Browsing Tag: bryan adams

    Music

    Bryan Adams in Seattle: November 21, 2025

    November 22, 2025

    I set a new personal record last night!

    14,658 days between my first time seeing an artist live and latest time seeing them live. That’s to say, I went 40 years, 1 month, and 17 days between my first time seeing Bryan Adams (Oct. 5, 1985 – I reviewed the show for my high school paper) and the latest time seeing him (last night – Nov. 21, 2025).

    The first time I went to see him, I was trying to impress a girl. (Didn’t work. She dumped me soon after.)

    The second time I went to see him, in 2023, it was because I had almost died less than a year earlier and was doing #MyYearOfConcerts, where I went to see anyone and everyone I could — carpe diem, life is short, etc.

    Last night, I went to see him because DAMN, he puts on a great and super fun show, and dude has decades of hits that he plays like his life depends on it. I’ll go see him again and again as long as he’s playing.

    Also got to see my first-ever Pat Benatar show, which is now billed as Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo (her husband of 43 years and musical partner), although Cari knows Pat as “my former customer at the stationery/gift shop in Malibu.”

    Anyway…it was very cool to see them interact on stage, you could really sense how much they love and admire each other. They opened for Bryan and were terrific. Her voice hasn’t lost a thing.

    Oh, the old record for longest time between first and latest show belonged to….you probably guessed it….U2.

    First U2 show: April 24, 1985
    Latest U2 show: Dec. 16, 2023

    That’s 14,116 days (38 years, 7 months, 23 days) between first and latest. But now it’s the second-longest time between first and latest concerts.

    No more shows planned for this year, but 2026 is already looking great. LFG!!

    Music

    My Year of Concerts™: Bryan Adams

    August 6, 2023

    (Saw two shows in two nights in two cities, so gonna do this as two separate posts even though it was one long weekend trip!)

    #MyYearOfConcerts continued Thursday night when I saw Bryan Adams in Seattle with Joan Jett opening the show!

    Back in 1985, I took my best girl to see Bryan Adams at the Spectrum in Philly. That relationship ended soon after the concert IIRC, so I was glad that Cari didn’t come with me to Seattle ’cause why risk lightning striking twice, right? 😅

    The show last week was terrific, way better than I expected. Just hit after hit after hit after hit. He took two audience requests late in the show and had a lot of fun with it. His voice hasn’t lost a thing in 40 years. But the thing I’ll remember most is how genuinely happy and grateful he seemed to still be able to play big arenas in his 60s. The whole night just oozed fun. I know it’s the Canadian stereotype, but he comes across as the nicest guy in rock music, the kinda guy you’d sit down and shoot the shit with for hours.

    I don’t think we all appreciate Bryan Adams enough. Go check his Wikipedia page and read how many #1 singles he’s had, Top 10/Top 20 singles, #1 Gold/Platinum/etc. albums, Grammy Awards/Academy Award/Golden Globes nominations…you name it. I prefer his rock side more than his ballad/movie theme side, but it was all so good on Thursday night.

    Oh, Joan Jett was the opener and she still freaking rocks, too! She played for about an hour, told some great stories about her early days, and played all the hits you’d want to hear. They were a great combo.

    Music

    Bryan Adams, October 5, 1985 in Philadelphia: Concert review

    July 17, 2017

    Nevermind that it’s the summer of 2017 right now. Close your eyes and transport yourself back to 1984-85. Think of what you heard on local radio stations and saw on MTV.

    You might eventually think of Bryan Adams, whose Reckless album came out in late 1984 and spawned hit after hit after hit after hit. In the Philadelphia area where I grew up, Bryan Adams was played what seemed like constantly on multiple radio stations. And I was a fan.

    I took my best girl down to the Spectrum in Philadelphia to see Adams’ concert on October 5, 1985. (Actually, I think we had broken up by this time but remained friends. Either way, it doesn’t matter.)

    I have no recollection of writing a concert review for my high school newspaper, but apparently that’s exactly what I did. An old friend recently sent me scans from the January 1986 edition of The Flame. I already posted one of the two articles with my byline from that issue, so here’s the second: my Bryan Adams Philadelphia concert review.

    #goodtimes

    (You can click to read a larger version of the first image if you need to.)

    Thanks again for sending these along, Joe.