Bryan Adams and Pat Benatar: A Knockout Bill
Words by Liz Wyatt
What a wonderful opener for rock legend Bryan Adams at CFG Bank Arena: Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo hit the stage with “Shadows of the Night.” The die-hard fans were standing and dancing in front of the stage. Those of us on the sidelines might not have been quite as quick to dance, but head bobs abounded.
Benatar, as slender and graceful as ever in flowing black lace ruffles and a beautiful mane of silver hair, was rock-glam splendor. The connection between her and the singalong fans was palpable as they joined her for “We Belong” and its declaration that “we can’t afford to be innocent.” Benatar and Giraldo even brought out a new number before she glided across the stage in those lacy ruffles and belted out “Love Is a Battlefield.”
Watch the official music video for “Love Is a Battlefield” by Pat Benatar on YouTube:
The pairing was a perfect start to a night of rock ’n’ roll at CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore on August 9. I noticed the exceptional energy coming from Benatar’s drummer and how perfectly Giraldo’s guitar synced with it. “Heartbreaker” became a mashup with “Ring of Fire” before returning to “Heartbreaker” and finally turning into the longest Midwestern goodbye I’ve ever heard.
Benatar and Giraldo have spent more than 40 years together, and all those years of performing came through in the nuances of Giraldo’s extended riffs — four decades of love, inspiration and play. The ending ran on as if he didn’t want the moment to end. I sure didn’t. I teared up thinking about how much of himself he had put into that song and how long 40 years really is. These are tremendous performers, still writing songs and still wowing audiences.
Bryan Adams showed what a class act he is from the moment his set began. Rather than immediately taking the main stage, he appeared on a small stage facing the rear of the arena and the cheap seats, sweetly singing “Straight From the Heart” with an acoustic guitar.
The crowd sang louder than he did — so much louder. In beautiful pitch, Adams’ fans sang back to him like a choir filled with decades of love and joy.
When Adams moved to the main stage, our lighted wristbands twinkled like thousands of stars in a night sky. Then “Run to You” started, and the front, sides, middle and back of the arena were on their feet, dancing and waving those starlight wristbands. A giant white boxing glove balloon floated through the crowd for “Roll With the Punches.”
Watch the official music video for “Roll With the Punches” by Bryan Adams on YouTube:
There was nothing mellow about this show. Adams and his band were shredding rock riffs over wicked drums with the best of them. “18 Til I Die”? You got that right, Bryan.
Finally, things slowed down for “Please Forgive Me.” Once again, the crowd sang louder than Adams, and this time he simply stopped and stood there, listening to thousands of voices sing his song back to him. He thanked us and told everyone to feel free to sing as loudly as we wanted because he loved hearing it.
Next, he wrecked us with a blistering “Kids Wanna Rock.” And they do. And we did!
There was also a moment to remember the late Tina Turner as Adams performed “It’s Only Love,” the duet the two originally recorded together. “Shine a Light” and “Heaven” followed, and with the arena glowing from thousands of illuminated wristbands, it really did look and sound a little like heaven.
Watch the official music video for “Heaven” by Bryan Adams on YouTube:
While we were all still living in Loveville, Adams gave us “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?” Later, standing alone in the spotlight with an acoustic guitar, he delivered the magic of “Here I Am.”
Adams also pulled out his first music video and asked us to be kind about his 1983 hair. Oh, that Justin Bieber hair! So cute, Bryan.
But put him back in a leather jacket and there’s still something of that timeless James Dean cool about him. Adams makes it all look easy. “Heat of the Night” reminded us that he can still rock, while the camera crew searched the audience for dancing fans to put on the big screen during “Twist and Shout.”
What a night.
Pat Benatar, Neil Giraldo and Bryan Adams have already given us more than four decades of music. After watching them command CFG Bank Arena, I’ll happily take 40 more.
