Concert

Meeting the Rockstar

Nabeel Iqbal

Bryan Adams rocking the stage, Photo : Star

I remember listening to Bryan Adams's songs in my dad's cassette player when I was only 13. I had the song Let's make a night in a mixed album and I would rewind it over and over again and listen to it till I fell asleep. I did not understand the lyrics, but there was something in the music that captivated me and it still does to this day. Hence naturally it has always been a dream to see him perform, but to be honest I never thought this dream would ever come true. When Bryan Adams' Tour of India was announced, my friend and I were determined to attend the concert. The plan did not fall into place; I had rarely felt so low as I did then, until of course it was announced that the legend would be dropping by my hometown himself!

The funny thing about dreams are they somehow elude you at the very moment you think you have grasped it in your clutches. I could not manage the tickets till the very last moment. I will not criticise the organizers but they did make a mess of it all. Nevertheless I got hold of two tickets, thanks to a generous friend.

My friend and I went to the concert with a bold B and A on our white T-shirts and I remember the stares and the smirks we attracted while standing outside Bangabandhu International Conference Centre, the concert venue. To our disappointment, we had two of the worst seats of the gallery. So, when the man himself made his appearance on stage, we promptly went and stood at the back of our gallery. It, somewhat, offered a better view.

courtesy : Nabeel Iqbal

The concert was an acoustic one, with only Bryan Adams and his guitar accompanied by Garry, the pianist. He sang around 15 songs, including all the favourites like 'Summer of 69', 'Everything I do', 'Here I Am', '18 till I die' and also my own favourite 'Let's make a night.' The man's sheer genius and modesty was on display as he interacted with the crowd and swept us off our feet with just his guitar, voice and the piano.

Halfway through the concert, Bryan Adams had an announcement to make. There were 4 reserved platinum seats (in the front row) and he was going to pick 4 people from the crowd to come and sit there. I remember the flood light being turned on and sweeping across the crowd when he said, “Those two gentlemen in the BA t-shirts, please come down.” The rest is , as they say, history….

All I remember after that is that my friend and I were running into the hall, waving at the crowd and our friends who we had left behind at the gallery. It took a while for us to settle down. When he sang the last few of the songs he asked us all to come forward, letting us touch his guitar, and eventually giving it away to some lucky kid.

When I look back at everything that happened that night, all of it seems like a dream dreamt on a lazy Sunday afternoon. And I don't want to wake up just yet!

(The writer is student of Business, Monash University.)