Bryan Adams captivates Cap Roig while the Gavarres burn

Despite the express instructions from Civil Protection to avoid any unnecessary travel to avoid worsening the uncontrolled fire still burning in the Gavarres, Cap Roig maintained its inaugural concert with Bryan Adams on its billboard. The surrounding towns, which did have a confinement order, canceled their schedules following the authorities' recommendations, but the prestigious festival of the la Caixa Foundation was held with absolute normality, full of tourists and vacationers, oblivious to the magnitude of the tragedy that is increasingly affecting the wooded area of the forest massif inland. The smoke and flames were certainly far from the idyllic gardens of Calella de Palafrugell, but, at dusk, a gray and reddish veil blurred the horizon before the first notes of the Canadian singer, who had the courtesy to ask for a round of applause in recognition of the firefighters' work.  

Adams offered a very high-level concert. He did so in acoustic format, without screens, light shows, or his usual rock 'n' roll band, accompanied only by guitar and piano, as a prelude to the full tour scheduled for next year. And the gamble paid off. Above all, because, above all, Bryan Adams, 66, is a great singer. His voice is raspy and magnetic, with a gravelly tone that recalls the best Bruce Springsteen, but he also proves capable of shaping an expressive and melodic timbre emulating Elvis Presley or Tina Turner. All this makes his songs shine, with a rock root, but of moderate intensity (especially in acoustic version), more like pop vibes, with a clear vocation of romantic crooner and a natural predilection for sentimental ballads, often quite sugary.  

With these foundations, the artist reviewed his greatest hits, and the audience, who sold out their tickets, had a great time. Particularly celebrated were the rhythms of This time and You belong to me, as was the chorus sung by everyone of Everything I do or the lines from Back to you and Somebody. Amidst so many verses of romantic fervor, Adams contributed a combative and pacifist counterpoint with Love is stronger than hate, before the grand finale that began with the festive Summer of '69, an anthem for a generation, followed by new, well-constructed ballads like Heaven, Have you really loved a woman? and Straight from the heart, while many foreign couples recorded videos and love dedications with their mobile phones. 

At midnight, returning from the concert, along the coastal highway, as it passed through Calonge, it was clearly observed from the road how the flames were coming down very, very close to some housing developments, right next to the houses. The images were heartbreaking.