Live Review: Bryan Adams @ Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne

James Arthur gets started early and warms up the crowd with his soulful voice for emotional ballads and energetic hit songs including Impossible and his Sigala collaboration Lasting Lover. He apologises for his croaky voice tonight but manages to deliver an emotional and captivating performance with the help of his band to make a strong connection with the audience.

He shares his heartfelt cover of Christina Perri’s song A Thousand Years, which he notes was released two years ago for Valentine’s Day, so he dedicates it to all the lovers in the room. Say You Won't Let Go shows off his distinctive huskiness and impressive vocal range to deliver powerful high notes and smooth, controlled lower tones to have us swooning over.

During the changeover, a large silver inflatable boxing glove appears from behind the stage to float above the audience in the arena to promote Bryan Adams’ brand new song coming out tomorrow called Roll With The Punches. As excitement builds, fans can also visit the QR code on the screen to request a song for tonight’s show. 

“Let there be guitar!” Adams shouts from out of the darkness, emerging under a spotlight on centre stage. One by one, each of his rocking band members is introduced to his opening track, Kick-Ass. 

“It’s been some time since we’ve been here, and I apologise for that, but all kinds of stuff happened in the last six years, but you don’t look a day older, so nothing’s really changed there,” he laughs as he spots his returning fans in the audience tonight.

From the get-go, Adams delivers a powerful, nostalgic and electrifying set to keep energy levels at a steady high. His voice is as strong as ever, and his band, including long-time guitarist Keith Scott, delivers incredible electric guitar solos throughout the show. The set is a perfect mix of classic hits and new tracks from his latest album, So Happy It Hurts.

Adams dedicates Shine A Light to his good friend, Michael Gudinski and his family. “He was my promoter since the beginning, when I first came to Australia in 1984, and he will be greatly missed. I kept expecting him to barrel through the door tonight, saying bloody hell, Bryan, it’s a sold-out show!” He exclaims in his best Aussie impression. We put our phone torches up to shine a little light on the people we love with him for the very special moment.

Fans sing along to timeless favourites like 18 Til I Die, Heaven, Please Forgive Me and Go Down Rockin’ with a wicked harmonica solo in the mix. Adams gives a tribute to Tina Turner for his collaboration with her on It’s Only Love, which includes a snippet of her songs The Best and What's Love Got To Do With It.

“I had the great honour of singing with Tina Turner. I wrote this song when I was 23, and it was kind of a dream of mine to sing with her, and one day it happened. As you know, we lost Tina a couple [of] years ago – it was a great loss to music and a great loss to me because she was my friend,” he shares.

He performs a more upbeat dance song called You Belong To Me, which he asks that if we don't know how to dance, then we can twerk or take off our T-shirts and swing them over our heads. The cameraman pans across the arena to embarrass audience members, removing their clothing and showing off their best moves on the big screen for a laugh. 

One lucky fan gets called up stage for a body autograph before Adams continues with a few solo acoustic tracks, including Here I Am and When You’re Gone, that sparks a huge audience singalong.

He moves into some nostalgic classics, including Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman, featuring a Spanish guitar, and (Everything I Do) I Do It For You, which is beautifully sung. He then ramps things up with the title track of his most recent album, So Happy It Hurts, which is met with equal enthusiasm as a flying inflatable car enters the arena to float above the audience.

His enduring hit, Summer of 69, is the big moment everyone is waiting for, and he transports everyone back in time with the anthemic rock 'n' roll magic, which has the crowd singing along passionately.

Adams performs a cover of Frankie Valli’s Can't Take My Eyes Off You before bringing James Arthur out for a stunning duet of his song Rewrite The Stars, which is a beautiful moment as their voices are a match made in heaven.

For a bit of a different encore, Adams walks over to the B-stage at the back of the floor area with his acoustic guitar and harmonica to perform a song written when he was 18 (Straight From The Heart).

“I want to say thank you to everybody for coming out tonight. I especially want to thank one person who's not here tonight, and that's my mamma. She inspired this song, she supported me, gave me the confidence to be a musician and quit school to just follow my dream,” he reveals. The audience lights up the arena for one final song, All For Love, leaving everyone on a high note.