The Hyde Park Experience 25/7/99

Michael Butcher - UK

'm writing this concert review the night after I went to see Bryan Adams play in Hyde Park London!!

I left for the concert around lunchtime as I had to arrive early to get BACKSTAGE passes from Ceri & Marg! I am extremely grateful for these!! After getting these, I went with my friend, James, my sister, Helen, and my dad into the arena. At this point we had a 6 hour wait until the guys came on, and I was discussing what they might be doing now, and the fact that Bryan could pop home after the soundcheck, as he lives so close! Anyway, we listened to a band who I'd never heard of before, then Space, and then everybody started a Mexican wave!!! This must have gone round about 15 times!!

Then... the 'vibrating sound' (as my sister calls it) at the beginning of How Do Ya Feel Tonight started and backstage Bryan went "Is there anybody out there?...." and the sound continued..... Then a roar went up as they walked out and the song started properly!!! This was GREAT!!! Keith's solo had a really cool, overdriven sound, and me, my sister, my friend and even my dad (!) went mad!! If only everyone else had! That makes me think about the seating arrangement! The show really was good, but the audience, (except Troobies I spoke to after, because I know how they went... MAD!) , well, there were people sitting down! Bryan, Keith and Mickey I thought performed really well to try to get this audience to react! Believe me, I was really impressed with the new "trio"!

Anyway, I took my trusty sign, "Keith Is The Best!", which has been to two gigs with me now, one in the Virgin Megastore, London, and one in Hyde Park. Unfortunately it was not big enough to be noticed in Hyde Park - all you could see from the stage(it was shown on the video screen) was an A4 sheet of paper - I think a much larger sign is in order for Wembley!! One girl had a sign big enough for the guys to read it. It said "Bryan you big stud, take me now or lose me forever!" . I thought that girl was really lucky to get pulled up on stage and sung to. If I'd been pulled up I would have asked if I could play!!! Anyway, Bryan sung, with Keith's flawless Spanish guitar playing!, "Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman?" to Annie! It's things like this that makes Bryan such a good showman! Especially when he told her not to look at Keith's bum and he started dancing!!!!! That was so funny!! Then Bryan said, "Um, I'm not so sure you should be doing that.." That got a good laugh, and my sister especially enjoyed that Keith, who you met after the show!

If Bryan is reading this, and to Keith and Mickey too, thank you from me, and my fellow 'concertgoers' for calling the people who really wanted to rock down to the front near the end!! That was great, especially "C'mon Everybody"!!! Anyway, this is the point where I stood on someone's seat, and the woman behind started moaning. I just said, "If you can't see then get on the seat and have a good time like everyone else!!" - so she shut up!

I really did think the guys were great, and were working really hard, and all the Troobies and everybody else I spoke to thought so too! I hope the Wembley crowd in October is more responsive!! Put it this way, when I woke up this morning I had and idea for a song, but I found that I could not sing because I had such a sore throat!!! I think the people in front would agree went I kept on screaming, especially loud when Keith played any kind of solo!! (I screamed the loudest during Keith's awesome slide solo!!!

)Anyway, after the show, I was just blown away as we walked backstage to see three black, S-Class Mercedes with tinted windows parked in a row. We had a little trouble getting past security, as they apparently hadn't seen our passes before, and I felt like threatening to go and get Keith!!

Anyway, we went right to Bryan's caravan, which they were all in. Then Mickey walks out and goes " Keith Scott Fan Club members - Keith's on his way!!". We all went, "We think you're great too!!" I felt sorry for him ! - I do think he's an awesome drummer. Then Keith walks out and says, " Hi! I thought you were going to be over there!", and I was introduced to Keith, who I speak to quite a lot through his message board! We shook hands and had a photo taken . I then went to get a pen while all the other troobies met Keith as well!! I then met him again and he asked ME about whether I'd bought my new amp yet - he remembered from the website!!!Then Bryan walks out in a black Gucci T-shirt and Khaki shorts, but he didn't look very happy. Then I met Keith a third time while he was signing my sister's CD booklet next to his picture with the guitars! She called me over and he started showing us who has which guitar! This really couldn't have got much better until I was chatting to Keith about the show and his Gibson Flying V guitar!!!!! This really did prove to me how much Keith is a nice guy, and how he is not what most other people would be like after being Bryan's guitarist for so many years!!Anyway, I'd better draw to a close now or Ceri won't ever have room to print this!I'd just like to thank Ceri, Keith, Bryan, Mickey, all the fan club staff, Helen - my sister, James - my friend, my dad and all troobies for such a good concert, and I'd love to meet Keith again!!!