You don’t realize quite how many hits Bryan Adams has had until you hear them played together, as the multi-platinum Canadian rock star did at his concert at the Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion in Bangor Thursday night.
Adams, 56, has had a prolific and long-lasting career, stretching from his first major hits off his breakthrough album, 1983’s “Cuts Like a Knife,” to his most recent album, 2015’s “Get Up.” Adams played songs from nearly every album he’d ever released, over the course of a two-hour show with no opening act. As he said from the stage, he wanted “to play everything that he could remember.” With more than 25 songs in the set list overall, it was a jam-packed concert.
A mid-sized crowd, comprised in large part of folks who were likely around for those major 1980s singles, enjoyed a mercifully cooler night on the Waterfront, with the thunderstorms that had occurred earlier in the day holding off for the duration of the show.
Opening the night with “Do What You Gotta Do” off “Get Up,” Adams worked his way through both radio staples like “Summer of ‘69” and “Run To You,” and deep cuts off his 13 studio albums. Adams’ voice sounds indistinguishable from the voice people heard 30 years ago; unlike some other rock vocalists of his era, Adams’ pipes are in fine form.
Those raspy yet soaring vocals were on display in power ballads like “Everything I Do (I Do It For You)” and “Heaven,” both of which were major hits in the 1980s and 90s. Adams’ band sounded very good too, with both Adams and longtime guitarist Keith Scott trading solos and guitar licks all night.
There’s another Waterfront Concert set for this week; on Friday night, country artist Darius Rucker with guests Dan&Shay and Michael Ray will perform. For more information, visit waterfrontconcerts.com.