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07/02/09 - MCPHERSON
PLAYHOUSE , VICTORIA, BC A continuous wash of deja vu tugged at the core of last night's sold-out Bryan Adams concert. Exactly why became clear midway through his two hour, two encore, 26-song set: Adams, 49, looks and sounds and acts and sings like he looked and sounded and acted and sang when it was 1984. He even had help, late in the set, from someone who was a big part of his life back then: Jim Vallance, his longtime co-writer. Vallance joined Adams on The Best Was Yet to Come, the first time the two had performed the song publicly since it was written in the early '80s, according to Adams. The performance, given the pair's tumultuous, on-and-off relationship during the 1990s, was a rare treat. It was as if the two had never parted company. The same sense of ageless wonder came though in the crowd. Sure, tickets for his ultra-rare solo acoustic performance topped $130, which dictated that only the Adams superfan would be present. But this was a crowd of absolute devotees; their energy was something to behold. Minus a few hundred decibels, it was as if Reckless had just hit the streets and the McPherson Playhouse was Wembley Stadium. Adams worked for it. Every laugh, gesture or story was heartfelt. He was wasn't sporting his trademark white T-shirt (opting instead for a classy, long-sleeved black shirt) but he had his working clothes on, per se. Vancouver's most famous rock 'n' roll son, even though he was born in Ontario, has a catalogue of hits that are among the most played in Canadian history. Hearing them for the thousandth time on the radio isn't a revelation, but the treatment Adams gave Run to You, Can't Stop This Thing We Started and Cuts Like a Knife -- which still slices and dices, in case you were wondering -- was immensely appealing. He changed riffs and refrains on some songs, but not to the point that he neglected the originals (Summer of '69 was slower, but Adams was still able to produce lyrical images of summertime melancholy.) And if he chose not to include a famous song or two -- I'm Ready was noticeably absent -- he honoured their legacy by dropping a unique cover or B-side nugget as a peace offering. Adams performed brilliantly on Seven Spanish Angels (originally a 1985 duet between Ray Charles and Willie Nelson), and touched on nearly every album in his catalogue. And though he was joined on some tracks by piano player Gary Bright, Adams was the centre of attention. He was groomed for the part, singing the verses on It's Only Love like Tina Turner, and aping Sting during a bang-on rendition of All For Love. As far as once-in-a-lifetime concerts are concerned, this ranked up there. Way up there. Setlist: | |||
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