| |
 LIVEWIRE
LIVE
Let's talk about The Man-BAD. Dressed
in pristine white trousers and tee, he descended on stage
like an angel, dispersing the dark clouds rolling across the
Bangalore skies. Even his guitar and the drum set had been
given a whitewash! Two huge balloons-white-went up in the
air.
The letters B.A.D were etched on his trousers.
If you think that's nothing, his guitarist, Keith Scott, had
W.O.R.S.E scrawled across his!
"Last time we missed Bangalore, but
we'll make it up this time," he yelled. The crowd was
mesmerized with "Everything I Do", "Please
Forgive Me" and "I Am Ready". Then it was time
to pump up the adrenaline with "18 Till I Die",
"Run To You", "Cuts Like A Knife" and
"Summer Of '69". A massive roar erupted and total
foot-stomping ecstasy prevailed. "Let's wake up Mumbai
for the show," he yelled and the crowd went delirious.
HER PRIDE, OTHERS'
ENVY
Okay, so Bryan couldn't bring Tina Turner
to share the stage with him, but when he invited Akanksha,
a Pharmacy student from Delhi, to join him on stage for, "When
You're Gone" there was total euphoria. She in black,
he in white-they made a heady picture.
She was screaming and pinching herself
on stage and the other girls in the audience were a picture
of total envy. "Here's a future Indian pop star in the
making," Bryan declared, but ironically she didn't even
know the first few verses of that track. To her rescue came
a man from backstage with lyrics written on a piece of paper.
Rules were broken at the concert because
the deadline of 10 pm was kicked aside and the concert was
extended for half-an-hour. Bryan obliged twice as the crowd
egged him with requests. All I need to say is that his voice
'cuts like a knife' and all those at the concert felt they'll
be '18 till I die'!
MYSTERIOUS SUNDAY
When the whole world thought that Bryan
was gearing up for the concert in Mumbai, he was, much to
everyone's shock, still in Bangalore. Doing what?! You probably
won't believe me if I tell you that he was roaming around
in a non-AC Tata Sumo taxi with mangoes in hand! At 10 am
he went to meet S K Jain, renowned astrologer, and spent about
an hour discussing astrology and spiritual matters with him.
Jain presented him with a bottle of Ganga water, some Ayurvedic
medicine for general good health and a book, The Science Of
Self Realization. He also gave Bryan a tulsi mala that Bryan
immediately wore around his neck. The singer is said to have
promised to come back to India to take a holy dip in the Ganges.
From Bangalore and Mumbai, it's over
to the Himalayas!
|
Bryan up close
|
|
He
has ten Grammy Awards and 12 Platinum hits worldwide
to his credit. With his incredible popularity and amazing
stage presence, his fan base covers all age groups.
Bryan has performed in over 45 countries and sold over
55 million albums!
"To
be honest, many countries have special memories and
feelings for me, but the fact that I returned to India
for the third time shows that I have great love for
my Indian fans. I find India quite an exotic place,
and most of my fond memories are of the concerts I did
here," he begins.
Bryan has made a conscious effort to tour only India
and the Middle East. "I would have preferred to
come only to India, but there were too many hassles,
both political ones and with sponsors," he tells
us. "We have been planning this concert for the
past one year, and Delhi and Calcutta were on the list.
The cancellations had nothing to do with my accident,
but, in fact, the promoters in India. I guess it is
because of lack of experience in organizing something
big like this," he says.
Bryan's influences vary from The Beatles and Janis Joplin
to Steve Marriot, James Brown, Ibiza dance music, Free,
Moby, an old movie soundtrack, and even Sam Cooke's
gospel recordings with the Soul Stirrers! The latest
CD he bought was of the Dave Matthews Band.
Over the years Bryan has also developed a deep passion
for photography which is showcased on his official site
www.bryanadams.com. In fact, Bryan was seen taking snaps
of the crowd during his concert with a totally professional-looking
camera.
As far as the inspiration for creating hits goes, he
says, "It's the idea of creating something from
nothing. It's impossible to work if you're stressed
out, so I try and eliminate as much stress from my life
as I can-then I let the river flow."
What comes to his mind when we say 'India'? "I
think the first thing that comes to my mind is the Indian
elephant. But besides that, I can think of the large
population of vegetarians that India has." Bryan
is pure vegetarian and if any of you happen to be one,
make sure you mention it if you meet him. His biography
mentions that he loves Indian and Italian food, so we
ask him to name a few Indian dishes he likes. "I
like paneer tandoori with vegetables and alu gobhi.
I hope to relish some great Indian dishes on my next
visit. Yes, I also visit a lot of Indian restaurants
in UK," he grins.
Would he collaborate with Indian artistes? "Yes,
absolutely. It all depends on whether our voices will
gel, but it's not a bad idea. If I spend more time in
India I might even write a song on India," he says.
Bryan has not heard much of Indian music, he admits
very honestly. His album So Far So Good sold more than
two lakh copies here. "It feels wonderful, you
know, that's the reason why we have decided to come
back to India. To all my friends who missed me-next
time, check me out in Delhi and Calcutta," he promises!
-Viral Bhayani
|
|
|
