Bryan Adams Steps Up As Rock & Roll’s Guardian Angel On 'So Happy It Hurts' Tour [Review/Photos]

Bryan Adams has long been a beacon of sentimentality and nostalgia, especially in a music industry that’s always looking for what’s next. Even when the Canadian rocker was that next big thing, he found the spotlight, in part, with songs like “Summer of ‘69”, which hearkens back to simpler times.

Now, as that iconic track approaches its 40th birthday, Bryan has fashioned himself as a keeper of the flame for straightforward rock and roll, in a world where lines between genres and styles are blurrier than ever.

The 63-year-old staked his claim to that particular throne from the outset of his show at San Francisco’s Chase Center, on the final leg of his So Happy It Hurts U.S. tour. As has become customary on this go-round, the night began with “Kick Ass”, an anthem from his 2022 album So Happy It Hurts that features a voiceover from the actor John Cleese lamenting the demise of rock music—and nodding to Bryan as an “angel” sent to rescue the world from “bad music.”

That fed right into a stirring, 25-song set that had seemingly the entire crowd singing along to every word of every song. In some cases, like the balladic hit “Heaven”, Bryan deferred to the audience to carry entire verses.

He and his crew certainly did their part to involve fans in the production, in classic rock and roll fashion. Halfway through the main set, Bryan summoned his camera operator to search the arena for dancing fans during a pair of rockabilly songs: “You Belong To Me”, from 2015’s Get Up, and “I’ve Been Looking For You”, off his most recent album. Later on, he fielded an audience request—specifically asking for the deepest cut anyone could suggest—and wound up playing “Do I Have to Say The Words?” from 1991’s Waking Up The Neighbours.

Though Bryan and his band were hardly reliant on props and tricks, they did make entertaining use of an inflatable, drone-operated sports car from time to time. After keeping the crowd entertained following Joan Jett and the Blackhearts’ opening set, the floating vehicle—with “Bryan Adams” scribbled on one side and “So Happy It Hurts” on the other—re-emerged for a ride as the band played the title track of the tour and its accompanying album.

And what would a proper rock concert be without at least a song or two with lighters (and phones) illuminating the building? Everyone put their lumens to work early on during “Shine a Light”, off the 2019 album of the same name, as well as at the very end amid Bryan’s solo encore of “All For Love”.

Beyond those live theatrics, Bryan and his band pulled off a tightly rehearsed show that offered each member ample opportunity to display his skills.

Keith Scott, Bryan’s brilliant lead guitarist, pulled off a surprisingly spot-on Tina Turner impression while singing the recently departed legend’s part on “It’s Only Love” from 1984’s Reckless. Pat Steward, who has recorded and toured with Bryan since the early ’80s, had his moment in the sun on drums during “The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You”. Bassist Solomon Walker stood out during the aforementioned rockabilly segment, due in large part to his acoustic upright bass. Gary Breit’s keys were Bryan’s only accompaniment (other than his own acoustic guitar) on “Here I Am”, from the soundtrack for the 2002 film Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron.

And though Bryan hardly hogs the spotlight with his own instruments, he made excellent dual use of his steel string Martin GPCPA4 Rosewood acoustic guitar and Hohner harmonic during “Straight From the Heart” to open the encore.

More than anything, Bryan’s distinctively (and powerfully) raspy voice took center stage from beginning to end. Whether riding high on hard-driving rock songs like “Can’t Stop This Thing We Started”, “18 ‘Til I Die”, “Cuts Like a Knife”, and “Run to You”, or crooning to full-on ballads like “Please Forgive Me” and “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You”, his vocals were the one constant that tied the entire performance together.

That much has been true for Bryan Adams throughout his illustrious career. As iconic as his greatest hits are in word and melody, odds are, they wouldn’t have made him one of the best-selling musicians of all time without powerful pipes.

This many years on, it’s damn near miraculous that Bryan can still belt out his litany of standards as beautifully as ever. He will continue to do so in September, when he and his band play four shows in his native Canada.

Then again, for someone who’s assumed the role of rock and roll’s resident angel, it’s only right that Bryan Adams would have every musical tool at his disposal to keep the roots of the genre alive and kick-ass.

Scroll down to check out a gallery of images from Bryan Adams at San Francisco’s Chace Center courtesy of photographer Josh Martin.