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13/02/98 - MAPLE LEAF GARDENS, TORONTO Bryan and the dudes hit the Garden's stage at exactly 8.21pm. They played for 2 hours straight. First off, 'The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You' was played while a curtain at the back of the stage came down, which hid fans on a bridge, who won a radio contest. Meanwhile, at the front of the stage, little nymphs in scanty clothing paraded back and forth and gyrated in pairs to the music. Most of the women in the audience around me found it somewhat funny. The guys? They looked like they were more into the guitar playing. In between, a multitude of hits were played which flowed seemlessly one into the other. A lot of the arrangements were from the 'Unplugged' CD, which came out in December 1997. New songs, such as 'When You Love Someone' - accompanied on the Irish whistle by Davy Spillane, and the rousing 'Back To You' - a chart topper, were played to great applause by the audience. My favourite? The wonderfully laid back version of 'Fits Ya Good'. Originally it appeared on 'You Want It You Got It' and was the song that helped made me a bona fide Adams fan. This mondo cool version has a wonderful guitar solo in it played by Keith Scott. As well, there were the old stand-by's of 'Summer Of '69' and 'Heaven'. The former was the song of choice played by a makeshift band from the audience. While a woman, fresh from the gym and plucked out of the audience to play the tambourine, made her moves on guitarist Keith Scott (Do you work out?), another jumped up on stage, uninvited, and whined to Bryan about how she was supposed to have been onstage at the Amphitheatre last July, but some guy got up there instead. (Boo hoo, pass the tissues!) The singer was great - (Bryan asked him if he had garlic for dinner. Yep, he had garlic pizza). Dave Taylor (who looks a lot like that other bassist in U2, or is it just the haircut?) joined in with the band at centre stage a number of times, which he didn't seem to do at the Molson Amphitheatre show. Always professional. Now, if we could just get him to smile. Mickey Curry set the tone of the evening with his prowess on the drums. And he had a great rapport with the fans on the bridge behind him. From what I could see, they loved him right back. Extra percussion was played by Danny Cummings. Sporting a Canadian Olympics Roots Poorboy cap, Cummings looked as if he was having a grand time. Loved the bongos! "Wacky" Tommy Mandel on the keyboards always looks as if he's having his own private party. This guy is a treat to watch! A piano was setup beside his keyboards and his melodic playing could actually be heard. No mean feat in the Cavarnous Gardens! Finally, Keith Scott was in wonderful form. This can probably be attributed to the fact that on the latest 'Unplugged' CD, Scott's guitar playing is showcased. The Spanish guitar and mandolin are hypnotic. Just listening to his solo in the middle of 'Fits Ya Good' is mesmerizing. And what about Bryan? Well, what can you say about Bryan that hasn't already been said? Always the trooper, he came out onstage and apologized to the crowd in advance, incase we heard a couple of "sour notes" because he was suffering from a head cold. While fans at the front of the stage passed him lozenges and tissues throughout the evening, Bryan didn't miss a note! Here's a guy who genuinely looks as if he enjoys what he does for a living and always has a fantastic rapport with his audience. What a novelty in the superficial world of music!
(Above) The band and crew arrive in their winter warmers at the airport in a very cold Toronto! Setlist: | |||
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Thanks to Bryan King for the photos
Another big Toronto welcome for BA and the boys
Bryan takes it 'Straight From The Heart' |
