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21/07/08 -
CHARLESTON MUSIC HALL, CHARLESTON, SC Review by Steven Stanley: Don't get me wrong I love my loud electric guitars, and you may often find me nodding off when BA pulls out the acoustic during an arena show... but these little theatre shows are so damn cool. When I last saw Bryan do an acoustic show it was the church gig in London... one of his first solo acoustic shows. Back then he was still experimenting with the notion of entertaining a crowd with just him and an acoustic guitar... the gig didn't last an hour. Fast forward to July and we've got a 2 hour plus show packed with setlist changes and jokes! The solo acoustic show has come such a long way since March. Bryan was SO relaxed onstage and the afore mentioned jokes just kept on coming, he was constantly taking the piss out of the audience! Nobody dared move a muscle incase it was their turn next... all in good humour of course! Compared to the scripted live shows he does with his band nowadays it was like watching a different person up there... it was like the Bryan from the 90's who just went onstage and let anything happen. Such a refreshing change. One particular woman (obviously a member of the press) was sat front row and had a HUGE camera with a monster of a lense on it. Bryan said "Jesus do you want pictures of my nostril hair or what!" Then jokes about him sticking it up his ass with a monster tub of lube followed... it just wasn't your standard Bryan Adams show. He re-worked a lot of songs like 'Here I Am' & 'Let's Make A Night To Remember' which were both brilliant...'Here I Am' especially was outstanding. If he did that in an arena I'd be frowning... but here in this situation it was perfect. I remember Darren saying that the acoustic show in NYC was so good because nobody rushed to the stage like in the UK... they just sat down and listened to the music. That was the case in Charleston, and I must say I wouldn't have had it any other way. You appreciate it a lot more and you really get to listen to the songs properly.
'I'm Not Leavin' You (No Matter What You Do)' was a song Bryan made up on the spot... damn he's talented because it was awesome! 'She's Got A Way' was only done for the 2nd time acoustically tonight as well. Keith was sat in the audience all night and at the end he got up to do 3 numbers with Bryan. So, a BRILLIANT day! We started out by going to the beach, then went to meet Bryan in Walmart at a CD signing... back to the hotel for free alcohol & food with the hotel manager (we kept on drinking until 10 minutes before showtime!), then a BA show. Thats how gigging should be done... not queueing all day at a concrete Arena. Though granted come Sheffield in October I'll be there :) All in all one of the best shows I've done. A long drive to Florida awaited...
Setlist: ********** Review by Devin Grant (Special to The Post and Courier): I'll fully admit that back in the '80s, where I conveniently spent all of my teenage years, I was a Bryan Adams fan. He was all over MTV back when the channel actually played music videos, and the Canadian rocker always seemed safely cool thanks to songs such as "Cuts Like a Knife" and "Summer of '69." As I got older and transitioned to edgier musical fare, the cassette tape of "Reckless" that used to blare from my Walkman as I mowed the lawn began to gather dust, and by the time Adams' syrupy ballad "Everything I Do I Do It For You" was playing every second of every day at the end of that decade, I had pretty much abandoned Mr. Adams. So when I heard that he would be performing, solo and acoustic no less, at the Charleston Music Hall, something from my rock fan past began to stir. I knew I would have to check the show out. I honestly had no idea what to expect. In the nearly two decades since I last listened to his music, Adams had become something of an adult contemporary favorite. I never really cared for the ballads, although judging by the size of Adams' bank account, I am obviously in the minority in that case. As the crowd settled into their seats in the sold out Charleston Music Hall, Adams walked out on stage with no fanfare, stepped up to the lone microphone onstage, and after the cheers had died down, launched into a nearly two-hour string of hits. I had expected the whole affair to be akin to the sort of schmaltzy work Adams has become known for as of late. Instead, I learned a couple of things about Adams, such as the fact that he can easily connect with an audience, he has a moderately dirty mind, and at times he can even make an acoustic guitar rock out. Early on in the show Adams caught sight of a guy in the front row holding a sign asking for a guitar pick, and the artist good-naturedly tossed one to the fan. A couple of songs later he called attention to a woman in the front row who was sporting a camera with a very large lens. Jokes that can't be printed in a family newspaper ensued, and several times during the show when the woman raised the sizable camera to take pictures, Adams swiveled so that his posterior was pointed at the lens, drawing hoots and laughs from the crowd. Later, when Adams called out a woman in the balcony who was headed to the lobby, another female fan called out, "I'm not leaving you!" While never getting out of hand, the crowd was definitely rambunctious, and Adams seemed amused enough that he remarked a couple of times that it was a wonder he hadn't visited the Lowcountry sooner. As far as the music went, I had forgotten just how many good songs Adams has written. I found myself reliving my teenage years while listening to the likes of "Cuts Like a Knife," "It's Only Love" (during which Adams did a passable Tina Turner impression), and "Run to You." Adams also played new material off his just-released CD, "11," such as "I Thought I'd Seen Everything," and yes, he did indeed delve deep into the ballads, making the female fans swoon with tunes such as "Let's Make a Night to Remember" and "Heaven." I found it a bit interesting that Adams needed a podium with lyric sheets in front of him, given that he wrote most of the songs performed, but at least he didn't go the Axl Rose route by using a teleprompter. During the first encore Adam performed "Straight from the Heart," before inviting the lead guitar player from his band, Keith Scott, up on stage to play along on "This Time" and "Somebody." Adams then returned twice more to perform "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman" and "All For Love" before shaking a few hands in the front row and bidding the crowd good night. Amazingly, he did not play "Everything I Do I Do It For You," which is arguably his biggest hit. I personally had no problem with that, but I heard a few fans lamenting that omission on the way out. Whatever the case, while I doubt I'll pick up a copy of "11," it was nice to relive a bit of my youth, and it was refreshing to see an artist engage the audience and have a little fun, instead of picking a point at the back of the hall and churning out the songs. It was enough to get me to dust off my copy of Adams' hits CD, "So Far So Good," and give it a listen while I wrote this review. I could almost smell the cut grass and gasoline of my youth. | |||
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PART OF THE 'AMERICA 2008' FILM Pictures by Steven Stanley & Devin Grant
The Charleston Music Hall, intimate little local theatre next to our hotel.
Bryan takes to the stage with 'Tonight We Have The Stars'
Bryan on guitar
The day started with us drivin' to the beach!...
...where much shagging was had...
...then off to Walmart to meet Bryan surrounded by Dr Peppers in the Jewellery section, before free drinks with the hotel manager! |
