Live! Live! Live!

Entertainment Weekly (12/16/94, p.68) - "...[Adams] barks his hits robustly and covers 'I Fought The Law' with outlaw urgency..." - Rating: B|

This generous concert recording from Bryan Adamss 1988 European concert tour captures the charismatic Canadian leading a solid band through all his hits in front of 50,000 rain-soaked, Adams-crazed Belgians. Nearly every monster hit is here, from early thunderous hits like "Cuts Like a Knife" and "Run to You," to more recent fare like "Into the Fire." Adams doesnt stray too far from the original songs in the live setting. Adams delivers his hits, whose punchy choruses make for crowd-pleasing concert fare. A seasoned performer, Adams knows when to let the audience take a chorus, and like many such recordings, LIVE! LIVE! LIVE! includes its share of sing-alongs. "Kids Wanna Rock," in which he inveighs against "computerized crap" and new wave haircuts, succinctly sums up the ethos of Adams and his legions of fans at the time. Whether hes sounding a John Cougar Mellencamp note on "Take Me Back," doing a rocked-up cover of "Walking After Midnight," or delivering aching power ballads like "Heaven," Adams is on top of his game and giving the people what they want. And you cant help but a get a vicarious rush from the crowd noise that greets the opening chords of "Run to You."