For one night only Bristol was treated to an evening like no other, an evening that sent shock waves throughout the city as Bryan Adams well and truly rocked the city.

This was the only UK date in 2003 for Bryan, and he certainly didn’t disappoint his fans in his two hour long set at Ashton Gate Football Ground in Bristol. The concert, in aid of The Variety Club South-West was a cavalcade of rock.

 Opening for Bryan was Vega 4, a U2-esq group with some varied and interesting tunes, which were toe-tapping pieces of music brilliance. This little known group whose album is due out soon, managed to lift the crowds spirits as the rain came down, and got everyone in the mood for the evening. The lead singer even attempted a bit of daredevil action as he climbed to the top of the stage, hilarious, and brilliant.

Fame Academy winner, singer/songwriter extraordinary David Sneddon kept the crowd buzzing with his mix of rock, soul and ballads. He was ever the professional and this chirpy Glaswegian really showed the audience a good time, and made it blatantly clear why he won Fame Academy.

Then he came, he saw and he conquered. With a career spanning over 25 years, over 60 million albums sold and having 30 numbers 1 singles to his name, Bryan entered the stage, to the deafening roar of the ecstatic crowd.

Everyone was on their feet as Bryan played non-stop for two hours, his charismatic personality winning over even the coldest of fans, and his stunning voice filled the stadium. You just can’t help but like this down-to-earth rock God. Sounding as good live as on any of his songs Bryan played hit after hit, and it’s only when you hear them like this that you realise how many hits he has had. His unprecedented guitar playing was matched by a band of pure class and talent as he trawled through all his classics including Summer of 69, (Everything I Do) I Do It For You, All For The Love, Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman and Cloud Number Nine.

He connected with the audience like the pro he is, even inviting one lucky participant onto stage to sing Baby When Your Gone with him. There aren’t many major stars that would do that. Bryan interacted with the crowd, getting as close to them as possible, shaking hands and even moving from his main stage to a smaller one in the middle of the pitch for a section in his set. This dangerous, yet clever move paid off as the majority of those in the stands ran onto the pitch to join in the fun as Bryan invited audience members to dance with him and allowed everyone an even better view of the man himself.

An incredible fun evening with an incredibly talented group of performers. It’s just a shame that Bristol don’t have a venue, which can host concerts like this all the time. The sound quality isn’t that great in the stadium, but watching people leave, beaming like Cheshire cats and singing their favourite tune from the evening you can’t help but say well done to Bryan, his memorable music combined with his imaginative performance really left an impression on the audience…. to quote one Bristolian,  “He rocked my world!”

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