Bryan Adams

3rd September 2025 (late show) at Circuit

Along with the tickets there were instructions that phones would have to be locked up in Yondr pouches on arrival and released at the end of the show. I expect the intention was to stop people watching through their phone screens or to take a break from technology for a short while, so there is some irony that I feel the need to mention it. I found it strangely disorientating. I had no way of telling the time but clocked (no pun intended) someone with an analogue watch that I could read from there I was standing. I’d been warned not to rely on my phone for any payments so I’d taken my credit card (which lives in my phone case) out and tucked it in my pocket. No checking messages or doom scrolling while waiting for the show to start. Old school!

I’d last seen Bryan Adams here at Pryzm in 2019 doing a short best of set while he was in the middle of an arena tour. This time, he played his new album Roll With The Punches in full while doing a Q&A with the audience. I learnt that this album was on Bryan’s brand new and independent record label, Bad Records, which gave him more creative control. Fans clearly travelled for the show, and they asked when he was planning to return to play in Lebanon and Portugal and various other locations. 

Generally though, without a curator gathering questions in advance, the audience ask stupid questions. Bryan Adams was a great compère, answering sensible questions and shutting down anything that had already been asked or didn’t warrant an answer.

With the album being released just days before, I figured the audience were hearing most of the songs for the first time and it was interesting hearing some of the origin stories and inspiration. Felt like a different vibe to the greatest hits and it would need a few listens to really grow on me. 

Unusually for me, I left during the last song. I wasn’t sure what the queues would be like having 1000 people waiting to have their phones unlocked all at once, but I didn’t want to wait to find out!