What: Bryan Adams Reckless 30th Anniversary Tour
When: Monday, 8 p.m. (doors at 7)
Where: Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre
Tickets: Sold out
Twelve million copies sold worldwide. Six singles in the Top 20. One iconic album. Reckless, the 1984 release that made Vancouver singer-songwriter Bryan Adams an international star, is among the most significant albums in Canadian history, one that took Adams from the upper level of the rock circuit to the top of the mountain in the pop-music world. And it did so in a manner that kept his integrity intact.
The record has life in it yet. In November, Reckless was released in a deluxe, 30th anniversary edition, one that spans four discs and dozens of pages of historical photos, documents and recollections. To celebrate, the U.K.-based Adams has put together a 15-date Canadian run that begins Monday in Victoria.
Fittingly, the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre date is sold out.
That news doesn’t surprise former Vancouver Islander Pat Steward, who played drums on three Reckless tracks and spent nearly two years on the road with Adams following its release.
“When I hear some of those songs on the radio, I crank it,” Steward said with a laugh. “I crank it because it still sounds good.”
Steward would know: That’s him playing drums on One Night Love Affair, Kids Wanna Rock and Summer of ’69. The latter song — a Canadian classic — has become a frequent talking point in Steward’s life, something he is proud of celebrating.
And celebrate he does. The topic of Summer of ’69 comes up often, Steward said. “I love it. If people want to talk about it, that’s neat. I’m honoured. I get texts from friends in Toronto, ‘Dude! I’m in a club and Summer of ’69 just came on!’ I get that all the time.”
Steward, 52, has been incredibly successful in the years since Reckless, having drummed on more than 100 recordings and played with everyone from Colin James and Matthew Good to six-time Juno Award nominees the Odds, the group he’s been a member of since 1994. The Odds still record and perform today, one of the many regular gigs that keep Steward active in and out of the studio.
Steward moved around during high school, which eventually led him to Parksville. He enrolled in the two-year jazz program at what was then known as Nanaimo’s Malaspina College, staying on as an instructor after graduation. He eventually left Nanaimo in 1982 and settled back in his native Vancouver, where he met Adams.
He was drafted into the Adams band in 1984 while sessions for Reckless were underway (he is one of three drummers credited on the album.) Steward realized soon enough that the standard was high, so he raised his game to keep pace. Adams always had a clear vision of what he wanted, Steward recalled, which is a fortunate position to be in when you’re a drummer. “We were in line as far as natural instincts go, just from listening to pop music all our lives.”
The album was released Nov. 5, 1984, on Adams’ 25th birthday. Steward, a few years younger and far less experienced, buckled up for what would become a wild ride. A two-year world tour to promote Reckless saw him behind the kit at everything from Live Aid in Philadelphia to a broadcast performance on Saturday Night Live.
In retrospect, Steward said he could not have predicted how big Reckless would become. Adams might have had a better idea, Steward said, having tasted fame with Cuts Like a Knife the year prior. But Steward, the newbie, thought the novelty of hearing his song on the radio in Vancouver was reward enough at first.
The Adams run was relatively short-lived for Steward. He played on some demo recordings that would go on to comprise another Adams breakout, 1992’s Waking Up the Neighbours, but he didn’t make the finished release. He reunited with Adams for seven songs that would be included on the singer’s 2008 release, 11, but nothing matches the run they had together on Reckless, Steward said.
“When I met Bryan, I was sort of in awe; I thought, ‘That’s somebody who’s famous.’ But then I realized he sings well, he plays well, and the writing is all really good. And I loved playing it all.”