Brian Adams Live in Malta with a pre show from Winter Moods

For one night only, the 29th of June 2007, the fans of good old rock music were treated to an evening like no other, an evening that sent shock waves throughout the crowded streets as Brian Adams well and truly rocked our little island.This was the first and hope, not the only Maltese date for Brian, whom at the end of the concert he also confirmed that the rumours that he has some Maltese blood rushing thru his veins, were for real. He certainly didn’t disappoint his fans in his more then two hour long set at Luxol’s Football ground in St. Andrews. The concert, in aid of the ‘Find Madeleine’ campaign was a cavalcade of rock.
Opening for Brian was the veteran Maltes band Winter Moods, a band with some varied and interesting tunes, which were toe-tapping pieces of music brilliance. This little known abroad band, who have four fantastic albums and two EPs under their belt (my favourite being Morning Ale) and have a great follow up in Malta, have a special way to lift the crowds spirit as the sun was still scorching us in the typical Maltese summer day and got everyone in the mood (sunny mood : ) ) for the evening. The lead singer, Ivan, has a brilliant way to keep the crowd hooked to each tune, one after the other and so do the musicians.
Then 45 minutes later to set up the stage, 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 Brian 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 realize 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 standing ran onto the pitch to join in the fun as Brian invited audience members to dance with him and allowed everyone an even better view of the man himself.
An incredible, enjoyable evening with an incredibly talented group of performers. It’s just a shame that we 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, still jumping and singing their favourite tune from the evening you can’t help but say well done to Brian, his memorable music combined with his imaginative performance really left an impression on the audience…. And as for me, “He rocked my world!”