In 2010, Canadian rock legend Bryan Adams released the intimate live album Bare Bones. Accompanied only by pianist Gary Breit, Adams takes an obviously enthralled audience on a hit ride and career retrospective, saving “Cuts like a Knife” and “Summer of ‘69” for the back end of the set as he flexes the catalogue that made him one of the biggest sellers of the ‘80s.
Most of these songs were written to nail the last row in the stadium, and it is surprising how well they hold up to the come-closer unplugged treatment. Adams’ melodic hooks are seldom surprising, but never much disappointing, either. His sentiments are macro, his language common, his images rock-archetypal. As gravel-voiced as ever, but having lost none of his power or range, Adams remains a stout and fit vehicle for his own variety of torchy, broad-gesture pop rock and balladry, and I dare you not to be swayed by some of it, even as your hipster conscience objects.
If Bare Bones is any indication, Adams in his mid-50s will have no problem ringing the rafters at the Ulster County Performing Arts Center (UPAC) or drawing the audience in close with his self-deprecating humor and his tales of rock stardom. Bryan Adams performs solo at UPAC in Kingston on Monday, November 25 at 8 p.m.
Bryan Adams solo concert at UPAC in Kingston, Monday, Nov. 25, 8 p.m.; Tickets $80, $60 and $34.50, depending on seat, available at UPAC box office, 601 Broadway in Kingston, (845) 339-6088; Bardavon box office, 35 Market Street in Poughkeepsie, (845) 473-2072; and via Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 and www.ticketmaster.com.
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