Bryan Adams makes his own history in Las Vegas Strip return

Bryan Adams is on a Zoom conversation to talk about his upcoming shows on the Strip. But the venerable rock star makes a chord change, or rather a sea change, late in the chat.

“Tell me what your name is, Katsilometes,” Adams says. “Is that Greek?”

“Um, yeah, it’s Greek,” I say. “I’m Greek and Italian. The name is Greek.”

“Have you been to Athens?” he says.

I’m thinking, “Is this happening?” and then say, “No, but I want to make that an adventure. I have not been to any part of Greece.”

“Greece is amazing. If you ever have the chance to go, do it,” Adams continues. “I’ve been back two or three times in the last couple of years, and brought my family because I wanted my children to see Athens. It’s so extraordinary to be around so much history in the same way, perhaps, Rome is.”

Adams has appeared, as a tourist, at the Parthenon. “It’s so breathtaking.”

OK. Sold. We’re visiting Athens. But not before we go back to Encore Theater, where Adams’ “Roll with the Punches” tour plays seven dates Friday through March 16.

The show charts Adams’ 40-year career, peppered with such high-charting tracks as “Cuts Like a Knife,” “Run to You,” “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You,” “18 Til I Die,” “Summer of ‘69” and “Here I Am.”

Adams has previously sold out the venue in brief runs in 2021 and 2023. He likes the convenience of playing one plays for a spell, similar to many resident headliners on the Strip.

“There’s advantages of that, of course, because it’s not such a slog, so I like that aspect of it,” Adams says. “And, quite frankly, I get to bring my mother down there. She gets all the beauty treatments.”

Elizabeth Jane Adams is 96.

“She lives in Vancouver, and she loves Vegas,” Adams says. “She lives in Vancouver, (singing) so she’ll be coming down the mountain when she comes!”

Adams has been a hit-making recording star since his eponymous, debut album was released in 1980. He was 20 at the time. Six years later, he was in the middle of a rock iconography at the 1986 Prince’s Trust Rock Gala at London’s Wembley Arena.

Adams was thrown into a climactic turn of “Get Back,” with Paul McCartney, Tina Turner, Elton John, Phil Collins, Eric Clapton, Paul Young and Midge Ure. Adams spent that number alternately at the mic with McCartney and Turner, and trying to figure out where to be.

“That was a completely unexpected thing. I was, I just went there as a spectator, and I got handed a guitar,” Adams says. “I just went up there. I didn’t know what song we were doing. I think if you watch the film, you can see me sort of talking [to] whoever’s next to me, saying, ‘What song are we doing, what key are we in?’ But it was an amazing, pinch-me moment.”

Musically, it was a Parthenon moment, and a piece of history.

Heart’s moment

The crowd Saturday night at Fontianebleau’s BleauLive Theater was informed just before Heart took the stage that Ann Wilson would be performing from a wheelchair. This chair was there because Wilson is recovering from surgery to her left arm two weeks ago. This malady was unrelated to Wilson’s battle with cancer, from which she is in remission. Her battle forced Heart to push back two BleauLive Theater shows in July.

What followed was a heroic effort, Ann Wilson seated to the left of her sister, Nancy Wilson. It was a strong performance, thrilling for the fans who packed the room. Wilson jokingly introduced the pillow supporting her arm as “Suzy.”

Wilson dug deep to deliver “Alone” and “What About Love” as a two-punch medley. There were some tears in the crowd. Nancy Wilson nodded to Las Vegas, which she remembered as being “pretty weird” when Heart was topping the charts, but is now cool. “Thanks for being such a cool place, Las Vegas, finally.”

Stepping into Poodle

Talking of “finally,” Saturday was the first visit to The Poodle Room at Fontainebleau. You know you’re up there when you’re looking down at Resorts World and Wynn/Encore. It’s 67 floors up, offering gorgeous a view of the Strip of course. I was encouraged by the live music upon entering at about 10 p.m., followed later by a DJ.

The limited zero-proof menu includes a mock espresso martini, which charges you up for another 30 minutes in the club. Poodles adorn the venue, even (as insiders report) in the ladies’ room.

Poodle Room’s access is restricted to private members. The next frontier is to drive more of those high-end members to the room. It will need to happen primarily through word-of-mouth among the well-heeled. Cell-phone video and pics are prohibited. For those keeping track, this is the policy at Bruno Mars’ The Pinky Ring at Bellagio and Delilah’s at Wynn, but not at The Foundation Room at Mandalay Bay and Allē Lounge on 66 at Resorts World.

At Poodle Room, you’re given stickers to cover the lens of you phone (which doesn’t prevent selfies, so it’s a honor-system). The stickers are pink, decorated with little poodles. And in an only-in-Vegas career oddity, at least one server is a backing dancer in “Zombie Burlesque” at Mira Identity to be revealed later, having absorbed the club’s mysterious ways.

Cool Hang Alert

El Cortez’s renovated lounge toggles the vintage vocal stylings of Michael Nugent, Hawaiian soul from Joseph Soul, alt-rock from Dan Fenster, the wide-ranging duo of Chastity Paglinawan and Steven Raper as Sunrise Sunset, and indie rocker Miles V. No cover. Go to elcortezhotelcasino.com for intel.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.