Bryan Adams N.J. concert review: Underrated rock master unloads hit parade

It’s now been 40 years since Bryan Adams unleashed “Reckless,” his career-defining rock requisition that brought “Run to You,” “Summer of ‘69″ and “Heaven” to arenas and exalted Adams as Canada’s most commercially viable, guitar-wielding star.

Yet inside Prudential Center Saturday night, it seemed as though no time had passed since 1984. Forgive the time-warp cliché, but it was uncanny how Adams, 64, has maintained his soaring voice over not only a hearty career but an exceedingly busy last couple of years. Since 2022, he’s released four projects comprising seven albums, including his latest LP “So Happy It Hurts,” his versions of songs from “Pretty Woman — The Musical” (he wrote the Broadway show’s songbook), a sprawling two-part anthology and then three live albums recorded at Royal Albert Hall in London, where he now lives. The box set dropped in December.

In between all of that, Adams toured “So Happy It Hurts” throughout much of ‘22 and ‘23, extending the roadshow to include extra 2024 dates. His two-hour hit fest in Newark was the penultimate gig of the lengthy run, totaling more than 200 dates.

But again, Adams showed no wear on the old pipes Saturday — he was pitch-perfect, his chugging jams no less urgent or compelling than the day they dropped. If he chose to put out yet another live album tied to this performance — his first Jersey show in five years — he could do so with minimal editing or polish.

While the “Canadian Springsteen” trope is long played out, Adams’ eternally youthful and self-depreciating manner was indeed familiar: “Welcome to the show, I’m Bryan, I’m your singer for the rest of the evening,” he quipped early on. “I’m going to try and fit in as many songs as I can remember.”

This was an obvious undersell, as Adams later called on the audience for requests — a segment he labeled “let’s remind a singer” — taking on four deep cuts in rapid succession without issue. It’s no small feat for Adams, who has 16 studio LPs spanning 45 years, to hop right into decades-old tracks without rehearsal; the immediate recall of his four-piece band was even more impressive.

Of the impromptu quartet, “House Arrest” off 1991′s chart-topping “Waking Up the Neighbours” was the most fun. Kudos to the fan who scribbled it on a sign.

Adams kept the show moving, cramming 29 songs into the two hours, though he did take a beat to memorialize Tina Turner, with whom he famously dueted “It’s Only Love” in ‘84.

“As you know, we lost Tina last year, which was a great loss to music, and also a great loss to me personally, as she was my friend,” he said. “(She) gave me a great opportunity when I was a young musician, which I would never have had. I still pinch myself today, thinking we sang this song together.”

Adams then infused “It’s Only Love” with Turner’s own “The Best” for a touching mash-up.

A few songs earlier, Adams prefaced his 2019 single “Shine a Light,” written for his late father, with a request to the arena crowd: “The idea behind the song is we all shine a little light, so if there’s somebody up there you want to shine a light for, now is the time.”

Hundreds of phone lights dutifully lit up the arena as Adams strummed the catchy tune. Beside him here and throughout the night was his longtime lead guitarist Keith Scott, who has toured with Adams since 1983. The camaraderie between the two was obvious, playing call-and-response for the bluesy newer jam “Go Down Rockin,’” always quick with a laugh.

Per Adams’ commitment to rock minimalism — if KISS is at one end of the visual spectrum, Adams’ array of gray-scaled album covers lives at the other — the staging for this show was predictably austere. No gimmicks, other than a full-sized inflatable convertible that floated over the arena floor during the title track to “So Happy It Hurts.” One large screen was positioned behind the stage, which didn’t often focus on Adams himself — tough luck for fans in the back of the room.

The show’s hit parade marched on as expected; monstrous sing-alongs for a slightly sped up “Heaven” and the nostalgia bomb “Summer of ‘69,” which remains one of the greatest stadium-rock anthems ever penned.

It was a sincerely satisfying night for casual and devout fans alike, and a testament to Adams’ general agelessness. As his ‘96 tune so boldly declares, he truly may be 18 ‘til he dies.

Bryan Adams’ setlist

March 16, 2024 — Prudential Center, Newark

• “Kick Ass”
• “Can’t Stop This Thing We Started”
• “Somebody”
• “18 til I Die”
• “Please Forgive Me”
• “Shine a Light”
• “Kids Wanna Rock”
• “Heaven”
• “Go Down Rockin’”
• “It’s Only Love”
• “You Belong to Me”
• “I’ve Been Looking for You”
• “The Only Thing That Looks Good on Me Is You”
• “I Will Always Return”
• “Here I Am”
• “This Time”
• “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You”
• “Back to You”
• “So Happy It Hurts”
• “Run to You”
• “Summer of ‘69″
• “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?”
• “Do I Have to Say the Words?” (fan request)
• “Thought I’d Died and Gone to Heaven” (fan request)
• “House Arrest” (fan request)
• “Star” (fan request)
• “Cuts Like a Knife”

Encore:

• “Straight From the Heart”
• “All for Love”

Stories by Bobby Olivier

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Bobby Olivier may be reached at bolivier@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BobbyOlivier and Facebook.