SAN FRANCISCO--It’s clearly not 1984 anymore. If it was, then when I told people that I was going to see Bryan Adams [ tickets ] in concert, they all wouldn't have thought I had said Ryan Adams. There’s a big difference.

Bryan Adams was one of the hottest stars of the '80s and, thus, totally disregarded by every self-respecting hipster. Ryan Adams is the latest flavor of the month, and every critic in America, by law, has to champion him as one of the top young artists of the new millennium.

And there's another difference. Bryan Adams’ gig on Sunday night (1/13) at San Francisco's Fillmore Auditorium in was better in every way than the other Adams’ recent show at the same hallowed venue. OK, maybe not lyrically. But basically every other way.

At 42, and out of the spotlight for an eternity, this veteran pop star still knows how to rock the house. He can command a crowd’s attention and he’s got a goodly amount of stage presence. Adams sounded strong, kept things simple and gave the people exactly what they wanted.

“I can’t believe that all the years that I’ve been playing that this is the first time that I’ve played the Fillmore,” Adams said from roughly 30 minutes into the show. “I guess I should apologize--it’s about fricking time. We’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”

Catching up suited this crowd just fine. Adams is well past the days when he could draw arena-sized crowds. But the fans that do show up are definitely of the true-blue variety. The 1,200 devotees who completely packed the Fillmore couldn’t have been more into the show. Name the hottest young band to play San Francisco last year. Modest Mouse? The Strokes? The utterly unhip Adams squeezed more enthusiasm out of his crowd than either of those two buzz bands.

The fans sang along to the old hits like they were reciting the classic-rock pledge of allegiance. At times, it seemed like the bass-playing Adams was backed by 1,200 back-up singers on classics like “Cuts Like a Knife,” “Heaven,” “Somebody” and “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You.”

Maybe I liked this show more than I should have. Maybe I need to put it in context. Having just returned from four days of jazz at the International Association of Jazz Education convention in Southern California, some unfussy, uncomplicated barroom rock sounded really good to these ears.

After roughly two hours of music, the fans left the building looking utterly content. And why not? Most of them had just heard their favorite song played. That’s because, for most of them, their favorite song is a Bryan Adams song.

Not me, of course. My favorite song is a Ryan Adams song. I think he is one the top young artists of the new millennium.