Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

To be considered a legend you must have spent a lifetime not only rolling with the punches, but also been willing to throw a few in return, to not be a person guarantees an affection of Time, the unbreakable bond between satisfaction and the clobbering appreciation for your worth to the public.

There is always an air of the everlasting thumping rock whenever Bryan Adams calls in on the city by the immortal Mersey, the Canadian musician never fails to add joy and an electric sense of dedication to the evening, and the audience meets the sound in kind with the response of wild celebration and passionate chorus like stance that you might find at a sports event, the emotion and empathy is such that perhaps you could imagine such a strong sound being heard from Anfield or the Old Lady at Goodison Road, and by the end of the bout, the concert, the full time whistle, the feelings of expressed mood are palpable, they are the effects of the sonic slap inside the M&S Arena as the music fills the auditorium with rich belief and beauty.

With the title track of the new forthcoming album, Roll With The Punches, opening the night, the scene was set for a captivating, thrilling set that had all within the crowd understanding that what to come was special and exhilarating.

The air inside the arena was filled, squeezing out negativity and pessimism, banishing it to the shade afforded by the generous late spring sun and heat, and as songs, hits, favourites, and rock ballads such as 18 Till I Die, Run To You, Heaven, a powerful, truly heartfelt dedicated It’s Only Love to which the emotional barrels of loss overcame the soul as he remembered with fondness his friend Tina Turner, Can’t Stop This Thing We Started, Go Down Rockin’, a fantastic version of the traditional Irish song Whiskey In The Jar, Have You ever Really Loved A Woman?, a reminder of the power of the public request in a polished rendition of Twist and Shout, the pleasure of memory in Bryan’s first ever British number 1 in (Everything I Do) I Do It For You, and Summer of ’69 all left their indelible mark on the hearts of all inside the venue, so the anticipation keenly felt amongst the crowd was fulfilled and dramatically enthused over.

With the evening finishing with a couple of songs from the small acoustic stage which had been set up at the back of the arena’s floor, Mr. Adams showed with consummate professionalism and fierce cool that he is, and remains, one of top-ranking stage show operators continually visiting Britain.

This was a night of emotion, of class, and one to which the punches that were rolled with were on show, but also the jabs, the spars with Time unflinchingly, unrepentantly, observed with grace and sizeable humour. A fantastic evening in the company of one of the finest entertainers.

Ian D. Hall