Bryan Adams 'Roll With The Punches' Tour
Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham - 17/05/25
Fresh off announcing his upcoming album 'Roll With The Punches', rock legend Bryan Adams has spent the past fortnight touring the UK, with his penultimate show taking place at Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena on Saturday night. A capacity crowd of ten thousand strong would take to the arena, grasping at the opportunity to see 'The Groover from Vancouver' show exactly why he regarded as one of music's all-time greats. The arena filled up early, with nearly every seat occupied 15 minutes before Adams would take to the stage, around the same time as an introduction video began playing on the big screen behind the stage. This video featured a conveyor belt of individuals coming on and off the screen to interact with the signature 'Roll With The Punches' boxing robe that has featured on much of the tour's promotional material. The video, which was backed by some of rock 'n' roll's most iconic numbers, was brought to an end by a rugby player tackling to the floor the mannequin the rope was draped over. Bryan Adams would then arise from the floor wearing the robe, before the lights went down, and it was time for the real action to begin.
As Bryan Adams took to the stage alongside his live band, the atmosphere in the Motorpoint Arena was electric, with the crowd making it abundantly clear how welcome the trailblazer is to Nottingham. A sea of arms began moving along in time to the opening number, shadowed by a giant inflatable boxing glove emblazoned with 'Roll With The Punches', as Adam & co. began working their way through the song of the same name. This proved to be the perfect opener, setting the tone for a high energy night that would be built around the endless fun live music brings. As well as being the title track of the tour, 'Roll With The Punches' is also the title track from Adams' upcoming seventeenth studio album, which is due out on August 29th, and if this song is anything to go by, it could well be his best in years.
From new to old, we swiftly went back in time over 40 years, experiencing the live brilliance of 'Run to You'. As loud as the reception was for the recent release opening, it is no surprise that such a recognisable track following kicked the crowd's energy into a whole other stratosphere. This energy is effortlessly matched by Bryan and his band, who share a truly palpable chemistry on stage. As a four-piece, they play as if they are a fully-fledged rock band who have been releasing music together as such for years, as opposed to the backing band to a solo artist. Each member was given an abundance of time in the spotlight throughout the evening, most notably highlighting the importance of long-term bandmate and collaborator Keith Scott, who has been Bryan Adam's live guitarist since 1981. However, it was not just Bryan and Keith who stole the show, as drummer Pat Steward and keyboard player Gary Breit both received their moments to shine.
If the first two songs offered a tantalising preview of what Bryan Adams and his band had in store for the night, then ‘Somebody’ made it clear exactly what the crowd would be giving back. With every chorus, the crowd would break out in huge singalongs, passionately screaming every word in unison, creating an electrifying connection between the stage and the audience. This continued into the next song, '18 Til I Die', which also gave us one of the first displays of Bryan Adams' humorous personality. As the song progressed, he would begin to change the lyrics, with the numbers on the screen matching, poking fun at his elder age in a tongue-in-cheek way. When going to see someone with a voice as iconic as Bryan Adams, I was somewhat prepared for what I would be hearing, albeit still incredibly impressed. However, the quick-witted and often dry comedy approach Adams would take throughout the night was a genuine suprise in the best possible way.
After the blissful, high-energy opening selection of songs, the band would depart the stage, leaving Bryan Adams standing alone at the centre of the short runway extending from the main stage. Holding his guitar under a singular spotlight, Bryan would lead the crowd through a stunning version of 'Cloud Number Nine', pairing his timeless vocal stylings with a choir-like singalong from the crowd. This format would continue into the next song, although not before Adams could introduce it as "a song about getting back together with your ex", which was greeted by an amusing chorus of boos from those in the crowd. The three musicians in Bryan Adam's band would then return to the stage for a reimagined version of the beloved classic 'Heaven'.
A touching tribute to Tina Turner would follow next, through an anthemic performance of 'It's Only Love', which was preceded by a spoken section from Bryan Adams about the impact Turner had on his career, recalling heartwarming moments from one of Tina Turner's UK headline tours that she brought Adams out as a support act on. Hearing the emotional connection Bryan has to the song made the performance even more special, emphasised by the amplified audience response as the track came to an end. It was also during this number that Keith Scott would again regain the spotlight, through a combination of sensational duet vocals and rip-roaring guitar solos.
By this point in the night, we had had stadium rock, all-time great ballads, and even some pop, but one thing Adams pointed out we were missing was one of his favourite genres, rockabilly. This led into a truly joyous performance of 'You Belong to Me', which was turned into a medley with 'Blue Suede Shoes', before eventually leaving into 'Twist and Shout'. The upbeat energy of Bryan Adams' original track, intertwined amongst two of the greatest early rock-based songs, meant the audience had no choice but to get up and dance (or in many cases, swing their shirts around their heads). This was actively encouraged by all on stage, pushed further by the on-stage videographer who would film the audience members dancing best so they could appear on the big screen.
