“Hey Toronto, what’s going on?” Bryan Adams said, suddenly appearing on a tiny stage at the far end of Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena last night for his Roll With The Punches Tour, named after his new and 16th studio album, prompting the entire audience to turn around and get on their feet, as he launched into the iconic ballad “Straight From The Heart,” solo on guitar, and, with no encouragement needed, had everyone singing along.
Nineteen thousand people won over in song one.
Then, holding up the guitar and waving, he pointed towards the main stage, and made his way in darkness, a camera guy lighting the path while filming, as the Canadian Music Hall of Famer walked down the side aisle, fist-pumping fans along the way, like a boxer’s ring walk. It would’ve been funny if he had on boxing gloves and a glittery robe, but Adams is not about gimmicks.
His show is as unadorned as they come – no pyro, no trap doors, except for a giant inflatable boxing glove that floated above the crowd for just one song, the title track and single, “Roll With The Punches” (on his last tour it was a floating Chevrolet Corvair).
Adams did add xylobands though, the LED bracelets that sync to the music, which fans received as they entered the venue — unbranded so no one keeps them; he is all about being eco-friendly, asking us to return them on our way out.
Other than that, a Bryan Adams show is hit after hit after hit, with a few new songs thrown in, adding the lyrics on the video backdrop so fans will get to know them as much as “Cuts Like A Knife,” “Run To You” and “Summer of ’69,” ready for next time.
Adams is not an artist to, say, play his entire new album in the first half, and pile on the hits in the second or not play a hit because he might be sick of it. For decades now, he gives people what they came for, and seems to enjoy every second of it, even though he’s played those songs thousands of times.
It is guaranteed, if you paid to see a Bryan Adams show, you are going to get just about every song you came to hear. That is why, while he hasn’t played Toronto since 2022, he has been touring the world constantly, and now it’s Canada’s turn again (then off to the U.S.). That’s what he does and how he’s been able to stay on top, selling out arenas, since the 80s, after selling more than 75 million albums.
On the main stage, the 65-year-old is joined by his bandmate of more than 40 years, Keith Scott, and longtime drummer Pat Steward, who played on 1984’s Reckless album, and Toronto’s own, Gary Breit, on keyboards, “my boys,” as he calls them.
They launched into a newish song, “Kiss Ass” from 2022’s So Happy It Hurts, a song, shall we say, with a promise and a command: “If you like some kick-ass rockin’ music / We’re a kick-ass rockin’ band / If you can’t play a lick, just play anything / Raise hell and clap your hands.”
It’s his “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” and it works.
Courtesy: Karen Bliss
For the next two-plus hours they kicked ass on the rockers and prompted singalongs on the ballads, 28 songs in all.
They go right into the signature rocker “Run To You,” then “Somebody” — both from 1984’s massive-selling Reckless — before playing “Roll With The Punches,” a simple catchy pop rock song, while the music video is on the screen as well.
“I’m Bryan. I’m your singer for the rest of tonight,” he said. “I’m going to try and squeeze in as many songs as I can remember,” he joked, launching into “18 til I Die,” the song which perhaps best epitomizes the slim and ageless rocker, who’s a known vegan. The camera turned on the crowd, singing, and ended with Adams and Scott dueling on guitars, and Adams scraping the neck of the instrument on the monitor for maximum rock ‘n’ roll effect.
Some people stayed on their feet for the beautiful ballad “Please Forgive Me,” in which he does a little ad lib right after, “Still feels like our best times are together,” interjecting, “Like right now.” He knows the audience loves that shit. He’s got it down.
He reminded everyone again that he has a new album — not really needed with all the branded merch. “We’re gonna try and get some songs from the past in, as well as the future. In fact, we’re gonna get a load of songs from the past in tonight,” he said to huge cheers.
He then gave props to rock radio “back in the day” for “Take Me Back,” the fourth single from his breakthrough album, Cuts Like A Knife. As the song is brought down to a simmer, he got the crowd to sing “take me back.” “Good. Keep it going,” he said, talk-singing the lines. “I should’ve seen it coming,” then adding our city too, “When I woke up this morning in Toronto — she was gone.”
Again, it’s the little things that make an audience happy.
He then told a heartfelt story about “the great Tina Turner,” who died in 2023. The pair had duetted on “It’s Only Love,” also from Reckless. “She was really good to me. She was incredibly kind to me. She took me on tour with her. We sang every night together. It was a surreal experience because I was a big fan,” he said. “We lost Tina a few years ago. It was a great loss to music. But also a great loss to me because she was my friend.
“ I’m gonna do my part and I’m gonna do Tina’s part,” he said, referring to the singing, “so please be kind because I ain’t no Tina Turner.”
From there, the band played the fun “Shine A Light,” the title track from his 2019 album, and right into the ballad “Heaven.” Everyone stood. The new arrangement kept the vocal melody but was atmospheric and less pop. The extended version was beautiful and the crowd, of course, sang the “woah, oh-ohs.”
Courtesy: Karen Bliss
For the new “Never Ever Let You Go,” the music video played on the screen, which features actress Elizabeth Hurley and Adams riding a rollercoaster, plus the lyrics.
They then went back to another era where music videos were not watched on YouTube. Adams talked about how he found a “distorted version” of 1983’s “This Time” and contacted the company to see if they could fix it. They made it high def, which he joked, makes him “want to jump behind a sofa.” He said the band is going to try and play along with it. “I don’t want you laughing at my hair.”
They then played another new song, “Make Up Your Mind,” lyrics on screen, while showcasing Steward’s drumming.
The next segment was a fun one. Adams does know his fans. In the past for “You Belong To Me,” a rockabilly number from 2015’s Get Up,” he simply had people in the crowd dance, often swing style, and threw them on the big screen. This time, that was fine, and two couples did make the vid, but at the mere suggestion guys could take their shirts off, some did, including one tattooed gentleman who flickered his tongue every time the camera was on him. The band then slipped into 1955’s “Blue Suede Shoes,” popularized by Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley, followed by The Top Notes/The Beatles hit “Twist & Shout.”
The song request time came next, for which he read off the names of the people who had sent in their wish from an apparent video prompt before the concert started. He played 1981’s “Lonely Nights” from his second album, You Want It You Got It, then “One Night Love Affair” from Reckless. The band then took a little break — well Scott and Steward did — as Breit played piano for Adams on the beautiful “Here I Am.” Next, Adams sang “When You’re Gone” — the song he recorded with former Spice Girl Melanie C — solo Bryan on guitar, with everyone singing. “Help me out,” he said.
When the band returned to the stage, they charged into the fun rocker “The Only Thing That Looks Good On You Is Me,” then the stunning ballad “Everything I Do I Do It For You” before the catchy “Back To You,” and “So Happy It Hurts” — the later showing the music video that featured his cool mom beside him in the convertible.
Then came the instantly recognizable opening riff to “Summer of ’69,” just a few notes then they stopped, teasing, as the crowd erupted. They did it again — finally giving the iconic single to us, followed by another “Cuts Like A Knife,” stretched out from the single version. Adams taped the mic, held his arms overhead, and the whole crowd joined in on the “Na-na, na, na-na, na, na-na, na-na.”
He introduced the band. Then he capped the night just with Breit again on piano to sing “Alberta Bound,” changing the opening line to, “Alberta don’t you look good in the mornin’” to “Toronto don’t you…” and ended with “Ontario bound.”
Holding up his finger, to indicate “one more,” he went back to the under utilized B-stage, on the far end of the arena, again making his way there on the opposite aisle to how he started, and sang “All For One.” A knockout show.
Now, that is a guy who not only plays crowd pleasers but is a crowd pleaser.
