BRYAN ADAMS/LISA BOUCHELLE
TAJ MAHAL ARENA, ATLANTIC CITY, NJ by Vince Schmelling
A packed house filled the arena at the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City for the hit-laced show Bryan
Adams puts on whenever he hits the road. The audience spanned all age groups, and they knew
the words to almost all of the songs Bryan pulled from his extensive catalog of rock radio staples.
The show began, however, with something the crowd wasn't expecting... a set from local rising star
Lisa Bouchelle that transfixed all those in the arena, and drew a response rarely seen from an
opening act not familiar to most in the audience.
From the first notes of her opening number, "A Kiss Is Worth 1,000 Words," it seemed she had the
crowd in the palm of her hand. With her striking looks and expressive vocals, she won them over
with just an acoustic guitar and a bass accompaniment.
Besides demonstrating her vibrant voice and guitar playing abilities, she treated the crowd to some
intricate percussion during "The Detective," a song she performed with only bass guitar, vocal and
shaker eggs. When she closed the show with the uptempo "In The End," the applause she drew
rivaled that of a veteran concert headliner.
After her performance, she went out into the arena to watch Bryan Adams from out front, but was
mobbed by people asking for a picture, an autograph, or a way to get one of her CDs. Several of
the celebrities in attendance went out of their way to stop by after the show and let her know how
much they liked her performance, including hit songwriter Andrew Fromm, Grammy winning
producer Joe Donofrio, and even Bryan Adams himself. "The best looking opening act I've EVER
had," laughed Bryan, and he asked her to leave a CD to take with him.
Bryan hit the stage with a tough act to follow, but with hits like "Summer Of '69," "Cuts Like A
Knife," and "Everything I Do (I Do It For You)," among others, even a workman-like effort would
have sufficed, but he gave it a lot more. He put on a straight ahead rock and roll show that proved
you don't need fancy lighting and effects, just great songs and a tight band.
Long time guitarist Keith Scott ripped through the signature solos in many of the songs, and
Bryan's voice hasn't aged one bit, with his vocals sounding exactly like they did when he recorded
his biggest hits.
The concert was a double winner for music fans... a night of great hits from one of the venerable
rock stars of our time, and a coming out party for a star of the future... and judging from the
reaction of the crowd at this show, the not-to-distant future at that.