Singer Songwriter Along With Dave Stewart Revisit Timeless Hits From 1980's & 90's

Jeff Walker,  Entertainment Writer

While the bulk of his legendary arsenal of Top 40 hits came between 1983-1998, Canadian born rocker Bryan Adams continues to put out new music and is adored worldwide. More than 40 years since he first popped onto the scene, the singer songwriter with more than two dozen recognizable songs wowed several thousand fans Tuesday (March 12) night, bringing his 'So Happy It Hurts Tour' to the North Charleston Coliseum. 

With Dave Stewart as the opening act, offering up the 'Eurythmics Songbook', together the two icons who made their mark in the 1980's provided more than 35 plus songs that took baby boomers back to the carefree decade of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher.

With far fewer familiar songs, Stewart surrounded by seven capable glitter clad females, (four musicians & three singers) kicked off the evening with 'I Need a Man', a lesser known pop/rock track from the Eurythmics 1988 release 'Savage'. He followed with 'Love Is a Stranger' a song diehard fans might remember from 1983. Midway through his 11 song set Stewart captured casual fans with 'There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)', which peaked inside the Top 30 in 1985 much to the harmonic work of Stevie Wonder.

Stewart's final five songs are vintage Eurythmics including 'Here Comes the Rain Again', 'Would I Lie To You', 'Missionary Man', and the feminine anthem 'Sisters Are Doin'it For Themselves', before closing with their biggest across the board hit 'Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)'.

Stewart an accomplished musician, songwriter, and producer was pretty much the architect for the Eurythmics success, with his melodious lyrics and creativity adding to their compelling videos. And although the triple threat of vocalists did a stellar job, the absence of Annie Lennox who was the face and soulful voice of the power pop duo was notably missed. Nonetheless, Stewart's show was welcome by Eurythmics fans, and a nice segue way into the main attraction,

Primed by an inflatable flying convertible and thunderous crowd anticipation, Bryan Adams rocked onto the stage with all the swagger he did in his heyday. Aside from a few newer tracks the 64 years young guitar wielding rocker barreled through more than 20 easily identifiable hits, with concert goers singing along to every familiar chorus. 

Perhaps there's no better way to kick off the 'So Happy It Hurt's Tour' than with the appropriately titled 'Kick Ass', the third single from 'So Happy It Hurts' (2021). With a big screen vocal intro provided by legendary British actor John Cleese (from Monty Python's Flying Circus), the high energy track set the tone for Adams two hour performance.

Much like Stewart, Adams revisited yesteryear, giving adoring fans precisely what they wanted from the pop rocker known for epic ballads and classic rock anthems. 'Can't Stop This Thing We Started' began a freight train of heavy hitters including 'Somebody' 'Please Forgive Me' and 'Heaven'.

'18 till I Die' proved Adams is a hard core rocker at heart, with the legendary musician altering the lyrics slightly to reflect that he is turning 65 later this year. Make no mistake, Adams is as vibrant in 2024 as he was in 1984, with '18 till I Die' reflecting that baby boomers have been drinking from the fountain of youth for decades. Adams peppered his lineup with newer songs such as 'Shine a Light', the title track from his 2019 release. The upbeat track was written for his father.

After offering up a heartfelt tribute to the late Tina Turner, and thanking her for allowing him to open for her as a young artist, Adams went full tilt into 'It's Only Love' the hard rockin' number he recorded with Turner in 1985. That got the crowd on their feet, with most concert goers on the floor swaying to the hard rockin' rhythmic beat. The duet is one of the best live music tracks in rock n' roll history and reason it won an MTV Video Music Award for Best Stage Performance.

Approaching the midway point Adams offered up 'The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You' proving the hard-core rocker has a funky blues side. 'This Time' harkens back to 1983, when many became introduced to Adams and his breakthrough multi-platinum selling album 'Cuts Like a Knife'. 'This Time' proved early on Adams has a versatile vocal range, with his third album proving he can sing softer melodies alongside larger than life rock anthems.

16 songs deep Adams was just getting started, engaging the audience between numbers before launching headfirst into the bulk of his career spanning hits.

Loving couples in the crowd got sentimental and close on '(Everything I Do) I Do It For You' easily Adams biggest soft rock number, spending seven weeks atop the Billboard Top 40, while ending 1991 as the top pop song, gaining a lot of fire from being included in the movie 'Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves' as well as placed on his sixth studio release 'Waking Up the Neighbours'. Cellphones lights were lit, with romantic couples in the crowd being displayed on the big screen.

'Run to You' and 'Summer of 69' soon followed as concert goers were happy to provide background vocals on familiar choruses.

Adams remarked early on that he would be entertaining an audience request portion during the show, upon which he took shout-outs from a few close to the stage, which lead to 'She's Only Happy When She's Dancin', and 'Remember' an oft forgotten track off Adams' self-titled 1980 debut album. Adams joked the later is so old he may not remember the song, but to the delight of the person who requested it, he championed on.

'Cuts Like a Knife' is without question the ideal Bryan Adams audience participation song, with thousands of concert goers singing endless 'na na nas'. The 1983 track off the album of the same name is perhaps Adams' signature song. Adams ended his show with 'Knife' before returning to the stage for an encore performance of 'Straight From the Heart' before closing out the evening with 'All for Love', a power ballad he recorded with Rod Stewart and Sting for the the 1993 motion picture 'The Three Musketeers.

While Dave Stewart may have laid the groundwork for the rock n' roll explosives, it was Adams who lit the match and eventually blew the roof off the North Charleston Coliseum. For over two hours Adams had 4000 plus appreciative fans, holding onto every word from every song, with concert goers many who travelled two hours leaving fully satisfied.

Anyone who imagines Bryan Adams has mellowed with age has not seen him perform in 2024. Adams is much like a vintage bottle of rock n' roll wine. He gets better with age, and has clearly taken a page from the Rolling Stones textbook. I'm a fan of his catalog of hit songs, and quite frankly he has more than most people can recall.

An acclaimed photographer, Adams is a stickler for imagery. When the big screen backdrop wasn't showing images of the band, it displayed epic landscape and city views, with every image ideally complementing the song Adams and his band were playing. The concert may have played to 4000 plus fans inside a coliseum that easily holds twice as many, but to be quite honest, the level and professionalism of the show feels like it could rock a summer stadium tour.

The 'So Happy It Hurts Tour' has it all, epic power ballads, hard rockin' in your face classic rock anthems, and some of the tightest musicians working today. If it's playing anywhere near you, I encourage fans of Bryan Adams and the Eurythmics to come on out. You will not be disappointed!