Bhangra Summer of 69 and Other Reasons India Still Loves Bryan Adams

The heat, the crowds, the permits and red tape, logistical and security issues mean that international acts don't perform in India as often as audiences would like. So when top performers do deign to come over, Indian fans tend to be pathetically grateful. Bryan Adams’ ongoing Ultimate tour of India has people excited. Bryan Adams is still a superstar in India, though his stardom may have waned somewhat in the West. Here is why:

We still love Summer of 69

The 1984 track, Summer of 69, the quintessential paean to nostalgia is arguably the most popular rock number in India; even decades after it was released. It is still a floor filler and is often found sandwiched between the latest Bhangra and Bollywood dance numbers on DJ playlists.

We made it our own

India loves this song so much that we made it our very own by adding Bhangra dhol beats to it. This one also regularly makes an appearance at parties and we all enjoy the incongruous sight of people doing the Bhangra to a Bryan Adams number.

Another version of the song

This one is a cover version by some other singer that overlies a video about Manipal College and the ethos of the educational institution. It’s all about the essential college experiences: freshers, young love, classes, the library… the extended song has some very nice flute and violin additions and Hindi lyrics as well.

BA is still relevant

He still has what it takes. This is a song from his 2017 compilation album Ultimate. The album has songs recorded from 1980 through 2017 as well as two new songs, Ultimate Love and Please Stay. Ultimate Love is a catchy song; a characteristic Bryan Adams track and even has a relevant political message.

Remember Boney M?

We Indians are faithful people. Remember how we loved (and still love) Boney M? When the rest of the world was barely aware of their music? Rasputin continues to be plagiarised by Indian composers to date! If that isn’t a testament to our continuing love for band I don’t know what is! We still love (Everything I do) I Do It For You, "Heaven, All for Love" and "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?" as we do Daddy Cool, Rivers of Babylon and Ma Baker.

He last toured India in 2011

He toured India for the first time in 1996 and had last toured in India in 2011 when he performed in Pune, Mumbai, Bangalore, New Delhi and Hyderabad as well as Nepal and Bangladesh. The 2018 tour is his 5th Indian tour.

2018 5 city tour

He performed in Ahmedabad on 9th October 2018. He will now be performing on 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th at the venues detailed above. Harshdeep Kaur, Aditi Singh Sharma, Abi Sampa and Syntyche Mongro are supposed to be the opening acts. The cheapest tickets are about 2k and the best ones cost about 10k for the platinum section. This doesn’t deter fans; India still loves Bryan Adams.

Do you have something interesting you would like to share? Write to us at [email protected]