Bryan Adams Storms Slovenia Again with the Fire of a Teenager and a Parade of Hits! (2022)
Location: Ljubljana / Arena Stožice / Slovenia
Date: Sunday, 4 December 2022
Bryan Adams, the legendary Canadian rock singer-songwriter, finally made it back to Slovenia. After the repeated postponements of the tour on which he was promoting his current album So Happy It Hurts — and in those postponements lies the answer to why, plain as day — the iconic rock romantic warrior arrived once again on a wet December day in the Slovenian capital. Just how feverishly everyone had been waiting for Bryan was already clear from the pre-show parking frenzy, and not even the specially arranged LPP shuttle line running between the car parks scattered around the Arena managed to fully contain or calm the situation. In the soggy conditions, people streamed in droves from every direction toward the venue. From car parks more than 30 minutes’ walk (or even run) away.
The Arena was almost sold out. A few empty seats gaped in the stands, but the floor — especially the front two thirds — was literally impassable. People were packed in like matches in a box. Just past eight in the evening the stage began to stir. Slowly. But with thunderously projected proclamations of rock creation that commanded an opening mini-hypnosis. Bryan and the band crept on like mice onto an almost completely darkened stage and took their positions. They opened with the new track Kick Ass, tasked with warming things up to the right temperature. Calibration. And Bryan instantly drove the crowd wild. In the opening stretch, save for the more recent Shine a Light, he fired off several of his most standout hits in rapid succession, crowned by the epic ballad Heaven. With a setlist like that, nothing can go wrong. You’re literally unbeatable on stage. And Bryan — accompanied on stage, from among the old guard of his longtime band, by his inseparable legendary guitarist without whom the famous romantic rocker goes absolutely nowhere, namely Keith Scott (one look at the worn body of his legendary Fender companion says it all) — remains exactly that. Vocally he remains powerful. Whether deploying his famous, one-of-a-kind rasp or a cleaner approach. For a 63-year-old, his vocal force is remarkable, and in those especially romantically charged moments, his eternal search for the loving complementarity of two hearts comes alive in leaps, driven by incredible sensuality and passion. He maintains a charismatic immediacy that the generally simpler architecture of his compositions demands (much like the Boss — though the Boss is a whole other story).
In short: the sound was very good. Yes, and you won’t believe it — we’re still talking about the Arena here. The crowd? Fantastic. Bryan lifted them effortlessly. In fact, they were lifting themselves — at the opening note of every familiar hit. Bryan kept the whole thing stoked with practiced ease, with calls of good cheer and fortifying optimism, which is exactly what people need so badly, especially in these past few years when everything has gone violently downhill and in the wrong direction. In that regard, Bryan lit a bright light when he came to Ljubljana. On stage too he radiated an extraordinary vibe, reaching all the way to the far left and right of the stage while maintaining firm eye contact with the devoted and hypnotized crowd throughout. Every address brought a roar back. In those return salvos, it was plain to feel that the ladies of all ages had this time taken the Arena by storm — and by a clear majority.
As expected, the album Reckless stood out. How could it not? That’s how it should be. On that note, a particularly surprising moment came courtesy of a request from one audience member, which Bryan granted — performing the track of the same name. This AOR-tinged song that hooks you instantly in the chorus was deemed too weak by the label, which had been making life difficult for Bryan during the making of Reckless, to be included on the album. And so it was left off, even though it could have been the title track. Die-hard Bryan fans must genuinely have been in seventh heaven getting to enjoy this track live. Bryan also picked up a few more requests from the crowd (something he does at every show). In the style of the Boss — except people weren’t handing him cardboard signs. Cuts Like A Knife too — represented by its title ballad right at the end of the main set — got its live ‘extension’ thanks to one of the requests (the single I’m Ready). Also worth highlighting was the excellent live delivery of the castanets-and-flamenco-backed Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman, which the crowd had also ‘voted’ into the setlist for the evening.
The encore certainly brought its own special flavor to the night. Alongside the expected mega-hits Straight From The Heart and of course Run To You, the band sent the crowd into a special kind of collective celebration and release with the Frankie Valli cover Can’t Take My Eyes Off You. Then the band took their leave and Bryan stayed alone on stage. Guitar in hand, naturally. After the acoustic treatment of the hit Straight From The Heart, the inclusion of Christmas Time (from the album Reckless) genuinely surprised everyone. Bryan only started adding this track to his setlist with two shows played in Austria — both dated in December, which makes perfect sense given the song’s stronger Christmas connection. And of course the closing All For Love, which everyone had been waiting for too.
When a twelve-thousand-strong crowd is eating out of your hand like that — just you and them, the venue flooded with mobile-phone lights, drenched in joy, romance, and positivity — then you know you’ve done something real with your life. Not just for yourself, but for people. For the world. Bryan Adams remains the spiritual shepherd of our time. Definitive, indispensable — the salt in every soup. On a daily basis. Even in 2022. And so it shall remain. His persona and work have, riding on the wings of evergreens, in some sense long since attained timeless status, and youthful Bryan, at 63, maintains the form of a hardcore rocker who somehow — even if professionalism and routine are obviously part of the business at this level — still radiates that teenage romantic naivety, yet sincerity, that wounds you but never sobers you up. And that’s precisely where the power of his lovestruck troubadour act comes from, an act that shows no signs of fading even in his more mature years. In strictly rock fashion. A solid two hours and ten minutes, with a parade of 29 songs.
Author: Aleš Podbrežnik & Edita Klemen
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Setlist:
1. Kick Ass
2. Can’t Stop This Thing We Started
3. Somebody
4. One Night Love Affair
5. Shine a Light
6. Heaven
7. Go Down Rockin’
8. It’s Only Love
9. You Belong to Me
10. I’ve Been Looking for You
11. The Only Thing That Looks Good on Me Is You
12. Here I Am (acoustic version with piano accompaniment)
13. When You’re Gone (acoustic solo version)
14. (Everything I Do) I Do It for You
15. Back to You
16. These Are the Moments That Make Up My Life
17. 18 til I Die
18. Summer of ’69
19. I’m Ready (unplugged variant)
20. Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?
21. Reckless
22. Please Forgive Me
23. Cuts Like a Knife
—encore—
24. So Happy It Hurts
25. Run to You
26. Can’t Take My Eyes Off You (orig. Frankie Valli)
27. Straight From the Heart (acoustic solo version)
28. Christmas Time (acoustic solo version)
29. All for Love (orig. Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart & Sting) (acoustic “Shine a Light” intro)
