With over 15,000 fans crying “once more” after every song, Canadian singer Bryan Adams lived up to the expectations of his die-hard fans, as he took the crowd through 20 popular back-to-back numbers, including 18 Till I Die, at the MMRDA Grounds in Bandra-Kurla Complex, Mumbai on Sunday.
With Gary Peter Breit on the keyboard, Mickey Curry on the drums, Keith Douglas Scott playing the lead guitar, and Norman James Fisher on bass, it was definitely a night to remember. Bryan played hits like Let’s Make a Night to Remember, Cloud No. 9, Cuts like a Knife, Please Forgive Me, and Summer of ’69.
While the fans standing next to the stage never got tired of calling out the singer’s name, those at the gold stand (the cheapest and farthest stand in the concert), screamed even harder each time the singer paused.
Although the concert was running an hour late, the fans, some of whom had been lazily sitting on the floor, sprung back to life as Bryan ran in singing One Night love Affair in his heart-warming, husky yet mellow voice.
The singer welcomed the crowd yelling “Hello Mumbai my name is Bryan,” on the microphone, even as the audience screamed out “Adams” in reply.
The singer, who recently turned 51, proved once again why he is a legend, as he then sang the popular number Somebody. He paused for a second to address the crowd, “Good Evening Mumbai, Here I Come,” and took off with Here I Come.
The next song to follow was Is There Anybody Waiting, followed by an improvisation on the guitar with bass guitarist Fisher.
The sheer exuberance and energy on the stage was infectious as Fisher and Bryan ran, danced and rolled on the stage, till Fisher lying on his back reached the end of the duet. The crowd screamed with equally deafening applauds.
The concert was undoubtedly a nostalgic moment for Bryan, as he dedicated Died and gone to heaven to a special fan.
“The first time I played here, someone managed to get on the stage. He grabbed the mike and shouted ‘Thought I’d died and gone to the Heaven’ and then jumped into the crowd. This song is dedicated to that gentleman, wherever he is,” said Bryan.
But what set the stage on fire was lead guitarist, Keith Scott’s extempore solo performance, whom Bryan introduced as one blessed with the fastest fingers in the world. Keith didn’t fail to impress either as his fingers ran up and down the fret like lightning. The crowd was so mesmerised by Keith’s performance that by the end of the extempore, every fan was playing his guitar in the air.
And like every Bryan Adams concert, the singer got one fan on the stage to sing a song.
Soon followed the hit Let’s make a night to Remember, this is when the crowd broke into a karaoke mode, as they sang while Bryan and the band members played the instrumental version. However, nothing could match the frenzy that one of his most popular songs Summer of ’69 generated. It was as if the crowd was just waiting for the number.
The madness didn’t end here. Bryan made everyone switch on their cellphones to light up the entire venue for Everything I Do.
It felt like the stars had come down to the MMRDA Grounds.
While Cloud no. 9 was his closing song for the night, Bryan, not wanting to disappoint his fans sang four extra songs, including a solo performance Straight From The Heart on harmonica and guitar.
The singer finally signed off saying, “Thank you, Mumbai, you are an awesome crowd. Take Care.”
The last two legs of the Bryan Adams Tour will see the singer perform in Bengaluru on Tuesday
and Hyderabad on Wednesday.