India has always been overwhelming

All set to perform in the city on Sunday, Bryan Adams talks about his fourth tour to the country, his new album and going acoustic, how he connects to fans on the Internet, and his inspirations

All set to perform in the city on Sunday, Bryan Adams talks about his fourth tour to the country, his new album and going acoustic, how he connects to fans on the Internet, and his inspirations

What brings you back to India for your fourth tour?
Ever since we played in India, I've noticed more and more people from India attending and requesting shows. My Twitter page, for example, has requests from all over India and people are excited that we are coming for another concert tour.

What's your favourite thing about coming to India?
Well, I'm quite biased as my band and I were the first to do a big outdoor concert in Mumbai back in the 1990's and we are proud of this. We have always had such an overwhelming response.

What's been your best concert here so far?
The first one was amazing as it was so different to anything I'd ever done. The cricket ground was divided in half for the show, and to my knowledge they haven't allowed many concerts there since, which is a shame.

How did your new album Bare Bones come about?
I made that record for the acoustic tour, so people could have something different coming away from the shows. Again, I went to my Twitter page and asked the fans to suggest songs and this was the result. Quite a fun record to make...

What was the inspiration behind stripping down your old hits and singing them acoustically for your new album as well as adding in new songs?
I started doing shows on my own, chatting a bit about the songs, playing things I don't play with the band and generally trying things out, it was more or less an experiment to see if the songs stood up without all the orchestrations, and they do.

What can fans expect at your concerts here?
Full band show, with all the songs you know and love, maybe a few others for good measure.

Do you think your music has evolved over the years?
I hope so, you can't help but try things, it's the nature of music.

Is there a lot of pressure to produce new music when people still hum to 'Summer of 69', 'Cloud No. 9' ufffd?
If there is any pressure, it's internal, self-imposed pressure, and it's normal to feel this. Old songs are inspirations that push new songs to be better.

The music biz is booming with youngsters, do you think it's more competitive now?
It's always been competitive; that will never change, thankfully. What is different now is there are more musicians than ever all exposed on the Internet, which is fantastic. However, the record companies are holding on to the old model that people want CD's and most people just don't. This desperate control will eventually take the music business down and with it will go the great songwriters, purely because they will not be able to afford to make music and make a living. It could turn around if all the people in the business got together; that includes the artists and the big corporations that run the music business, but it will never happen, sadly. At least I can't imagine it.

Who do you consider your musical icons?
I'm always drawn to voices, so the great blues and R&B singers influenced me, who also influenced the singers I grew up listening to; Robert Plant, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Joe Cocker, Rod Stewart, all influenced by American soul music, they in turn inspired me. I'm also drawn to singer-songwriters like Jackson Browne, Elton John, Bob Dylan and many more.

What do you reckon will be different about this tour than when you toured in India before?
I'm bringing an extra pair of socks this time, one pair wasn't enough for the last tour.

At: Palace Grounds On February 13, 5 pm
Call: 66229000 For R Rs 1500 onwards
Courtesy: Micromax and Netsurf Entertainment

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