Canadian rocker Bryan Adams just released his eleventh studio album simply titled 11. While the title may be just the next number to Adams, 11 takes on a whole new meaning for fans of the movie Spinal Tap. Radio jocks and bands alike paraphrase Spinal Tap’s Nigel as he cranked his amplifier “up to eleven” in the infamous movie.

Naturally, the first thought that comes to mind is that Adams must really be proud of this album and has rocked it up to eleven. I could even hear him saying just those words in a British accent considering that the UK is now where Adams calls home.

Listening to the album however, it became apparent that any reference to its title was nothing more than its placement in his discography. Returning to this album for three cuts is Jim Vallance who collaborated with Adams on previous hits including Heaven, Summer of ‘69 and Run to You.

When news of the release was issued, Adams was put on the radar for an interview. Not an easy fellow to track down for this purpose. He is not fond of doing telephone interviews so e-mailing the questions was the only option. Well, when you are touring on the other side of the globe, doing 11 shows in 11 days and then planning to cross the globe in time to make it back to Canada for mom’s birthday, e-mail is not a top priority.

However, Adams is wise and plays his cards right. Many artists loath media interviews and media engagements but each knows that without media, their news does not travel. Adams is no different but has been in the business long enough to know how to make the best use of his time and cover several avenues at once.

What artist wants to be asked the same question over and over again only to have it interpreted different with each set of ears. Do it once. Say it once. Then when it comes out, you remember exactly what you said. Media will still write it the way they hear it.

Knowing he would be in Vancouver, Adams suggested to his management that he have a show to promote the new album. The only way you would get to the show was by winning an invitation or by being invited.

Radio stations across B.C. took part in the promotion and awarded 200 guests with passes to a secret show in Vancouver. Prior to the show, Adams would conduct a press conference and address as many questions as possible from media that had been hot on his trail since the announcement of the album. But why the secret show?

“No reason,” said Adams. “I knew I was going to be in Vancouver so I said why don’t we do a show?”

The surprise venue was St. Andrew’s Wesley Church on the corner of Burrard and Nelson Streets downtown Vancouver. The press conference would be conducted in the tiny chapel attached.

Prior to Adams arrival, strict instructions were given that there would be no questions regarding Adams’ photography; no questions about his personal life; no questions about his charity work; only questions about his music and his latest release would be answered.

No questions about his photography? His photos are spectacular. In fact, so spectacular that London’s National Portrait Gallery was hosting an exhibition of his works, entitled Modern Muses, to coincide with the release of his album. He has photographed some very key figures in music. Adams even took all his own promotional photos for this album. That in itself stirs up quite a few questions so how could we not be allowed to discuss it? The questions are endless which is probably why the topic was off the table. Next!

After posing for photos, a seemingly shy, or perhaps modest, Adams smiled, picked up the microphone and said, “So do you guys want to ask me any questions?”

The media conference had taken a carefully orchestrated turn with the only topic left to discuss being the album. An album that took two and half years to record and was done all over the world. Vocals recorded in Switzerland and the Grenadine Islands, basic tracks at the Warehouse studio in Vancouver, and additional recordings in hotel rooms and backstage concert areas around Europe. Imagine what is in his suitcase.

“On tour there is a lot of time spent sitting around or in hotels. So I would set up backstage or in my hotel room. I would put my mattress up against the window and when the maid came in, she would wonder why there were microphones going into the bathroom,” stated Adams.

The songs for this record “just came” said Adams. His approach to his music and to his song writing have not changed. He just decided to make better use of his time spent waiting to go on stage. The result is a somewhat mellowed, more mature version of Adams and his acoustic guitar. So, what better place to have an acoustic show than in the ambience and natural sound of a church?

When Adams stepped before his audience of about 1000 (or would it be considered a congregation?) he appeared to relax. Dim lighting to set the mood, one microphone, Adams and his acoustic guitar and many eager ears made up friends, family, media and invited guests. It was here that the real stories began to flow.

He opened with the first song of his new album, Tonight We Have the Stars; a tale about long lasting relationships. After warming up, Adams began to tune his guitar and story tell.

“I was standing at the front desk of my hotel today and I got talking with the woman in line behind me. She told me she was in town to see a rock concert and when I asked her who she was there to see, she looked right at me and said, ‘Bryan Adams’. So I am curious, are you here,” he said as he gazed out over the faces. A smaller, older woman with greying hair, shyly stood up and as the spotlight panned over to her she waved at Adams who responded, “Glad you could make it.”

As the audience shared in the giggle, Adams began the first bars of Back to You. After that it was back to new album with the second track Thought I’d Seen Everything. After that track, fans began to direct questions at Adams and asked him why he doesn’t play in Vancouver more often.

Adams responded, “You know I would play here as often as I could but my management company doesn’t want me playing in Vancouver.”

Back to the old with Can’t Stop This Thing We Started and then on with the new, Something to Believe In and then Mysterious Ways which was a story he wrote for a friend of his, Gretchen Peters. Peters had just experienced a divorce and had met someone new that she liked. Music got her through that very difficult time in her life and Adams wrote the song as a hopeful song for anyone going through a break-up.

Logically the song that would follow such a tale would be Cuts Like a Knife where Adams tells everyone he is the only singer he knows who made a career out of mumbling, referring to the lyrics and his style of singing at that point in his career.

The European 11-day tour began in Portugal two weeks prior to this appearance and Adams remarked that this would be his second appearance in a church and then joke that we were all “blessed to be there.”

From the audience, a fan would yell and ask if his mother was present. Earlier in the press conference Adams had remarked that he had come to Vancouver for his mother’s eightieth birthday, which was the previous day, and that mom was at the show and would attend them all if she could.

“Mom would be out there selling t-shirts if I let her,” he laughed.

Indeed Mrs. Adams was in the audience as the spotlight panned over to her smiling and waving. When fans asked Adams to sing Happy Birthday to her, Adams responded, “Her birthday was yesterday, you don’t sing Happy Birthday the next day.”

Apparently the fans disagreed as they broke out in a rendition of their own to Adams’ mom. After a bit of conversation with the audience Adams looked fondly at his mother and then said, “Ok, back to me now, mom.”

Continuing to tune his guitar, Adams remarked, “I feel like I am at an audition.”

With a smile he played Walk On By from his new album followed by Heaven  and Run to You at which point he bid the audience farewell and began to walk off the stage as the audience rose to give him a standing ovation.

When Adams returned to the stage, he appeared overwhelmed with the support of the crowd. At this point, Adams long time collaborator, Keith Scott, was coerced onto the stage for a duet of The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me (Is You) which was greeted by whistles and cheers from the audience. After playing Into the Fire, Scott left the stage.

With his parting tale of Vancouver back in the day, Adams made it clear that he may live abroad now but his heart remained in Canada. Telling a tale of apartment shopping with his brother and making the big move from Burnaby to Kits Point, Adams gave a glimpse into his start-out years as a musician and his personal life. What followed was a musical farewell as he closed the evening with, Straight from the Heart, smiled, took a bow and left the stage to a parting standing ovation.