Bryan Adams

I knew it had to happen eventually. A certain special someone I know is really into the music of the Canadian-born artist Bryan Adams. Well as fate would have it, he was due to appear at the Town Ballroom here in downtown Buffalo, NY on Wednesday, May 7, 2008 at 8 P.M. It was mentioned that since this was a solo acoustic performance that the tickets would get snapped up quickly. Saturday morning I sprang into action and went right to the Tickets.com web site and set up camp on BA’s specific page for tickets. Week later, two tickets for the show arrive.
For the record, I’m not someone who could say they are a fan of Bryan’s music. As I was on my way to the show, I reflected on how much this guy’s music has been like a soundtrack to my life. I grew up in the 80’s and came to like good arena rock anthems and this guy had them in spades. Even today, you can hardly play your radio without hearing his songs. Even more impressive is how well I know his songs even though I don’t consider myself an active fan (I don’t even own any of his CD’s nor do I have any of his songs in my online library on Rhapsody). His songs do have a way of sticking in your head long after being heard and that’s a good thing. I knew this was going to be an interesting performance. Just BA, acoustic guitar, with some harmonica for good measure, and no opening act to speak of. The show was standing room only with not a chair or table in sight. Near as I could tell, it was packed to capacity. Also helped that tickets were $25/piece which to me is a total bargain in a an era where dropping $80 to $200 per ticket is common.
For someone like me who is not a fan, this guy rocked his heart out last night. He played great, sang great, and owned the crowd from the moment he came out. He didn’t need a band at all - he WAS the band! This was to be a promo tour for his upcoming album entitled “11″ so he started with a few tunes from that. Along the way he included all sorts of his hits right from his start in the early 80’s. He performed with the authority of a veteran musician and the energy of an 18 year old. Guitar playing was great, his singing was spot on, and he was very nice to the audience. He also varied from his set list by including an audience request. I found myself on many occasions starting to sing along with crowd. Sometimes it seemed like the crowd tried to take over singing of the song which Bryan really seemed to enjoy.
I’ve read a number of reviews on his music and he is no critic’s favorite that’s for sure. I think a lot of music critics are put off by the simplicity of his music. His messages are very straight forward as is his music. He started as more of a rocker who morphed into performing lots of epic ballads heard on movies. That’s usually not going to get you a lot of critical acclaim as an artist, but in Bryan’s case I don’t think he needs it. The audience sure didn’t seem to care last night. They sang, danced, even held up a few lighters. Bryan entertained, did it with guts and style, and as far as I’m concerned the audience got way more than their money’s worth out of that show. I’d gladly go and see him again if he keeps performing like the way he did last night. Only thing you can ask is that he keeps coming up with new material for the future.