TONY CLAYTON-LEA reviews Bryan Adams at the Olympia Theatre, Dublin
What exactly is a superstar – a man with the kind of following who could fill a venue such as the O2 with little problem – doing traipsing around Ireland playing small theatre venues? It is, says Adams to a packed theatre of up-for-it fans, part of a journey to reconnect with the reasons that inspired him to write and perform music in the first place.
It’s easy for anyone with a mind to it to view the 50-year old Canadian rock star (and, latterly, acclaimed celebrity photographer) with a jaundiced eye and a blocked ear; he started out over 25 years ago as the rugged rock act it was okay to confess to liking (admit it – at some point in your karaoke life, you’ve hummed along to the likes of Run to You, Summer of 69 and Straight from the Heart, haven’t you?), but then steered clear of when his 1991 single (Everything I Do) I Do it for You spent four months at No 1, spoiling an otherwise good summer.
For better or worse, that song bracketed Adams as a rock star that women of most ages dreamed of having as their man, the kind of guy who asks for forgiveness – not for causing you emotional hurt, or for not bringing home a carton of milk and a bar of chocolate, but for not being able to stop loving you.
With this in mind, there’s no denying that Adams has the largely female audience in the palm of his hand, but this time it’s without the bombastic backing of a rock band; it’s just him, his acoustic guitar, an accompanying pianist, a lectern and a hard neck.
For the so-called Bare Bones tour, Adams does indeed strip away the trappings of an overtly commercial sound, and it works a treat. Yes, some of the songs (for example, Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman) drip so much treacle it’s a wonder his boots don’t stick to the stage, but some (for example, Please Forgive Me) are very good examples of emotional plain-speaking – and what’s important to remember is that Adams need not be doing this. He requires neither money in banks nor reviews in newspapers. He’s doing it because his music is crucial to him and, clearly, a good number of people in the audience.
After this? Well, he might well head back into the comfort zone of arena rock, but for the moment he’s intent on keeping his art as realistic a proposition as he can manage, and on the basis of these shows he’s doing a good job. Would that other major rock stars attempted to do the same.
Bryan Adams plays the Irish National Event Centre, Killarney, Co Kerry, tonight
