Who remembers the summer of ’69? Believe it or not that was the summer I was conceived and is also Bryan Adams most popular song, looking around more than a few in the OVO Hydro tonight may remember that summer though. With no support for the UK tour we went straight into the action as Bryan Adams took to the stage at 8.15pm, the arena is filled to bursting point for what is possibly Canada’s biggest music export, Alanis Morissette fans may disagree with that statement … The Roll With The Punches Tour is an opportunity for Adams to showcase some new tracks from that very album that will be released on 29th August, and the first song tonight? You guessed it Roll With The Punches plays out as an inflatable silver boxing glove floats around the arena, this is very new technology and only adds to the spectacle.
Next up is Run To You, a personal favourite that ticks all the boxes for everything you could possibly want from a song: great vocals and outstanding guitar work, Adams himself excels on this one as he struts around the stage wearing a kilt, as all four band members are tonight. The crowd response is as intense as expected while Somebody has the audience belting out the chorus “I need somebody, somebody like you”, if anyone wondered if Bryan Adams still had it at 65-years-old then their concerns would now be quashed, the atmosphere is electrifying as the set continues with 18 Till I Die and Cloud Number Nine, both get a decent response. The fans young and old will all know the track Heaven in one way or another and it was DJ Sammy that released a dance version of the song some twenty-five years ago that brought it back into the spotlight. Adams pays tribute to the late Tina Turner and tells the story of how she helped his career so much by taking him out on tour and that was when he first played in Scotland at the Edinburgh Playhouse in 1985, they even duetted on It’s Only Love which Bryan sings perfectly tonight in tribute to his dear friend. The guitar playing from Adams and Keith Scott was memorable, during Shine A Light he also pays tribute to his Father and it is a poignant moment from the set.
It’s Only Love and You Belong To Me keeps the energy flowing as Adams invited the audience to have a dance and the pick of the best would be up on the screens, it is a great way of connecting to a crowd in such a vast arena. By the time we hear Can’t Stop This Thing We Started the set is only a third by and we would get to hear an unbelievable thirty tracks during a set that lasted just under the two-hour mark! The first cover of the night is Whiskey In The Jar, a Highwaymen song that was also covered by Thin Lizzy, the crowd are lapping up this performance so far as we move back and forth through Bryan’s back catalogue and it is one from his eighth studio release in 1998 On A Day Like Today where he teams up with Melanie C from Spice Girls fame, Mel C isn’t here tonight but it is still a decent effort from Adams and band. Things slow down a little for Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman? and another one from the upcoming album Never Ever Let You Go makes us look forward to the album being released even more. Another of our personal favourites is The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You which has some good crowd participation. A very popular Scottish track by The Proclaimers is I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) and we are delighted that Bryan Adams is covering this one tonight, there is no more perfect place to do this than in the OVO Hydro and to hear every single person sing the chorus back to the stage, a memorable moment indeed.
In June 1991 Everything I Do I Do It For You was released from the Waking Up The Neighbours album (And Adams’ sixth), the power ballad was also the lead song from the Robin Hood soundtrack album and stayed at the top of the charts for a crazy sixteen weeks! The crowd response, well mostly from the females, was emotional and we bet there were more than a few tears in eyes at that moment … for us though that is the song that we don’t enjoy as much. Everyone is waiting for the track that has well over 1.4 BILLION streams and from the first note of the song the arena erupts for four minutes of pure joyous energy, what’s the song then? Summer Of ’69, this is why a lot of people were here tonight and is such a special moment that will be imprinted on our memory for years to come. This is followed by Cuts Like A Knife and a cover of Frankie Valli classic Can’t Take My Eyes Off You that prompts yet another mass singalong, we are twenty-eight songs in and we are not sure how much energy the crowd have left let alone the band! As Adams disappears from the stage we soon find out why as there is a small stage at the back of the standing area where he pops up to sing Straight From The Heart acoustically to the delight of those close to the action, the set finishes up with All For Love, a song Adams co-wrote with Rod Stewart and Sting. Wow what a night of music that was, we can’t wait for this legend to come back to Glasgow. 10/10
Written by: Alan Brown