Amongst all the fun that was taking place on stage, there were still one or two truly poignant moments throughout the night, the first of which was a stunning rendition of 'Please Forgive Me', which, after reading their sign, Bryan would dedicate to an audience member's late mother, Denise. The crowd would respond in the perfect fashion to such a moment, illuminating the arena with their phone torchlights, a feat that would also continue a few songs later during 'Shine a Light'. This was one of the most personal songs for Bryan Adams, penning it in tribute to his dad following his passing in 2018.
This truly was a set that could extract the full range of human emotions, which in itself is the true beauty of live music. Following a set opening that was filled with high-energy and humour, we moved through the moments of reflection and tribute, into a genuinely majestic moment through the performance of 'Here I Am'. After introducing the song by talking about its place on the soundtrack for the 2002 film Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, Adams would recall seeing a picturesque video by Rachel Vercoe of a horse running online, wanting to create his own version alongside the creator to feature in the shows. This video, showing Vercoe's horse Oakley running across a beach in slow motion, would then play as Bryan and his band worked their way through 'Here I Am', in what was a genuinely moving moment.
A genuinely emotional feel had taken over the Motorpoint Arena following these stirring moments, which provided the perfect opportunity for Bryan Adams to share some more intimate moments with the crowd. This would start off with him donning an acoustic guitar, getting the crowd back into fine voice, without all the thrills of a big band and light displays. A cover of the traditional song 'Whiskey in the Jar' came first, a track that must be one of the most covered of all time, yet I am uncertain if I have ever heard many better than this one. This would be followed by a spirited singout to an acoustic rendition of 'When You're Gone', with the audience more than playing their part in this duet.
The audience intimacy would continue further, as a few songs later Bryan Adams would begin playing audience requests. Before the night's introduction video, a large QR code was shown on screen, providing those in the crowd the opportunity to request songs they would want to hear. Then, later in the night, Adams would bring a list of the requests on stage, picking a few to play, whilst also reading out the names of those who requested them. The first request was 'Do I Have to Say the Words?', a ballad-style song that began to turn the gig back into a more electric-based affair. However, it was the second request, 'Kids Wanna Rock', which really kicked the energy levels up, arguably higher than they had been all night. A riotous playthrough of this track would ensue, as an arena full of music lovers responded with all the youthful energy they would have when the song was first released over 40 years ago; a testament to the longevity of Bryan Adam's music.
With those in attendance firmly back in fine voice, it was time for arguably one of the best set songs to be played in Nottingham, '(Everything I Do) I Do It For You'. The song was famously featured in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, which itself was set in Nottingham. As you walk around the city you see repeated reminders of the legendary archer, making this performance of the track that little bit more special. Although such a classic did not need to rely on legends and tales to resonate, as Bryan Adams’ singing this song along the barrier of the standing section was more than enough to create memories that will last a lifetime for many in the crowd.
Shortly after, we would receive our second inflatable appearance of the night, as an inflatable car with 'So Happy It Hurts' and 'Bryan Adams' printed along the side would begin to float over the audience, not so subtly bringing on the introduction of one of Adams' more recent hits, 'So Happy It Hurts'. The title track to his 2022 album showed that with such longevity, Bryan Adams' new music has managed to make just as much of an impact, with singalongs occurring that were as loud as any on the night. That was until the next song began, 'Summer of '69', which unsurprisingly resulted in a meteoric response from the capacity crowd. This song has soundtracked countless moments of joy, no matter what age the listener may be, and every one of these moments seemed to flood back to everyone inside the Motorpoint Arena as they bounced in unison with the Canadian legend.
With over two hours having already flown by, it was clear we would be getting towards the end of the night, but not before a couple more opportunities for rapturous singalongs. The first of these came in the form of 'Cuts Like a Knife', with Bryan and his band extending the songs' outro in an all-too-familiar way, creating a joyous call-and-response section, which the audience would fully embrace as if it was their last opportunity to do so. However, the last chance to dance and sing to electric-backed music would actually come from a radiant cover of Frankie Valli's 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You'. This song, which has been heard millions of times over, had a whole new life breathed into it by Bryan Adams and his band, providing a surprisingly perfect way to close the night.
However, despite what many thought, that would not be the night over there. Rather than leaving the stage and coming back for the cliché encore approach, Bryan would walk to the back of the arena with an acoustic guitar in hand, and finish the night with two powerful songs from a B-stage. A soulful rendition of 'Straight From the Heart' would come first, which Adams passionately sang whilst being illuminated by another wave of phone torchlights, before a heartfelt performance of 'All for Love' brought the night to its close.
It is hard to put into words just how special this show felt, but the best way I can sum it up is it was the most intimate-feeling concert I have ever experienced in an arena. With one of the greatest discographies of all time, Bryan Adams has more than enough hits to fill such a long set, and with the added flare of giant inflatables and impressive light work this was always going to be a true spectacle. But it was actually the rawer moments of acoustic excellence, genuine humility and emotional openness that will live longest with me from this night. Bryan Adams’ songs are incredible on their own, but it’s the brilliance of the performer himself, of course, alongside his world-class live band, that truly brings them to life.
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