Bryan Adams

Exclusive Concert and Press Conference

By: Debbie

Bryan Adams promoted his latest release, “11,” in Vancouver last night with a press conference and invitation-only acoustic performance at St. Andrew's Wesley Church. Around 1,000 people gathered to hear Bryan perform songs off of his eleventh studio album, as well as a few fan favourites.

An acoustic performance may make the songs seem more cliché, but it showed that the new songs are still up to the quality of the old. The intimacy of the performance was well-received, and the laid-back, talkative Adams had many stories to tell. Adams even told the crowd how moving from Burnaby to Kits Point was a great experience. The new house is where he learnt how to write a song, and had a great couple summers making money off selling their parking space for big events downtown, he joked. Speaking of Vancouver, Bryan tells the audience:"My family still lives here, and I have a recording studio here, which I like to go visit once in a while to see if it's still standing," and that "[He’s] amazed every time [he] come[s] back to Vancouver at how much it's changed. You go away for a month and there's three more skyscrapers." New tracks performed off “11” included “Oxygen,” “Walk On By,” “Tonight We Have Stars,” “I Thought I’d Seen Everything,” “Something To Believe In,” “Mysterious Ways.” Old fan favorites included “Summer Of ’69,” “Straight From The Heart,” “Into The Fire,” “Run To You,” “Can’t Stop This Thing We’ve Started,” “Cuts Like A Knife,” “Heaven,” and “Straight From The Heart.”

His mother was in attendance, and the crowd happily sang “Happy Birthday” as she had turned 80 the day before. Keith Scott joined Asdams onstage for two encore songs, that included the old hit “The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You.” “11” also brings back old writing partner Jim Vallance on three tracks.

Bryan Adams was happy to take those in attendance back to where it all began for him, and they were happy to follow.

In the press conference that was held before the hometown concert, Adams said “11” was recorded in impromptu studios that he set up in hotel rooms when was was on tour. "We'd order up some food or something and they'd come in and see the mattresses against the window, and microphones going into the toilet.But it worked. It dispelled the rumours that you have to record in an isolated place," he said.

Continually writing songs, Adams says that the way he approaches his music is not much different now from when it all began for him: "One day I'll wake up and I'll have 10 or 12 songs and think, 'oh that sounds like it could be a record.’” When asked to compare his career now to when it all began, Adams insisted that his career is as fun now as it was back then.

When asked why it was not chosen to play a larger arena, and do an intimate show instead, Adams said the choice was up to his manager, and added that if it was up to himself, he would play a lot of shows in Vancouver, but his manager “does not want that,” for obvious reasons.

How much time does Adams actually spend in his hometown? Last year he came home four times, but loves being in Vancouver. When asked if his mom was in attendance tonight, Adams stated that “[His] mom would be at every show if she could, but I told her she can’t come on tour. She would be the one selling shirts,” he joked. Before coming home to Canada, Adams performed 11 concerts in 11 days in Europe, to promote his new album “11.”

+ March 20, 2008
Photos: Darcy Fettback

Links:
Official Site