Bryan Adams Brings Warmth and Nostalgia to Philadelphia
Organised by Live Nation Philadelphia, Bryan Adams brought his “Roll With the Punches Tour” to the City of Brotherly Love on October 29 — and for nearly two hours, the Canadian icon turned the Xfinity Mobile Arena into a heartfelt celebration of timeless rock and connection.
For U.S. fans of the Canadian artist, he’s one import that managed to cross the border without any of the maniacal tariffs levied on goods from our northern neighbours by our dear leader. Adams’s tour began in early September in the beautiful province of British Columbia and will wrap up on November 26 in Minneapolis.
The evening opened with an electric 11-song set from rock icons Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, who first met in 1979, married in 1982, and have been making music together ever since — one of rock’s rare enduring partnerships. Their set included the fierce “Hell Is for Children,” “Heartbreaker,” and “Invincible,” which Benatar dedicated to ‘all my sisters out there.’
At 72, her voice remains astonishingly strong and crystal clear, while Giraldo’s guitar work is still blistering. They also performed inspired covers, including “We Belong” by Lowen & Navarro, “You Better Run” by The Rascals, and opened with “All Fired Up” by the Rattling Sabres. Their new song “Together” was warmly received by the Philadelphia crowd, hands raised in appreciation.
Adams, who turns 66 next week, has been sharing his passion for nearly five decades, gifting fans with a string of hit songs and albums — and even earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Song along the way.
As autumn settled over Philadelphia, fans began lining up outside the arena well before the doors opened, even though all seats were assigned and there was no pit to rush. The audience spanned generations, from teenagers to fans in their seventies and beyond, with several families and multigenerational groups spotted. To keep things intimate in the cavernous hall, no seats were sold in the upper rafters.
The show opened with a stripped-down version of “Can’t Stop This Thing We Started,” featuring a solo Adams on a small stage at the back of the arena serenading fans in the rear sections, followed by “Straight From the Heart.” It felt almost like a campfire sing-along, with much of the crowd joining in. Adams then made his way to the main stage, a cameraman capturing each fist bump with fans in stark black and white projected on the huge screen behind him.
Once on stage, the full band kicked into “Kick Ass,” which also marked the first appearance of the night’s multicoloured wristbands — distributed to about half the audience — lighting up in coordinated hues of red, white, and blue. Collection bins were set up around the arena to recycle them for future shows. “Somebody” became another big singalong, and from my seat, it looked like Bryan was even playing bass for that one.
During “Roll With the Punches,” the tour’s namesake song, a large drone boxing glove balloon floated above the crowd — thankfully without any overzealous Philly fans trying to climb poles to grab it. Before “Take Me Back,” Adams joked, ‘DJs liked and played this song… it didn’t do shit, but I liked it.’ He then spoke briefly about loss, sharing how deeply he felt the passing of his father a few years ago, and dedicated “Shine a Light” to everyone who has someone special in their life.
All told, it was a fun, wholesome night — 28 songs across two hours, filled with energy, humour, and heartfelt moments. The show closed with a rousing “Summer of ’69,” followed by “Cuts Like a Knife,” and ended poignantly with “All for Love,” performed solo from the back of the arena — sans Sting and Rod Stewart, of course.
Photos (c) David Fang
