LONDON — Bryan Adams, who was born in Canada but now lives here,

said he had been looking forward to his concert in Hyde Park since the beginning of his

world tour three months ago.

Judging by the air of anticipation on Sunday night, it seemed his sell-out audience of

18,000 had been looking forward to the gig for much longer.

"There's something about playing London — I think it must be you lot — so

thank you all for coming," the pop-rock crooner said.

In his two-decade career, Adams, 39, has made 10 studio albums. For this show, he

chose a setlist that would be certain to please his fans: He simply unleashed a tirade of

hit singles.

From 1985's "Heaven" to the smash 1991 single "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" to

1996's "18 til I Die" (RealAudio excerpt of live version),

Adams seemed to sashay through his entire catalog of soft-rock

melodies during the romantic open-air concert.

His homecoming audience of respectable-looking 30-somethings were more than

appreciative, whooping and screaming as they recognized the introductions to sexually

charged, high-energy tracks such as "Run to You," and melodic love songs, including

"Heaven."

The stage, sporting multicolored backdrops, was lit by columns of twinkling bulbs, which

became visible only when dark fell during Adams' two encores. But the singer, with his

acoustic guitar slung over his shoulder, and his two bandmembers seemed to shine from

the stage in their identical pristine white outfits.

Adams has a relaxed stage presence and gives his band a share in his limelight.

Guitarist Keith Scott spiced up otherwise repetitive tracks with improvisations, amping

up several songs from Adams' 1998 album, On a Day Like Today —

notably the recent single "Cloud Number Nine" (RealAudio excerpt) and the

feel-good pop song "When You're Gone" (RealAudio excerpt),

which Adams recorded as a duet with the Sporty Spice Girl, Melanie C.

Adams used the gig to reveal his gentler side. He dedicated the sumptuous ballad "Have

You Ever Really Loved a Woman?," from the 1995 movie "Don Juan DeMarco," to a

woman in the audience who wielded a distinctive banner. The fan, who introduced

herself as "Annie From East Sussex," was invited onstage by her idol, who revealed that

his attention had been caught by the slogan on Annie's banner: "Bryan You Big Stud,

Take Me Now or Lose Me Forever!"

Naturally, this turn of events brought rapturous applause from Adams' mesmerized

audience, who sang along and waved cigarette lighters in time to the slow rhythm of

"Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?"

"It was really beautiful," Eileen Peterson, 36, from Chiswick, London, said. "I'm a lifelong

fan [of Adams], and of course I'm really jealous of Annie, whoever she is, but I enjoyed

the whole episode immensely. It was really uplifting."

Adams also revealed his appreciation for the audience by involving them in various

songs. At the chorus of each hit, stagelights and Adams' microphone were turned on the

crowd, who were expected to fill in the gaps when Adams stopped singing the lyrics in

his husky voice.

The patrons took a while to warm to the idea, missing their cue in "Can't Stop This Thing

We Started." But their yells almost drowned Adams' vocal on the rocker "The Only Thing

That Looks Good on Me Is You."

"I think most of the people there knew all the words by heart," Peterson said. "I certainly

did."