Wednesday, December 09, 2009

It's Not the Front Row Anymore When They Put Chairs in the Orchestra Pit

When I got my new job, I rewarded myself with the best available tickets to see Bryan Adams in concert. This sounds reasonable, right? They were front row, and they weren't cheap. And yet somehow? I didn't care.

Here is how I justified the purchase:

1. I have been listening to Bryan Adams since I was eleven.
2. The concert was billed as "A Night with Bryan Adams," and this meant just him and his guitar.
3. He sings Heaven, the song that Mike and I will share a dance to at an event in the future.

Kari happily accompanied me, as Mike had unbreakable plans, and we had a blast. He was absolutely amazing. Without a band, there was more time for music. He told stories, made some jokes, but mostly played songs.

Being the perennial dork that I am, I made sure to keep track of the set list. The man played twenty-eight songs. So many songs! Granted, I have no idea how many songs are usually played in most concerts, as I haven't geeked out to this extent before, but still. His pianist accompanied him on a good number of hits, which was delightful and fitting, especially for such favorites as "Everything I Do, I Do It For You." Lovely!

And in response to questions I've gotten, including, "He's still alive?" and "Did he sound like an octogenarian?" I am pleased to report that even after singing twenty-eight songs, there was not a hint of rasp in his voice. He didn't seem tired at all!

OMG there he is!
We weren't supposed to take pictures, but I did ANYWAY.
Just the one. Without the flash.
Which is why it came out so amazingly well.


Also, he's still pretty good looking. At one point, a guy in the crowd yelled out, "Bryan, my wife wants to know if you're single!" Giggle! Bryan also called out this trashy chick behind me who was recording the whole performance on her camera, which was highly entertaining.

I really can't think of many other artists I would shell out hard-earned cash for, especially since I've already seen some of my favorites (Joshua Radin, Pete Yorn, Ben Folds). I'm so glad that I bit the bullet and got the tickets. It was a night to remember. WHICH IS ALSO THE TITLE OF ONE OF HIS SONGS, OH MY GOD.

5 comments:

Waayers said...

That's awesome! I remember buying the Robin Hood soundtrack when I was like 11 (because of his song, obviously - and because it had a picture of Christian Slater). I listened to it obsessively. Good times.

JLR said...

Jealous! Love him!

Heather said...

waayers - Obviously Christian Slater. OBVIOUSLY.

jlr - It was RAD.

Jenny said...

Dave LOVES Brian Adams. He is going to be so jealous when I tell him you saw him in concert!

Heather said...

j - I love learning new things about Dave. Tell him that it was AMAZING. But really, if this tour comes anywhere near you guys, you should go. It was so RAD.