Bryan Adams rocks Malaga concert: like bathing in the fountain of eternal youth

Rumour has it that the guy has been making the same music for 30 years. So what? The packed municipal auditorium in Malaga on Tuesday night was proof that Bryan Adams - the king of sentimental and soft rock music - is still going strong.

The Canadian singer has just turned 65 and he seems happy. Proof of his strong spirit is his most recent album: Roll with the Punches, which has been the basis for the European tour that brought Adams to Malaga. His joy was reciprocated by an audience that kept chanting his songs, even when the warm night ended with a thunderstorm. If anyone were to assume a certain fragility or physical decrepitude in the atmosphere due to the somewhat advanced average age of the audience, they would be completely wrong.

Rarely has an artist had it so easy at this concert venue, in a Malaga that awaits a strong summer of musical gigs of all kinds. "Baby you're all that I want'," Adams sang. The tsunami-like response from the audience came a second later: "When you're lyin' here in my arms".

Adams's characteristically rough and raspy voice teleported the audience to another dimension, to the moments alluded to in his songs: the first time arriving home drunk, the first kiss, the first lovesickness.

After several of his all-time hits, including 18 Till I Die, the Canadian rockstar addressed his fans. With a charming, mischievous smile and grey hair, he said: "Hi, what's up, beautiful people. My name is Bryan Adams and at night I'm a singer." The audience squealled in response.

Adams's arrival on stage was accompanied by an audiovisual projection that simulated a punch that knocks you to the ground - a nod to the title of his new album.

The concert began with the homonymous song Roll with the Punches, the performance of which was accompanied by a bunch of balloons that were thrown to a crowd that had awaited the concert with the anticipation of someone who knows a collective catharsis is coming.

Time passes but it doesn't seem to do so for Adams. His commitment, passion, desire and respect for his audience remain intact. The only thing that testifies to the fact that he is getting older are the wrinkles on his face. The energy on stage is still as amazing as it was before, spreading like wildfire.

Nothing during the concert on Tuesday showed signs of wear and tear. Summer of 69, after having been played 200,000 times on the radio, still transmits the feeling of the first time. 'We're here to sing and dance' read a sign from a fan carrying a Belgian flag.

Tuesday night was an addition to a seamless string of unforgettable nights, some of which did actually take place in the summer of 69. It didn't matter whether a member of the audience had been present or even born during one of those nights. When Adams launched into his anthems, the auditorium erupted. "I love to see you guys like this. It's important to expand the mind," he said with a sincere smile.

When You're Gone, Cuts Like a Knife and Straight From the Heart were among the hits he played. Adams paid tributes to Tina Turner and "those on the other side of the Mediterranean, who don't have such an easy life". He also confessed his admiration for Paco de Lucía.

In the middle of a concert, that was well on its way to exceeding two hours, time had already become distorted. "Those were the best days of my life," echoed the audience and it was impossible not to feel a surge of nostalgia.

The concert closed with Everything I Do and the attendees returned home with the feeling that yes, it is possible to miss an era, regardless of whether one has lived through it or not.

However, the one negative detail that accompanies most concerts nowadays was no exception during Bryan Adams's performance: the audience's division into normal and premium entrance (the latter cost 121 euros per ticket). This trend seems to plague the music industry these days, preventing some of the most fervent fans from supporting their favourite artist from the front rows.