By Robert Eckeryd
Answer: yes about 25000 people actually, which was the vast majority, in
the end causing both a one night record, and a total audience record for
the yearly
festival in Östersund. A lot of people came, without a doubt, quite
a distance from
different parts of Sweden and Norway to see Bryan.
They saw him open with the both lyrically and musically perfect opener
"How Do You Feel Tonight", a song which also works very well live. After
this medium speed
rocker followed quicker tunes like "Back To You", "Summer Of '69" and "It's
Only Love"
before Bryan layed down the bass and picked up an acoustic guitar for a
stripped down "Everything I Do", which should perhaps have
been
considered for the "Unplugged" album.
A good, rocking "Getaway" then followed, which just as
its predessors worked surprisingly well, considering being performed
only
by three guys. After a quite stripped down "Have You Ever Really Loved A
Woman", it was time to raise the speed considerably again with another
great live adaption, this time of "I Don't Wanna Live
Forever" which just like "How Do You Feel Tonight" would find a good
place on a live album. Its rocking side came through much better than on
the album.
As usual, a few more rockers/old hits like "Cuts Like A Knife" and "The
Only
Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You" then followed, and finally the
encores, Blues
Jam/Cloud #9/Run To You/Somebody before it was time to say "bye" after
some 95 minutes.
How did the crowd "feel tonight"/participate then? Not completely
satisfactory
according to Bryan, and yes I have been in better crowds. Perhaps some of
the reported Scandinavian cold (the opposite to south-european
temper)
showed, but more likely since it was a festival a lot of people weren't
fans
(but a certain amount of them could well have become fans!). Still,
Bryan should
come to the not so densely populated northern half of Sweden again. The
record
audience would motivate that if you ask me. Few international artists
ever
perform on swedish soil outside of Gothenburg or Stockholm. Other
festivals would certainly be interested another year. For me, a die-hard
fan for more than 10 years,
this five hour drive to the southwest was the closest he had ever been
to my home.
Anything negative? Yes, "Cloud #9" obviously suffered from a lack of
instruments, but in my opinion, that was the only song which didn't
work out,
and being the latest single I guess it makes sense to perform it. Of
course the band should be extended again in the future with at least one
more guy. For a change though this was OK, and as the only guitarist a
certain Keith Scott got
more
space for "goofing around", changing the solos etc.
which he certainly did
during "It's
Only
Love" for instance. Finally, The "On A Day Like Today" album may be more
mellow than its predesserors, but the show isn't!