Hear/Say: America's College Music Magazine

		Features: Katy Perry Katy Perry Travis Franz Ferdinand Concert Connection Fall Out Boy Bryan Adams New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival Death Cab For Cutie Mates of State/Black Kids Morrissey Cornmeal / Cabinet Campus Correspondent Little Brazil The Tragically Hip J.J. Cale Grandmaster Flash Samantha Crain & the Midnight Shivers Green River Ordinance Rush Reel Big Fish Fastball A.C. Newman Dierks Bentley Beastie Boys Antony and the Johnsons War Child—Heroes, Vol. 1 KMFDM Lily Allen Ben Kweller John Frusciante

		Bad Boy Bill Mindy Smith Magnolia Electric Co. Dolores O’Riordan Ramona Falls Fact Doves Erasure Phish Iggy Pop And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead Mirah Owen Beverly Papa Roach An Horse Dan Deacon Peter Bjorn and John Sam Roberts Great Lake Swimmers Madina Lake Kelly Clarkson Red Jumpsuit Apparatus Mark Olson & Gary Louris The Soundtrack of Our Lives Thursday U2 Chris Cornell The Decemberists Meg & Dia Ace Enders & A Million Different People Sonicbids

		Doubt

Feature Issues
Click on the cover to view the list of
reviews and features from that issue

Bryan Adams
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Ford Center For the Performing Arts/ Chicago, IL

Review and Photo by Andy Argyrakis

For a guy who’s equally well known for his windows rolled down rock anthems as his emotional (albeit sometimes sappy) ballads, a solo acoustic show seemed like it would only cater to half a fan base. But as Bryan Adams and an acoustic guitar quickly pointed out with the opening cries of “Run To You,” he could display just as much aggression in unplugged environments as full band contexts. And across the next two hours alternating between first pumpers and love songs, it allowed his audience to discover songs of both format styles could translate to stripped down settings, hinting the Canadian hit maker may actually be underrated as a songwriter.

Though his glory days will always be the late ‘80s into the ‘90s, Adams also made it clear he’s got plenty of life left, releasing a steady stream of albums including the new 11, which was on display from the get go. “Tonight We’ve Got the Stars” was cut from a similar cloth as all his summertime sing-a-longs, which soon unfurled like an endless hit parade. From “Let’s Make It a Night To Remember” to “Can’t Stop This Thing We Started to “Heat of the Night,” there were plenty of reasons to smile and Adams seemed to be having the best time out of everyone.

He invited several anxious fans from the balcony down to a few empty seats down front, told stories on several occasions and even took a handful of requests. Sure there were plenty of obvious set list inclusions (like “Everything I Do” and “Cuts Like a Knife” for the billionth time), but there was also the fresh reflection “Mysterious Ways” and random rarities like “Cloud Number Nine” and “Kids Wanna Rock.”

Adams also demonstrated a warm sense of humor, poking fun at his sappy ballad “Please Forgive Me,” suggesting it could be a country song and singing a verse with a full-fledged southern drawl. “It’s Only Love” was also ripe with comedy as he switched between his normal vocal register and imitating the track’s normal duet partner Tina Turner with over exaggerated mannerisms.

As expected, the singer/songwriter was best received during “Summer of ‘69,” which he explained wasn’t about any particular time period, but rather “nostalgia and sexual positions.” Even though it’s a retro rocker at this point, the crowd accompanied him at full steam, ensuring it will never disappear from pop culture prominence. Yet Adams’ true crest came during one of his least familiar songs- the poignant “Never Let Go” (from the Kevin Costner/Ashton Kutcher movie The Guardian), dedicated to all military and public services personnel. The somewhat serious song showcased a greater depth than just the light-hearted radio material, ensuring a second career as just a lyricist should he ever decide to retire from recording and touring.