Bryan Adams is an international man, but as a musician he comes back again and again to songs that are undeniably American in their taste for “kick ass” rock and roll.
Case in point: One of his latest songs, released from his most recent original studio album, So Happy It Hurts, is called “Kick Ass,” and it’s nothing less than an ode to good times, good friends, and good music. Bryan began his most recent DC-area show by way of this song as a means of saying, “hello!” and letting the audience at EagleBank Arena know what type of concert they were attending.
After seeing Bryan perform, my first time although I am a musical child of the ’80s, it’s clear to me that his international presence informs a fresh take on quintessentially American themes (and he himself of course is Canadian). He is able to return to heartland rock and arena rock and keep it fresh because he’s never navel-gazing. He’s too busy knocking down doors and being super prolific these days.
In 2022, for example, Bryan released So Happy It Hurts and then later that year released a deluxe edition f that album. That same year, he reimagined 14 of his classic songs on Classic Parts 1 and 2. He also was co-writer of lyrics and music for Pretty Woman The Music, which saw its soundtrack release in 2022. Whew!
Bryan’s current tour, including his March 13 date at EagleBank Arena, was a continuation of the So Happy It Hurts Tour, and like I said, it began with new song “Kick Ass.” It wasn’t immediately obvious to me that the prologue to that song was part of that song. Before Bryan and his band took the stage, Bryan was humorously introduced by John Cleese, whose voice the audience heard in a monologue. This is part of the song, and you can in fact see Cleese deliver the lines in the music video for “Kick Ass,” directed by Bryan himself.
Watch the official music video for “Kick Ass” by Bryan Adams on YouTube:
While Bryan was busy in 2022, eh also headlined three nights at Royal Albert Hall in his adopted hometown of London, and performed one of each of his classic albums in its entirety. In December, he released a three-album set of those performances via BMG: Cuts Like A Knife (Night 1), Into The Fire (Night 2), and Waking Up the Neighbours (Night 3). Two of those albums — Cuts Like a Knife and Waking Up the Neighbours also figured prominently into his 27-song set at EagleBank Arena.
Bryan closed the main set with the memorable “Cuts Like a Knife” (1983) and added “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” from Waking Up the Neighbours to the middle of the set. While that song does appear on the 1991 studio album, it is perhaps more famous as the theme song for Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, which starred Kevin Costner that year!
Watch the official music video for “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” by Bryan Adams on YouTube:
Remarkably, Bryan also took requests — in an arena! Toward the end of the show, he performed “The Best Was Yet to Come” from Cuts Like a Knife and afterward “Fits Ya Good” from You Want It, You Got It (1981).
It must be added as well that the unflagging Mr. Adams performed with the energetic zeal of a much younger musician, kicking and rocking out with an energy that got everyone in EagleBank Arena on their feet to dance and stomp along!
Here are a few photos of Bryan Adams performing at EagleBank Arena on March 13, 2024. All pictures by Mickey McCarter.
