Bryan Adams’ absolute majority at Altice Arena. In Portugal the Canadian is always at home
More concerts, the shows by Bryan Adams that the Canadian friend from Portugal and his fraternization sessions between the national public and the Canadian friend. There are childhood stories from childhood in Birre, Cascais, and an inordinate desire to enjoy, both on the part of the fans and the artist who, needing to share photos, wants to share in order not to win the ‘shared games’ played at home, ends up giving always everything he has, deepening with each visit the relationship of affection with Portuguese admirers. This almost familiar facet does not mean, however, that the musical aspect is neglected: over the course of two hours, Bryan Adams and the quartet that accompanies him, and for which no applause can be asked, play almost 30 songs. And almost all the classics, recognized at the first chords by the huge sold-out audience at the Altice Arena in Lisbon, and sung with success by a mostly female audience of a generation that will follow in real time or the height of the popularity of Bryan Adams, in the 80’s and 90’s. The ease with which the most Portuguese Canadian in the world wins is reflected, for example, in the way he introduces ‘(Everything I Do) Do It For You’ on I. In 1991, this song secured a residency for weeks to Kevin Costner’s yarn tights, while Robin dos Bosques in the film of the same name, in the program “Top +”, which on public television showed videos of the most popular songs in Portugal. On this night when the next four years of the country are decided, the once omnipresent appeared almost surreptitiously, like another song between his sisters. It was immediately celebrated and sung in chorus, of course, but Bryan Adams has so many trump cards in his chest that he doesn’t need to save ‘that one’ for last, as almost all of them are ‘that one’.
The concert started at 9:30 pm, that is, half an hour later than expected, but the wait discouraged the audience, who enjoyed dancing to the sound of a beautiful selection. reaches the soul and make the “on” before, from the image of the image of the forecast of a car expected to finally leave the whitest man of the night. First on the screen, then in the flesh, Bryan Adams immediately got where he came from. Eternally dry and combed, in his youthful 62 springs, he distributed several microphones around the stage, walking between them so that no ‘faction’ of the audience felt harmed. Eye contact with fans who, in the air, raised scarves with his name or flags uniting the colors of Canada and Portugal, the man who promised to be 18 years old by the time he died began to feud with ‘Kick Ass’, energetic theme of his new album, out this year, and followed a fine assortment of nostalgia: ‘Can’t Stop This Thing We Started’, from the vintage of ‘(Everything I Do) I Do It For You’, and the same weights ‘Run To You’ and ‘Heaven’, both from the album “Reckless de 1984”, were ‘dispatched’ in the first five songs of the concert, interspersed with a much more recent hit, and very well received: ‘Shine a Light’, of 2019.
With this configuration all things became clear, namely: Bryan Adam, who also several things, will be sure of a word in the criter choice of images that, with the choice of fashion, will accompany the images. Bryan Adams, the singer, continues with a voice that would make his colleagues envy, which will become evident as the concert progresses and his vigor does not fade, or in the phase where he faces a room once known as the Pavilion. Atlântico on his simple acoustic and harmonic guitar, still winning all the attention. Another constant of the night is the participation of the audience, which in songs like ‘Heaven’ sings, alone and without any, all the lyrics until the bridge meticulously erected by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance almost 40 years. It is a benign and participatory nostalgia, in a country where the Canadian past is still very present.
The factors that contributed to the success of this concert (and that, the day before, no multipurpose experiment was carried out in Gondomar, is added another: despite the attempt to keep the masks until this concert, this was the first) great concert of the year in Portugal and, as Bryan Adams himself mentioned, one of the few of its kind – in an arena, for thousands of people, some of them standing up – happening in Europe these days. Songs like ‘It’s Only Love’, naturally without Tina Turner, or ‘When You’re Gone’, without Melanie C, not only transport viewers to phases of their lives when they would eventually be freer and carefree, like the relative Freedom of movement – it is a very different standing concert, being able to witness a distinct joy, which is felt in the air. The hunger for concerts, the audience and the musicians, fuels the banquet where the hits follow one another like rockets on Saint John’s night: ‘Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman’, with Bryan Adams sharing tips from his seduction, is presented in the same batch of ‘Here I Am’ or ‘The Only Thing That Looks Good on Me Is You’, in whose 1996 video the Portuguese model Ana Cristina de Oliveira shone.
To win even more fans, Adams just missed them home. From outstanding Portuguese to overcoming the ‘acoustic’ test, singing several songs only with acoustic guitar and, sometimes, the singer of Gary Breit, the singer-songwriter even promised the audience a session of requested records, of which he sent as an interpretation. from ‘One Night Lover’ and ‘Pleaseanna W Rock’, but also from the most important souvenir ‘Tonight’, requested by the fan André.
Before the classic covers ‘Cnife ‘Cnife ‘Summer69’, possibly covers up one of the most popular songs in Portugal, which unsurprisingly and recalls the delirium in the arena. In the images to accompany this hymn chosen, like many lyrics of it, carved for a woman who filled the relationship of those who filled the riverside of the Tagus for having words with words riffs out of Bryan Adams’ head.
In the quick return to the stage, there were two more new songs (‘Never Gonna Rain’ and ‘So Happy It Hurts’, in which the nonagenarian mother of Bryan Adams participates) and two classics: the naïf ‘Straight From the Heart’, by 1983, and ‘All For Love’, and ten years later with Sting Rod Stewart. In both cases Adams performed-, on acoustic guitar, the important pavilion was not held in person, with his emotional heart of his voice, straight to the heart and applauding his. old friend on this pleasant Sunday in January. Up on the stage, the affection and attention were returned with a return to the four years that the Adams family lived in Birre and little Bryan, a pixie who played ball and smoked cigarettes in secret, attended a school in Carnaxide. “Some of the best times of my life I spent in this house”, I outline, while an image of a pink house appeared on the screen, “because my parents were together”. Shortly after, his photo album took a portrait taken in his childhood at Praia do Guincho. “And here are my daughters playing in the same place, 50 years later”, concludes the father of Mirabella Bunny, 10, and Lula Rosalea, 8, moving the audience.
Without ever standing on tiptoe, always preferring to communicate as equals, and betting on a very rich range of successes, defended with remarkable commitment, Bryan Adams was once again happy in Portugal. Even if your passport is different, and judging by the ecstatic reception, you will always be a child of this house.
Bryan Adams at Altice Arena, Lisbon, January 30, 2022
Band: Keith Scott on guitar, Gary Breit on piano, Solomon Walker on bass and Pat Steward on drums
Alignment:
Blast off
I can’t stop this thing we started
run to you
shine a light
Paradise
get down rockin’
it’s just love
Cloud Number Nine
You belong to Me
Have you ever really loved a woman?
Here I am
When you are gone
(Everything I do) I do it for you
Back for you
The only thing that looks good on me is you
I’m ready
18 till i die
summer of 69
Tonight (for André fan)
One Night Love Affair (for fan Sandra)
Kids Wanna Rock (for Bruno fan)
Please Forgive Me (for Estefânia fan)
Cut like a knife
Encore:
it will never rain
so happy it hurts
straight from the heart
Everything for love