Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Location: Ljubljana / Arena Stožice / Slovenia
Concert date: 14.12.2014
Every time Canadian rocker Bryan Adams plays Ljubljana, he pulls in crowds who never get tired of the countless hits that effortlessly topped the world charts in the eighties and nineties. His popularity has admittedly cooled off a bit in recent years, mainly because he hasn’t put out any new original material in quite a while, but the very good Slovenian response to his latest release, the covers album »Tracks Of My Years« (2014), which he recorded at the urging of his label’s reps, proves he’s still one of the favorite artists here, easily drawing both young and older fans to his shows. Among the latter, Bryan’s Stožice visit was again dominated by couples in love, along with plenty of single young women, because this master of love ballads can still reach younger generations with his poetry, even if his face makes it clear that the guy, despite a body that’s barely changed, wandered into his mature years long ago.
His voice has pretty much stayed the same as in his most successful days, and playing electric rhythm guitar and acoustic guitar is no trouble for him either, especially with the support of a lead guitarist as superb as Keith Scott, who was the most instrumentally eye-catching member of Adams’ band. Scott used several songs that night for short solo variations, and at one point even ended up playing his electric guitar lying down. Bryan, meanwhile, in top vocal form with that distinctive voice of his, split his show into two parts. In the first, he played the whole cult album »Reckless« (1984), which celebrates its thirtieth anniversary this year, including three songs that weren’t on the original LP, and then, to the great delight of all the fans, he moved on to various chapters of his rich career, drawing on the remaining twelve studio albums.
Among the emotional highs of the deeply felt run through the whole of »Reckless« were certainly the passionate versions of classics like »Run to You« »Heaven« and »Summer of ’69«, during which the phone lights of every romantic soul lit up, something that happened several more times that evening, and »It’s Only Love«, where Bryan recalled fond memories of his unforgettable duet with Tina Turner, came off great too. Bryan’s flawless performance of the whole of »Reckless« closed with »Let Me Down Easy«, actually a cover of Roger Daltrey (The Who), which still got the same reaction from the crowd as if it were one of his own.
The second part of the show belonged to some of Bryan’s most beloved hits, starting with his most popular power ballad, »Everything I Do I Do It For You«, made immortal among lovers all over the world mainly by the Robin Hood movie starring Kevin Costner. Here Bryan picked up the acoustic guitar for the first time that night, while the full band only joined him in the last part of this hugely successful ballad. An overflowing helping of fun came from Bryan’s call, during »If Ya Wanna Be Bad Ya Gotta Be Good«, for a ‘wild girl’ from the audience who was ready to dance to the song’s rhythm while the cameras followed her moves onto the stage projection. As expected, there was no shortage of would-be dancers, but Bryan finally picked a blonde girl, who was soon joined mid-dance by her equally rowdy friend.
Just as Bryan had encouraged both girls to completely let loose while dancing, things almost took a bizarre turn, because an overly ‘tough’ security guard spoiled it all. He obviously didn’t get that they had received a special invitation from Bryan to be in the spotlight, so he started chasing both girls out of the hall, but after loud whistles of disapproval and Bryan’s mocking suggestion that ‘the officer can dance himself if he wants to’, the burly shaven-headed guy with a Carantanian panther on his back had to loosen his firm grip and slink off, embarrassed, toward the nearest entrance to the hall.
The girls got to keep up their rowdy dancing until the end of the song. As a bonus, Bryan invited them from the stands to the front of the stage, where he promised his most loyal fans/dancers free t-shirts from the current tour after the show. Among the songs that got the loudest reaction from the crowd that night was »When You’re Gone«, which Bryan originally performed as a duet with Melanie C (of Spice Girls). Bryan’s band wrapped up the regular set with »The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You«. The first encore was a mostly acoustic affair that created an incredibly intimate yet intense atmosphere between stage and crowd in the hall. With »C’Mon Everybody«, a heartfelt cover of Eddie Cochran, Bryan also reminded the audience of »Tracks Of My Years«, his current covers album. The acoustic guitar played the lead role on the new song »She Knows Me« as well, and on acoustic versions of the evergreens »Straight From The Heart« and »All For Love«, which he once performed together with Sting and Rod Stewart.
Visibly moved, the Canadian couldn’t stop praising the Slovenian audience, so he came back out just for them for an unexpected second encore, playing the first verse of the Christmas wake-up call »Christmas Time« on acoustic guitar, wishing everybody happy holidays as the grand finale, before leaving the stage to thunderous applause. Bryan’s show at Stožice was one of those big concert spectacles that happen far too rarely on Slovenian soil, with the energy between stage and crowd in perfect sync, so everyone there will be fondly remembering it for a long time.
The Canadian hitsmith and his band had an immense time playing the best moments of his career and was visibly thrilled with the crowd, who knew by heart the lines of all his (major) works. The only criticism goes to the sound in the hall: even though the organizers supposedly managed to fix the rather serious acoustic problems at earlier Stožice events (it’s hard to forget the sound mishaps during Sting’s visit), the sound echoed downright sloppily, especially during Bryan’s talks to the crowd and the acoustic moments, when it seemed Mr. Adams had a twin brother or a mockingbird on the other side. Still, this spectacular concert event delivered for all the melodic rock fans and incorrigible romantic souls.
Setlist
Reckless
One Night Love Affair
She’s Only Happy When She’s Dancin’
Run to You
The Boys Night Out
Heaven
Kids Wanna Rock
It’s Only Love
Long Gone
Somebody
Ain’t Gonna Cry
Summer Of ’69
Let Me Down Easy (Roger Daltrey cover)
(Everything I Do) I Do It for You [Acoustic]
If Ya Wanna Be Bad Ya Gotta Be Good
Cuts Like A Knife
Can’t Stop This Thing We Started
Please Forgive Me
When You’re Gone (Bryan Adams & Melanie C cover)
18 til I Die
Cloud #9
The Only Thing That Looks Good on Me Is You
—1st encore—
You’ve Been a Friend to Me [Acoustic]
C’mon Everybody (Eddie Cochran cover)
She Knows Me [Acoustic]
Straight from the Heart [Acoustic]
All for Love [Acoustic] (Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart & Sting cover)
–2nd encore—
Christmas Time (first verse only)
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