Bryan Adams delivers plenty of energy unplugged

BRYAN ADAMS, Kingsbury Hall, Sept. 27

Those who thought a Bryan Adams solo acoustic concert would be a mellow evening of music found out quickly Sunday night that it was anything but.

From the opening guitar riff of "Run To You," a nearly sold-out Kingsbury Hall, apparently thirsty for a show by Adams who hadn't been to the Beehive State for many years, erupted with vociferous cheers and emphatic applause.

Adams owned Kingsbury Hall Sunday as his solo acoustic tour brought a full rock-band energy to the arena.

"I don't know if you got the memo or not, but tonight's show is an acoustic show, and this is the band," Adams told the crowd while pointing to his piano accompaniment for the evening.

With just six light lights, a piano, a music stand and microphone, Adams' show didn't need any lasers or digital screen backdrops. He let his music carry the show on its own.

Adams played selections spanning his entire 30-year career. "Back to You," "Can't Stop This Thing We Started," "The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You" and "Heat of the Night" were fast-paced highlights.

Many of Adams' ballads worked exceptionally well acoustically and could probably be released as stripped down singles such as "Let's Make A Night to Remember," "When You Love Someone" and "Everything I Do, I Do It For You."

Halfway through "Please Forgive Me," Adams told the crowd the song would be a good country tune and proceeded to sing the next verse with a twang.

Adams. who has seemingly found a way to stop the aging process, looked just about the same way he did in the 1980s. Instead of his traditional white T-shirt and jeans, however, Adams wore a black-collar shirt and jeans. His gravelly voice was strong throughout his entire two-hour set.

Several times Adams paused between songs to tell stories about his music. Among the highlights was a hilarious account about how his mega-hit "Heaven" off the multi-platinum "Reckless" album was actually written for a movie about a male stripper (1983's "A Night In Heaven").

"I hope I didn't ruin the song for you," the good-natured Adams apologized to the crowd, particularly those who played his song at their weddings.