POP MUSIC Reviews : Bryan Adams Still Rocks With Charismatic Fervor

Mention Bryan Adams to someone who likes hip, edgy rock and they’re likely to respond with a resounding “Yuk!”

The Canadian singer-songwriter, who performed the first of two dates at the Greek Theatre on Thursday, had some credibility back in the ‘80s but lost it in the ‘90s--largely because he’s been busy beefing up his bank account by recording sappy, chart-topping movie soundtrack ballads like “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” and “All for Love.”

Is he hopelessly stranded on the wrong side of middle-of-the-road rock?

Judging from his lively show, not really. At least he hasn’t gone soft in concert--which you might expect from hearing those two banal movie-theme hits.

Adams’ strength, along with his endearingly raspy voice, has always been his ability to put on a high-powered show. Material that seems like gutless, woefully derivative, lite rock on records is charged with energy when he performs it live. For more than two hours Thursday, Adams, with the capable support of his four-piece band, was at his charismatic, hard-rocking best.

His concert had the giddy feel of a classic-rock oldies show because Adams, though only 34, has been cranking out hits since the early ‘80s, including “Run to You,” “Summer of ‘69,” “Cuts Like a Knife,” “Can’t Stop This Thing We Started” and “It’s Only Love.” Though hardly high art, the material is effective on a certain level, touching those who don’t like their rock music riddled with complexities and deep insights.

Ever the crafty showman, Adams and the band set up on a secondary stage near the back of the theater late in the show, thrilling fans stuck in the cheap seats. There they played mostly oldies, including Sam Cooke’s “Shake” and Eddie Cochran’s “C’mon Everybody,” before racing back to the main stage for the crowd-pleasing finale.