Bryan Adams - Pulling The Punches In Hull

A few months ago Bryan Adams played his new album, Roll with the Punches in full in front of a few hundred lucky fans at the Brudenell Social Club in Leeds - since then he and his band have played Madison Square Gardens in New York. The contrasts go well with Adams' music, which ranges from rock to ballads, with even a touch of rockabilly care of You Belong to Me.

Tonight Adams and his band are back in the north. “It’s Monday; it must be Hull,” he declared as he stepped onto the stage at Hull Arena. A solo spotlight picked out Adams as he stood alone on stage to perform acoustically Can’t Stop This Thing We Started and Straight From The Heart. The minimalistic approach suited both songs well; they were honest and raw, with the emotion in his voice carrying a strong undercurrent.

Kick Ass saw the rest of the band arrive on stage as they collectively tore through the song. Adams looked in his element, likewise the audience who were privileged to have one of music’s biggest acts grace their city.

You could have been forgiven for thinking that Coldplay had recycled their flashing wristbands from their concerts in Hull last August when tonight’s audience were given the glaring device as they entered the arena. The idea is a simple yet very effective one, bringing a touch of inclusivity into the proceedings.

The setlist is well structured, though the inclusion of some more tracks off the new album would have been welcomed, seeing that they are some of the best he has recorded for a number of years.

When the fans want to hear Summer of ‘69, Somebody and inevitably (Everything I Do) I Do It for You and the like, no one could blame Adams for giving the audience exactly what they want – which he did in abundance, complete with stories behind some of the songs, including how honoured he was to support Tina Turner at Wembley Stadium.

Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman was complemented by Keith Scott’s Spanish guitar and Adams amending the last verse to Have You Ever Loved a Yorkshire Woman!

With All For Love closing the set, it was back to basics again with Adams solo on stage; the opportunity to showcase his new single Christmas Time was not wasted, with the track being the final number on a night when Adams and his band had given his fans in Hull an early Christmas present.