Bryan Adams went straight to the heart of Covelli crowd

Bryan Adams never had to coax his fans to sing along at Tuesday’s concert at Covelli Centre, because they were on top of it all night long.

Audience members involuntarily became a chorus of backup singers as Adams sang what must have been part of the soundtrack of their lives. All of the lyrics to songs like “Heaven” instantly came back.

As for Adams, he was actually damn good. His voice is as strong as ever – and yes, it still gets raspy when he strains. His band, led by guitarist Keith Scott (whose skill was never more obvious than on “It’s Only Love,” when he traded riffs with Adams), was tight.

For an act that’s been around the block as often as Adams, it wasn’t surprising. What was a bit of a surprise was Adams’ sense of humor. The Canadian rocker filled in the moments between songs with a wicked wit.

Then there was the kooky video for his new single, “Don’t Even Try,” in which a goofy, overzealous wannabe rocks a double-neck guitar.

Back in the 1980s, Adams became a huge star while he was still in his early 20s, and the big screen behind the stage occasionally showed footage of his MTV videos from that era. There was some big hair.

More significantly, the screen reflected Adams’ other art pursuit: fashion photography. The images and video were chic and artsy, in grainy and high-contrast black and white. The models, including one that had the lyrics of “Summer of ’69” scrawled on her nude body, were straight out of New York Fashion Week.

Adams and his band mates also dressed the part, each clad in a black jacket with a white pocket square, a white shirt open at the neck, and closely cropped hair. They looked a bit like a wedding band, but the sleek look translated well to the screen.

Adams’ 30-song set spanned his 13-album career, and included all of the hits. Scott reproduced riffs and lead guitar runs in songs like “Summer of ’69” with precision, matching the energy of the originals.

There was also “Run to You,” “Kids Wanna Rock,” “This Time,” “I Do It For You” and “Cuts Like a Knife.”

Some of his lesser-known songs seemed to make a statement, including “18 Til I Die” (1996) and “Go Down Rockin’,” from his 2015 album, “Get Up.”

Another new song, the chugging rockabilly number “You Belong to Me,” was a musical outlier but it was well-received.

A highlight of the night came when Adams scanned the crowd for a sexy dancer and struck gold. He settled on a woman named Marilyn who danced at her seat under a spotlight as Adams played a bluesy and steamy version of “If You Wanna be Bad, You Gotta be Good.”

Marilyn was so good that I wondered if it was staged – but I don’t think it was, because Adams does this bit in every town, and the others I’ve seen online were not up to Youngstown standards. In any event, it might have been the coolest thing I’ve ever seen at Covelli.

Afterward, an amazed Adams took a look at her date and asked, “is that Richie Sambora?” – which was hilarious, because he did look like the Bon Jovi guitarist.

Adams finished the two-hour concert playing solo under a spotlight, even wailing on a harmonica on “Straight from the Heart.”

The arena was far from sold out, but it was a large and appreciative audience, and Adams pointedly acknowledged it before taking his final bow.

Guy D’Astolfo covers entertainment for the Vindicator.