Show Review: Bryan Adams at the Warfield Theatre, 10/14/2013

by Stacy Scales on October 15, 2013
Tonight I was the victim of a crime, and I never saw it coming. Okay, neither of those statements is entirely true. I did lose my socks tonight, but only because the iconic Bryan Adams rocked them right off.* And yes, I should have seen it coming, given that for as long as I can literally remember, I’ve been rocking out to this man’s music. When I saw that he was coming to town (much earlier this evening at San Francisco’s Warfield Theatre, for those that missed it), I quickly made a note on my calendar. I knew this was one I wouldn’t want to skip, and I was excited for it. But it wasn’t until he began to play hit after hit that I started to realize just how talented this guy is. One thing, specifically, that I love about Adams’ tunes is that he can write a killer ballad/love song without it being syrupy sweet or cheesy. They’re romantic as hell, but they don’t make me want to vomit (or change the radio station). In my book, there isn’t much better than that.

The first thing I noticed upon walking into the venue was something I’ve never, ever seen before in this location: chairs at the Warfield! I swear, I’ve seen a thousand shows here and they’ve always just been general admission on the floor. I’m not complaining, as I never really mind having an assigned seat, but it’s crazy how much smaller the space looks when there are rows of chairs lined up inside it. The stage was set with a lovely piano, a mic stand, and a banner displaying a skull with a top hat and the words “The Bare Bones Tour.” From the looks of things, they meant it. As the crowd began to get antsy for the show to start, I took note of several tipsy older women “woo”-ing throughout the crowd. Thankfully, they didn’t have long to wait: out came Bryan Adams, dressed simply in a black shirt and jeans, wearing a top hat and a huge smile. He carried his acoustic guitar and was lit by a single spotlight. He bowed and immediately began the first song, “Run to You.” Right away it was easy to see that he loved the applause and appreciation from the crowd, which would prove true throughout the evening. I often noticed his face lighting up when the crowd would sing along or cheer for certain songs. Quite frankly, his excited humility was adorable. “Thank you!” he said. “Welcome to the Bare Bones show.”

Show Review: Bryan Adams at the Warfield Theatre, 10/14/2013

@Photo Paige K. Parsons