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Joan Jett/Bryan Adams Concert.

Madison Square Garden.

By Robert M Massimi. ( Broadway Bob).Published 3 years ago 3 min read
Robert Massimi.

Back in 2018 I saw Joan Jett at PNC in Holmdel, NJ. She played with Tesla and Styx where her voice struggled. Last night, however, Joan Jett was on her game; energetic and tight, the band entertained a packed, sold out crowd in a close to three and a half hours.

Opening with "Shooting Into Space", a new song from her "Mindsets" album. She had the crowd rocking with a great rendition of "Cherry Bomb". A fan favorite third song "Do You Wanna Touch Me" and "Fake Friends" were well played as well as fun to listen to. Her "Everyday People" came off with machine gun persision. The evenings last four out of five were the ones expected: "I Love Rock'n Roll", "Crimson and Clover", "I Hate Myself for Loving You" and "Bad Reputation". The big spoiler of the evening was Jett's last song, "Whiskey Goes Good". The song was soft, slow and was confusing as to why she would choose this one. A four-on the floor rocker, you would expect Joan Jett and her band too bring a hard driving song that has been the band's benchmark throughout its career.

Bryan Adams.

Originally from Kingston, Ontario, Bryan Adams has released 17 albums over his career. With many songs in his repertoire, Adams is one of the dominant forces in rock today. From "chick" songs to a hard driving beat, Adams has changed styles many times over his career. Opening with a hard beat "Kick Ass", Adams had control of the Madison Square Garden stage all night. In the sold out Garden the audience belted out many of the songs for Adams; "Somebody", the third song he performed, Adams was barely audible. His classics like "Heaven", "Here I Am", "When Your Gone", "Summer of 69", "Christmas Time" and "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" were almost as sentimental as they were resonant.

While "Cuts Like a Knife" was more of a rocker effort, the deepest rock song of the evening was "Run to You". It was here that we understand what makes Adams a force in rock; the deep moving rock rendition was spot on and maybe the evenings best. In the two encores, "Straight From the Heart" and "All For Love" are fan favorites, however, Adams could have ended with any number of songs. It was these two that he chose to close with and it wasn't disappointing whatsoever.

In many of the "Duel" concerts I have seen over the last 10 years, Jett/ Adams is right up there as one of the best. Both singers and their bands were phenomenal all evening. For the most part, the song choices were very good and the audience at the Garden added fuel to the performances as well.

As the rockers get older, it is more difficult to remain consistent night in and night out. As I see bands perform from one year to the next, you never know what you are going to get; last night was a real treat to be present to see two great artists deliver in a very big way.

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Coming to Madison Square Garden in the near future will be Madonna, Stevie Nicks as a solo, the great Aerosmith is giving us a farewell tour. It almost seems that we may very well get more big time bands into the worlds most famous arena before bowing out for good.

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Madison Square Garden, Aerosmith, Bryan Adams, Joan Jett, Stevie Nicks, Fleetwood Mac, The Tony Awards, The Grammys, Elton John, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Rock and Roll, www.swmnimbus.org, www.nypost.com, New York City, New York, Some Like it Hot, My Life Publications.

80s music

About the Creator

Robert M Massimi. ( Broadway Bob).

I have been writing on theater since 1982. A graduate from Manhattan College B.S. A member of Alpha Sigma Lambda, which recognizes excellence in both English and Science. I have produced 14 shows on and off Broadway. I've seen over700 shows

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Comments (2)

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  • Robert M Massimi. ( Broadway Bob). (Author)3 years ago

    Thx!

  • J. S. Wade3 years ago

    Sounds like a great evening! Good review!

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