4 years ago, at the same venue, Bryan Adams impressed everyone with an amazing live performance that we still remember since it was easily one of the best concerts we have ever seen in our country regardless of the genre or artist. But the Canadian rocker managed to do something that initially seemed almost impossible: he was now even better with a fantastic show from all angles and a crowd that, dare I say it, gave off a much better vibe compared to 2019. But let’s take things from the top, shall we?
Entering the venue around 7:30 we were treated to a spectacle almost similar to what we experienced last time. That is, a hopelessly empty venue and with everyone expressing their wonderment as to whether a crowd would eventually gather. Fortunately, by the opening time (9:20) the arena was satisfactorily full and the stands, although with a few gaps, did not present a bad sight. Shortly before the show started an inflatable car made its appearance behind the stage -like the one from the video-clip of “So Happy It Hurts”- which “flew” over the heads of the people in the arena like a drone. A perfect warm-up for a few minutes until the lights went down and Adams making his entrance with “Kick Ass” from his latest studio album and on the lids the classic “Can’t Stop This Thing We Started” thus setting the OAKA Arena on fire! The sound was crystal clear, the band was in incredible form (hats off to the ever impressive six-string God, Keith Scott) while Bryan Adams was in a great mood with a voice that hasn’t broken even slightly over time!
One hit after another and the crowd was having a blast participating in almost all the songs (even the newer ones). A personal highlight was the performance of my favourite ever Bryan Adams track, the ultra classic “Thought I’d Died And Gone To Heaven” and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the surprise of most people upon hearing the anthemic “The Heat Of The Night”. In fact, when the regular set ended with the epic “Summer of 69”, the Canadian rocker started taking requests and so we heard “Do I Have To Say The Words”, “Room Service”, “Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman” among others. Finally, it is worth mentioning that we heard “Heaven” in a more mid-tempo (and not slow) version while at the end Adams said goodbye to us by playing “Straight From The Heart” and “All For Love” alone on stage with an acoustic guitar. All in all, over 2 hours had passed and 30 songs had been heard!
It’s often said and maybe not always true. But believe me, this was definitely a night to remember. To be precise and expressing a purely personal opinion this was the best concert of the year…easily!
PS: After the concert and during a short meet & greet with Bryan Adams, we didn’t forget to thank him for…bringing Mutt Lange out of retirement for his latest album. Bryan smiled and told us that the legendary producer only wants to work with him…
Sakis Nikas
Setlist: Kick Ass, Can’t Stop This Thing We Started, Somebody, 18 til I Die, Please Forgive Me, One Night Love Affair, Shine a Light, Heaven, Go Down Rockin’, It’s Only Love, Kids Wanna Rocκ, You Belong to Me, I’ve Been Looking for You, The Only Thing That Looks Good on Me Is You, When You Love Someone, Here I Am, When You’re Gone, Thought I’d Died and Gone to Heaven, (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?, Heat of the Night, Room Service, Do I Have to Say the Words?, Cuts Like a Knife, Straight From the Heart, All for Love, Christmas Time
