Music News	Music Venues	Search Events

E-mail story

comment

Printer-friendly version

Adams has fun with Lowcountry crowd

By Devin Grant

DEVIN GRANT
The Post and Courier

Bryan Adams performs at the Charleston Music Hall.

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.

Contact Devin Grant at chucktowncritic@yahoo.com.