Oh yeah!!

The kids wanna rock…

Didn’t get to see Rod Stewart when he was in the province but I did get ot see Bryan Adams when he came to Penticton on Monday evening. Sat in my seat that I have for the Pentcton VEES hockey games and was royally entertained. Bryan’s approach to delivering a show is much the same as Chris de Burgh (the Irish balladeer). He comes out with his band, goes through his playlist, occasionally giving members of his supporting cast some time off the stage, and concludes his show. Then he offers the audience the opportunity to request a couple pieces from his hitlist that he didn’t perform. Then he goes home. More than two [2] hours of solid, tight and very energetic musical presentation(s). Some of it is long, some of it is not – doesn’t matter because whenever he stopped singing large swaths of the crowd who keep singing.

Bryan is the consummate professional. Very unique background graphics, very solid back-up musicians, very entertaining stage presence. He even has a unique way of preparing for the opening of the show and letting you know it is about to end – he had a dirigible in the approximate shape of a 60’s Corvair Monza (I know because I owned one) float out over the audience for about ten [10] minutes while people hurried to their seats (including the guy in front of me with an oxygen tank and the elderly lady who always was getting up and dancing) and did the same about five [5] minutes before the end of the show. It had headlights and taillights on so it was quickly noticed. It was quirky but neato!! And it had taped on one side, Bryan Adams and on the other the theme of the tour, So Happy it Hurts. The rest of the technics included great use of lights and a backdrop screen – no fireworks, no dancing go-go girls, no lead acts.

Now bear in mind I got to see the Eagles backing up Linda Ronstadt who was the lead act for Arlo Guthrie (when I was in grad school in the USA) for five dollars [$5.00]. So when I say I got more than my monies’ worth for Bryan’s show at one hundred twenty-five dollars [$125.00], trust me it was a great evening! I almost felt I was back in college and going to a rock concert as a night out…

g.w.