On Thursday May 3, Canadian icon Bryan Adams performed for 2 1/2 hours, likely making it one of the longest performances I’ve ever attended – not that I nor any of his other twenty thousand or so fans minded. His stop at the Air Canada Centre last night was ultimately a fantastic way to kick-off my summer break.
Bryan Adams is one of those musicians whose work makes a great addition to a driving playlist, so as I watched and listened in awe, I thought back to trips to such places as London, Montreal, Sudbury and Buffalo. Download and then play “Open Road” on your next road trip and you’ll understand.
Since attending his acoustic performance at Massey Hall in August 2009, the middle aged demographic in the audience didn’t surprise me, but the Twitter stream projected onto a screen leading up to his set sure did. I don’t know whether it was the copious amounts of beer I spotted many ticketholders consuming, or if it’s just his fans’ regular diction, but the live Twitter stream illuminated how publicly featuring live tweets can be problematic because some fans’ tweets shown onscreen included profanity. In any case, given the size of touring musicians’ entourages, it couldn’t hurt to have a moderator if tour producers wish to incorporate social media like that.
I’m also not sure if the Twitter feed was the best fit for Bryan’s fan base because based on the repetition of tweets mentioning @bryanadams, there were only a select few fans live tweeting their concert experience. While the Twitter feed may have contributed to the pre-show hype, there is always enough engaging music and graphics in the stadium to get fans excited as it is, so it seemed a bit extraneous.
Bryan Adams put on a good show overall, but I still prefer Bon Jovi’s stage presence and contagious energy. Nevertheless, well-produced rock concerts create experiences that make you feel like you’re on cloud number nine and at 52, Bryan Adams has still got what it takes to maintain a legendary status in Canadian entertainment. I would gladly buy tickets when he inevitably returns to Toronto again and proudly wear my concert tee from his 2009 tour again.
Full set list available courtesy of The Toronto Sun.
Hoping to score last minute tickets to Bryan Adams’ tour? Here’s his Canadian schedule.