------Feature • Bryan Adams------Keeping ‘Summer’ Alive By Deborah Kennedy you consider that Adams started There’s a thing that music snobs like fronting the Van- to do. Say you’re out to dinner with one couver-based rock of them, and you make a reference to how band Sweeney Todd much you adore Bryan Adams. The snob at the tender age of might say, “Don’t you mean Ryan Adams?” 15. Soon he and his Even after you’ve made it perfectly mates put out their clear that you are, indeed, talking about the first album, If Wish- gritty-voiced rock star behind such hits as es Were Horses. Ap- “Heaven” and “Summer of ’69,” there’s a parently wishes, if good chance said snob will blather on about not horses, really do the seminal differences between Gold and come true because Easy Tiger. It’s too bad because I, for one, two years later Ad- can say that it’s possible to love both Bryan ams was discovered and Ryan. Really. Why can’t we all just get by A&M records. along? In 1980 he put out Of the two Adamses, Bryan was, of his self-titled debut SATURDAY, course, my first love. He was responsible for with songwriting my childhood soundtrack. Those of you who help from friend OCT. 29 grew up in the 80s know what I’m talking Jim Vallance. Later about. The summer of 1985 just wouldn’t came You Want It have been the same without “Summer of You Got It, which he ’69” playing on every radio known to man recorded in just two and woman. And I’m pretty sure most of weeks’ time in New my impressions of adolescent romantic love York City, but it were shaped by “Heaven,” “Run to You” wasn’t until 1983’s homeless and, later but perhaps even more crucially Cuts Like a Knife by, “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You.” (So that Adams really what if I had unrealistic expectations when it made his mark on came to relationships? It was nice to believe, the music industry. if only for a little while.) The ladies loved The thing to remember about Bryan J Adams, who’ll be taking the Embassy BRYAN ADAMS never fade and are always fantastic to Theatre stage Wednesday, November 2 as sing.” part of his Bare Bones tour, is that the 80s Wednesday, Nov. 2 • 8 p.m. In fact, the purpose of the Bare Bones didn’t really do him justice. This talented Embassy Theatre tour is to shed new light on old favorites, Canadian not only writes and records mu- 125 W. Jefferson Blvd., Fort Wayne to strip them down to their essence and sic capable of defining a generation – he’s remind fans why they fell in love with the & The also a dedicated philanthropist and pho- Tix: $37.75-$77.75 thru box office, songs in the first place. tographer, a veritable Renaissance man, 260-424-5665 “It’s my acoustic rendition of 30 years if you will. What say you now, snobs? of songwriting squished into two hours, He’s so busy and important, in fact, his passion-filled, raspy vocals, and MTV’s and usually I mumble lots of nonsense in- that we weren’t able to connect for a phone camera-happy video world loved his chis- between songs too,” Adams said. interview, so I e-mailed him a set of ques- eled good looks. Everyone seemed to love It’s a common misconception on the part Orange tions instead. The main problem in securing the singles “Straight From the Heart,” “Cuts of pop culture observers that when a singer a phoner actually came down to the fact that Like a Knife” and “This Time.” witnesses his star power fading a little he Adams, who grew up the child of an ambas- Adams’ next album, Reckless, hit No. 1 must be unhappy about it. We’ve all watched sador and has lived all over the world, cur- on the Billboard 200. Soon kids all over the flash-in-the-pan acts like Lindsay Lohan and rently resides in Europe where he continues U.S. and Canada thought they knew exactly Britney Spears implode in very public ways. Opera to tour and perform on a regular basis. what made the summer of 1969 so impor- First comes fame, then comes backlash, then Adams has never really stopped play- tant. Mass protests calling for the end to the comes rehab. But for Adams, first came ing music since he bought his first Fender Vietnam War? The beginning of Richard fame, then came backlash, then came giv- in 1975. His fame might have ebbed a little Nixon’s tenure as president? The moon land- ing back. Instead of retreating into himself in the 90s following “Have You Ever Really ing? Nah. What mattered was that Jimmy or making his life a public spectacle, Adams Loved a Woman,” featured on the sound- quit and Jody got married. created a philanthropic foundation to benefit track for Johnny Depp’s sweet bit of fluff, An onslaught of love followed, as well underprivileged children around the world, Don Juan De Marco, and a sold-out per- as another album, Waking Up the Neighbors, focusing primarily on access to education. Made formance at Wembley Stadium, but Adams which peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard chart He continues to champion a wide variety of Possible By is an artist whose greatest joy comes from when it dropped in 1991. It featured “(Ev- causes, including animal rights and world making music, not from adulation. erything I Do) I Do It for You,” the theme peace. “The best part of [that early fame] was to the wildly popular Kevin Costner vehicle “Creating a foundation is probably one becoming independent and being able to Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, and young of the best things I’ve done, as the requests pay my rent, and other best moments were women and teen girls continued to swoon to be involved in other charity functions always the artistic ones and knowing that I’d the world over for Adams who said that even come in and are so varied. It’s been great to be able to take care of my family going for- today he relishes the opportunity to perform focus and concentrate on one or two things, ward,” Adams said. “The worst things were those old songs. mostly the needs of children,” said Adams. realizing how bad the contracts were that I “I love them,” Adams said. “They have So you see, loving Bryan Adams – I signed as a young songwriter looking for a stood the test of time. I put that down to the mean Bryan Adams – not only shows good break.” way they were written and recorded, guys in taste. It’s good for the planet as well. Sorry, That break came rather quickly, when a room jamming. We kept it simple … They snobs. You lose. October 27, ’11------www.whatzup.com------7