Bryan Adams tells Pinoy fans: ‘You’ve been wonderful’

Bryan Adams (Facebook)

Canadian superstar Bryan Adams was in high spirits when he performed for a sold-out crowd for his concert “So Happy It Hurts” Tour, held at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on March 15.

At 63, Bryan shows no sign of quitting as an artist when he sings his hit songs for his Pinoy fans. He described his concert as simply “magical.” The show was presented by Wilbros Live!

“The reason why I’m telling you this is because it’s like magic, and we need magic in our lives. So, this is not just a concert, but a magical night,” commented Bryan.

It seems Bryan never gets tired of performing on stage. For two hours, he didn’t even drink water to show that he was hoarse. His only break was when he changed his guitars. Without a doubt, the quality of his voice has not changed since he became a global phenomenon in the 1980s.

Bryan Adams performs at Araneta Coliseum in Araneta City

“I protect my voice like I protect everything myself. I eat well, and I exercise. I don’t smoke or drink. Quite boring really. I spend a lot of time thinking about music and my family. Keeping yourself happy and healthy is the way to a healthy voice. I’m a vegan, and that’s one step beyond vegetarianism. I don’t eat fish, meat, chicken, or eggs. I’ve been vegan for almost 35 years,” revealed Bryan during an interview prior to his concert.

Bryan opened his 26-song set with the rock tune, “Kick Ass,” the third single from his latest album. He followed it up with another upbeat number, “Can’t Stop This Thing We Started,” a song released in 1991.

Amid the songs, Bryan dazzled the audience with backdrops of stunning artwork and visuals from some of his latest videos. The fans lit up the room with light sticks and switched on cell phones.

Bryan also made sure that his Filipino fans got a dose of his anthemic love songs: “Everything I Do, I Do it For You,” “Please Forgive Me,” “Heaven,” “Do I Have To Say The Words,” and “When You Love Someone.”

Bryan Adams wows Pinoy fans

“In Manila, we try to add as many of these love songs because we know you like love songs here,” Bryan said.

He also belted out the songs “All For Love,” and “Straight From the Heart” in heavenly acoustic versions for his encore.

Bryan raised the roof when he performed “Summer of ’69” from his fourth studio album “Reckless” released in 1984. “Reckless” is considered to be Bryan’s most successful solo album, having sold more than 5 million copies in the US and over 12 million copies worldwide. The same album spawned six worldwide hits.

The singer-songwriter also shared the spotlight with his bandmates during the concert.

Keith Scott, who plays guitar for Bryan since 1976, amazed the audience when he performed the Oscar-nominated song “Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman” on Spanish guitar. The song is the theme from the 1995 romantic-comedy flick “Don Juan De Marco.”

Scott also impressed the crowd when he took the guitar solo for the number “It’s Only Love” originally recorded by Bryan with the legendary Tina Turner in 1984.

Other songs in the show include “When You’re Gone,” “18 Til I Die,” “Run To You,” “The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You,” “Shine A Light,” and “Here I Am,” theme from the movie “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron.”

“Before we go, first of all, I want to thank everybody for coming out tonight. It’s such a great crowd, a beautiful audience,”  he said. Then, Bryan surprised fans when his band performed a remake of the 1967 classic “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” to the delight of his fans.

Bryan couldn’t thank his fans enough for the warmth every time he played in Manila. As he stated in his media conference, the rock singer made sure that Manila is included in the Asian leg of his latest tour. “You’ve been wonderful!” shouted Bryan before he finally left the stage. — Robert Requintina