Bryan Adams brought his 2024 “So Happy It Hurts” tour to the Kia Center (formerly known as Amway Center) in downtown Orlando, Florida on Friday March 8, 2024. Dave Stewart (co-founder of Eurythmics) played the Eurythmics Songbook with an outstanding 8 woman band to open the show.
Stewart chose talented women from around the world to reimagine classic Eurythmics songs, which turned out to be a perfect tribute to international women on International Women’s Day. His “Eurythmics Songbook 2024” tour features 3 lead vocalists, as well as 5 instrumentalists, led by keyboardist Hannah Koppenburg. The result was a whirlwind of talent on stage, as each woman took their turn soloing at the end of the catwalk leading into the floor seating. Whether it was a song the crowd knew by heart, or a deeper cut, the energy from the stage radiated and had people on their feet throughout the hour-long set. Forget about calling this a “warm-up” act, these strong women brought the heat and had the Kia Center on fire and primed for the main event.
Band Members:
Dave Stewart – Guitar
Kaya Stewart – Lead & Backing Vocals
Vanessa Amorosi – Lead & Backing Vocals
Stevvi Alexander – Lead & Backing Vocals
Yasmin Ogilvie – Saxophone
Julia Lamb – Bass
Indiara Sfair – Harmonica
Hannah Koppenburg – Keyboards
Ellie East – Drums
Setlist:
1. I Need a Man
2. Love Is a Stranger
3. The Miracle of Love
4. Thorn in My Side
5. I Love You Like a Ball and Chain
6. Here Comes the Rain Again
7. There Must Be an Angel (Playing With My Heart)
8. Would I Lie to You?
9. Missionary Man
10. Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves
11. Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
Bryan Adams brought the audience on their feet during most of his songs with hard-hitting tunes and a lot of personal stories throughout the show. The performance from all five band members was superb. Lead guitarist Keith Scott has recorded and performed with Adams for 40 years, and keyboardist Gary Breit for 20 years. Drummer Pat Steward was with Adams in the beginning and is back touring with the band. Bassist Solomon Walker joined in 2017. All four provided backing vocals, and they are clearly a well-tuned machine.
The songs he performed were amazing and very well received by the audience. Adams played an incredible 28 songs, including some requested online by fans prior to the concert, and others requested in person using hand-made signs. He went on to perform classics such as “Summer of ’69”, “Cuts Like A Knife”, “Please Forgive Me”, “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You”, and “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?”. He closed the concert with a solo acoustic rendition of “All for Love”, as the crowd filled the arena with their voices!
The evening was not only musically exciting but also visually entertaining as they knew how to put on a fantastic show from beginning to end. Adams engaged the crowd in so many ways. The crowd was featured many times singing and dancing along on the large video screen behind the band. Before the concert started, his visual team launched a remote-controlled blimp car, which was his cover story for the concert while playing the theme video on the big screen. During a quick break from his music, Bryan told the audience the story of the video and that the woman riding in the car with him was his 96-year-old mother. What a way of showing his humbleness and a down-to-earth demeanor.
At the end of the concert, we saw the crowd walking away from their seats with tears still in their eyes, portraying the excessive excitement and the rush of adrenaline in their bodies.
Band Members:
Bryan Adams – Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
Keith Scott – Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals
Pat Steward – Drums, Backing Vocals
Solomon Walker – Bass, Backing Vocals
Gary Breit – Keyboards, Backing Vocals
Setlist:
1. Kick Ass
2. Can’t Stop This Thing We Started
3. Somebody
4. 18 til I Die
5. Please Forgive Me
6. Shine a Light
7. Kids Wanna Rock
8. Heaven
9. Go Down Rockin’
10. It’s Only Love / The Best
(Tina Turner tribute)
11. You Belong to Me
12. I’ve Been Looking for You
13. The Only Thing That Looks Good on Me Is You
14. I Will Always Return (Acoustic)
15. Here I Am (Acoustic)
16. This Time
17. (Everything I Do) I Do It for You
18. Back to You
19. So Happy It Hurts
20. Run to You
21. Summer of ’69
(Audience Request section)
22. Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?
23. Let’s Make a Night to Remember
24. Hearts on Fire (Acoustic)
25. Lonely Nights
(Band Introductions)
26. Cuts Like a Knife
(Encore – Bryan Adams solo)
27. Straight From the Heart (Acoustic)
28. All for Love (Acoustic)
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Johnnie Crow is a lifelong music lover. He has photographed artists from every genre at concerts, festivals and cruises all across North America.
