, “Where is your ticket?” and we had to explain that she’d given hers to me. And, of course, I found mine about 1 minute after we got into the car.  But with signatures in hand we headed on home.  I’m not sure I’d call the experience surreal, but it was… odd. I don’t make it a habit of managing to meet or see famous people, so this was pretty cool to me.  Having been a fan for nearly 30 years it was so odd to be standing about 2 feet away from the man and having a short conversation.  Which mostly consisted of him saying he hoped we had a good time and Kelli telling him how we’d seen him in 1992 together as college roommates.  The last thing he said as I exited the bus was, “I hope you enjoyed the show” and I replied with something like, “Yes, it was amazing. Thank you so much.” And looked right into his eyes.  That was in lieu of my photo I guess.  I just wanted some eye contact! 

Everyone got their autograph and went happily on their way.  He didn’t have to do that, but he was gracious even though I’m sure he was tired.  Not just from the show, but from doing that in general for years everywhere he goes.  He won’t remember me and that’s just fine. But I’ll remember that he was nice. Soft-spoken. Still pretty darned dreamy at age 51.  I’ll remember all of that and the next time I shell out money for a CD or a concert ticket, it’ll be a little easier to part with my hard-earned money knowing that he’s nice to his fans and a decent guy.