Bryan Adams schedule to perform acoustic renditions of his songs at Royce Hall

Bryan Adams’ songs are likely well-known to students, but students might not connect his name to them right away. Such iconic songs as “Summer of ’69,” “Heaven” and “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You” are a part of his catalogue that he will be performing acoustic renditions of at Royce Hall on Saturday at 8 p.m. Adams spoke with Daily Bruin A&E contributor Shannon Cosgrove in anticipation of his upcoming performance, a stop on his Bare Bones tour.

Daily Bruin: So you gave up washing dishes after you made enough money to buy a Fender guitar ““ what happened from there?

Bryan Adams: I was in the right place at the right time with the right people. When it comes to music, you have to be driven in a way because with most things that are individual ““ whether you’re an actress or a musician or a photographer ““ you really have to believe in what you’re doing because no one else will, initially, so you have to have a certain degree of conviction. From 15 onwards, I left school, and I was quite happy to be busking around, and that led to who I am, and if I didn’t write my own songs, I’d be stuck. So writing became the key thing.

DB: Your lyrics seem to hint at intimate specificity while feeling universal at the same time ““ do you usually draw your inspiration from specific events and people or more general and abstract ideas and feelings?

BA: It depends on what song you’re talking about. I deal with themes of nostalgia and just how I’m feeling. Sometimes songs start with a song title, sometimes they start with a guitar riff, sometimes I’ll have the lyrics worked out with no music and others I’ll have the music done with no lyrics ““ I don’t work in the same way every time.

DB: What would you say to those who view the intimacy and metaphors in your songs as somewhat cheesy or sappy?

BA: I’d say, “Why don’t you guys try to do better?”

DB: In a press release, you said of your new album “Bare Bones,” “I like the way the songs carry themselves, warts and all, bare-boned” ““ are you drawn to more stripped down, raw music? Are the new renditions of the songs drastically different from the originals?

BA: I’ve toured America for 30 years, predominantly with a band ““ the one thing I did that was different was an unplugged record with MTV back in the ’90s. This is the first time I’ve presented myself in a new way with much of the same music. What you discover is how the songs stand up without the orchestration ““ it’s a side to me that I’m quite familiar with because I wrote the songs in a very simple way, so I’m aware that they work in a stripped down form ““ but I wanted to present that to the audience.

The renditions are pretty true to the originals; the only difference is that there is much more space, so that where once there was a drum solo or a guitar riff, it’s just me, my voice and my acoustic guitar. Everything about this tour is presented in a different way ““ nothing is electrified.

DB: You are very encouraging of audience participation in your live shows and even in selecting the songs on the new album, which were decided by fans over Twitter and your website ““ how important is audience input in your music?

BA: Well, without an audience, there’s no show, so I’m always very involved with my audience ““ I think it’s what most rock ‘n’ rollers do, get everybody involved. It’s part of the concert thing, isn’t it? It’s great.

DB: Where do you draw your energy from in your live shows?

BA: Mostly vegetables.

DB: You have a very distinguishably raspy voice that lends itself both to energetic songs such as “Summer of ’69″ and tender ones such as “(Everything I Do) I Do it For You” and “Please Forgive Me” ““ how did you develop your singing voice, or is it just natural to you?

BA: That would be under the vegetable category. It wasn’t a lot of cigars and brandy, I can tell you that.

DB: Along with your music, you yourself are very versatile, being a social activist and photographer ““ what drew you to step outside music?

BA: I’ve always been interested in a variety of things. Most musicians are drawn to the art world and are inevitably exposed to photographers. My side projects are about fulfilling that creative space. And when you are thrust into the public eye, a lot of people will come to you and ask for assistance with certain things that you decide whether you want to support or not, if you feel close to it.

DB: What drew you to work on education specifically?

BA: It came about quite naturally: As I don’t have much of an education myself, I feel that an education is the best thing you can give to somebody. I’m lucky that I kind of gave myself an education while I went along, but not many people are able to do that for one reason or another.

DB: Why did you choose UCLA’s Royce Hall to perform in?

BA: I think the show works well in certain types of halls, and Royce looks like a building that this would work well in. I’m just excited to be there!

DB: You recently got a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame ““ are you excited to be playing Los Angeles?

BA: Did you go down and step on me? Did I feel good underfoot? But really it’s an honor. They put my star in front of the Musicians Institute, which is funny because I think that most musicians should be institutionalized anyway.

DB: What can the audience expect from your performance at Royce?

BA: As much as I can give them ““ I’ll try to remember the songs. It’s just gonna be me, my keyboardist Gary Breit, my guitar and harmonica.

Email Cosgrove at [email protected].