Review: Bryan Adams wows fans at Aberdeen's P&J Live

Press and Journal

13-05-2025

It was the summer of '85.
Not quite as catchy as a certain other year in Bryan Adams' repertoire, but unforgettable all the same.
That was the year the Canadian rocker took to the stage at Live Aid in Philadelphia, guitar in hand and mullet in full flight, and played like his life depended on it.
Forty years on, and while the hair's changed, the energy hasn't.
Sunday night's stop at P&J Live marked his return to the Granite City on the Roll With The Punches tour, and found the 65-year-old in fine form.
The hair might be greyer but it's still that same rasping voice, and that same refusal to phone it in.
This was a masterclass in how to do arena rock properly.
No dance routines, no lasers spelling out his name.
Instead just a killer band, a wall of songs, and a frontman who still seems to be having an absolute blast (as did the crew operating two giant inflatables that floated across the arena).
The crowd, a healthy cross-section of those who remember buying Reckless on cassette and their offspring dragged along for education, lapped it up.
Before he was even halfway through the set, it was already a reminder of just how deep the Bryan Adams songbook runs.
Run To You had the crowd air-guitaring from the first riff, while Heaven left them misty-eyed.
And yes, Summer of 69 still gets the biggest cheer of the night.
Long-time guitarist Keith Scott is Adams' secret weapon.
He makes it all look easy – effortless solos and the sort of tasteful playing that guitar magazines quietly worship.
Their chemistry onstage is part old-school rock 'n' roll, part double act, and completely genuine.
By the time the phones were out (torches, not TikTok – thankfully) and Everything I Do (I Do It For You) rolled around, it was full singalong mode.
And honestly? It's still a belter.
The 'Groover From Vancouver' and his band, all in kilts, also launched into a version of 500 Miles, which won over everyone.
There was new material too.
Roll With The Punches and the poptastic Make Up Your Mind slotted in nicely and proved Adams isn't just relying on past glories.
But it's those big, heartfelt anthems that really brought the crowd together, and the Aberdeen audience sang like their lives depended on it.
In a nice moment at the end of the night, Adams left the main stage and walked to a small B-stage at the rear of the arena and performed the gorgeous Straight From The Heart and All For Love in a stripped-back acoustic way for those in the back.
It was a simple gesture, but a classy one, and the intimacy of that short set within a set felt genuinely special.
Bryan Adams doesn't do gimmicks. He does gigs.
And last night, Aberdeen got a great one.
He might not be feeding the world like he was in 1985, but Bryan Adams is still giving people something to believe in.
And in 2025, that's no small thing.
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