by Josh McCann

Bryan Adams played a very exciting show at PPG Paints Arena on Friday. “What a great audience you guys are,” he told the crowd, before breaking into “Summer of ‘69.” But let’s start from the beginning.

The gates opened at 6:30pm as I walked into PPG. Fans of all ages filled the merch and concession lines. Parents, teenagers, college students, and grandparents. This was exciting to see. Especially at this venue. I’ve seen Bryan Adams before but never at an arena. My seat was on the floor, in the last row, which was great. I had easy access to food and drinks and the restroom. I’m going to remember Floor 9 for next time! Clutch!

Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics played a cool opening set. He had an 8-piece all female band. With sax, harmonica, guitar solos, and all around feel good energy. “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” finished the set. The crowd sang along. Not bad for the opening act!

Before the show there was a floating car blimp with Bryan Adams written on the side. It added to the anticipation, with fans taking pics as it hovered over the crowd. At 9:02pm the lights went down and Bryan Adams appeared on stage. Huge ovation. “Let there be roooockkkk!!” He yelled! The arena had a thunderous roar. “Kick Ass” opened the show. It’s a highlight bar rocker off his latest LP, “So Happy It Hurts.” This set the tone for the set. He wore his usual attire: leather jacket, black t-shirt, jeans, chucks. His Gibson guitar sounded fantastic.

“We’re gonna try and pack in as many songs as I can remember,” Adams said. “Later on in the show we got a thing called ‘let’s remind the singer.’ All the songs that I didn’t remember you can tell me.” The crowd laughed and applauded. He’s a humble person for having 40 years of hits.

Backed by his five piece band, he went into “Can’t Stop This Thing We Started.” This got the crowd going. Including myself as I shouted out the lyrics. Things were in full swing, everyone was standing. “Somebody” had Bryan telling the crowd “I need somebody like you!” and the fans shouted it back.

Adams moved to each side of the stage during certain moments. A giant screen captured shots of the audience singing along. His voice still sounds as good as ever. He can hit the high notes like it’s nothing. Incredible. During “Shine A Light,” he signed a fans vinyl record onstage. “Let’s light this place up,” he said.

“Kids Wanna Rock” kept the upbeat energy going. There was a kid standing next to me with his parents. It might have been his first concert. He sang the chorus and threw his fist in the air. So cool to see. On a side note, my parents took me to see Bryan Adams when I was 3 and the security guard wanted to put me onstage for this song! Wow!

Another powerful moment was “It’s Only Love.” It’s always been one of my favs. He broke it down. Had the crowd sing it. This also featured an incredible guitar solo by guitarist Keith Scott. He also played the chords to Tina Turners “The Best.” A very poignant tribute.

“If you can’t dance, you can twerk,” Adams told the crowd.

“The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You” was really fun. I hadn’t heard that one in a while. Wasn’t expecting it. I was jumping up and down, wrapped up in the moment. He mixed in some ballads along the way. “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You” had the crowd singing in unison. Then he switched it up and played “So Happy It Hurts.” It’s a great track and was awesome to hear live. The big screen showed him and his 96-year-old mom riding in a car. Meanwhile the floating car blimp flew over the crowd while fans held up their phones. This was followed by two huge classics. “Run to you” was incredible!! Shots of the road hit the big screen.

Then came “Summer of ‘69.” That’s when I put my phone down and savored the experience. Every big artist has “that moment” during their live show, and this is his. It was surprising because it wasn’t the encore. It’s one of those songs that you’ve heard a million times and it’s still amazing to hear live.

One of the biggest highlights of the show was “Cuts Like A Knife.” I was waiting for this one and it delivered. Midway through he broke it down. The crowd taking the “na na na’s.” The big screen showed the crowd singing. Yeah, it felt so right.

The encore featured an acoustic version of “Straight From The Heart.” He dedicated it to his mom. He also told a story about how his parents gave him a $1000 for college, but he asked to use it to buy a piano instead. “And that’s why I’m playing guitar here tonight,” he said. He also played harmonica during the song, which echoed beautifully through PPG. Impressive!

Adams closed out the show with a powerful performance of “All For Love.” The crowd waved their phones back and forth, lighting up PPG. The thing about his catalog is that his ballads are just as strong as his rock songs.

“You’ve been wonderful,” he told the crowd, before walking to the front of the stage and taking a bow with his band. Everyone cheered and took more pics. The house lights came back on.

Set list

Kick Ass

Can’t Stop This Thing We Started

Somebody

18 til I Die

Please Forgive Me

Shine a Light

Kids Wanna Rock

Heaven

Go Down Rockin’

It’s Only Love / The Best

You Belong to Me

I’ve Been Looking for You

The Only Thing That Looks Good on Me Is You

I Will Always Return

Here I Am

This Time

(Everything I Do) I Do It for You

Back to You

So Happy It Hurts

Run to You

Summer of ’69

Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?

One Night Love Affair

Star

Cuts Like a Knife

Encore:

Straight From the Heart

All for Love