Bryan Adams has unveiled a fresh take on his 2002 song Here I Am, blending a live recording from his Melbourne concert in February 2025 with a cinematic video shot in Coffs Harbour and along the New South Wales north coast.
The new clip, released via Adams’ official YouTube channel, features striking visuals of Oakley, a golden palomino horse filmed with the help of local photographer Rachel Vercoe and her family. Adams credits the Australian coastal scenery and Oakley as key elements of the project. “This film was made at Coffs Harbour, Australia with a beautiful palomino horse called Oakley,” Adams explained. “Huge thanks to Rachel Vercoe and her family for allowing us to film him! The sound recording of Here I Am was recorded live in Melbourne, Australia during the 2025 Roll With The Punches tour.”
Here I Am first arrived in 2002 as part of the soundtrack to DreamWorks’ animated film Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. Written by Bryan Adams, Hans Zimmer and Gretchen Peters, the song was both a radio hit and a key theme in the film, which went on to earn an Academy Award nomination. The single topped charts in several countries, including topping the Canadian Singles Chart and reaching the UK Top 10.
Adams’ rugged vocals and soaring chorus made Here I Am a perfect fit for Spirit’s adventurous narrative, where the film’s equine hero mirrored the song’s themes of resilience and freedom. Over two decades later, pairing the track with sweeping shots of an Australian horse and coastline seems like a natural evolution.
The recording comes from Adams’ opening night of the Australian So Happy It Hurts tour at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on 6 February 2025. Playing to a packed house of 14,000 fans, Adams delivered a career-spanning set that reaffirmed why his catalogue continues to resonate across generations.
The concert kicked off with Kick Ass, a punchy track from his 2022 album So Happy It Hurts, before diving into classics like Somebody, Heaven and Run to You. The show featured longtime collaborators Keith Scott on guitar and Pat Stewart on drums, both key players in Adams’ signature sound.
One of the night’s biggest singalongs came during Here I Am, sitting comfortably alongside other cinematic anthems like (Everything I Do) I Do It For You and Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman? Audience phone lights filled the arena as Adams’ heartfelt balladry transported fans back to its Hollywood origins.
Special tributes included Shine a Light dedicated to promoter Michael Gudinski, and It’s Only Love, a nod to Tina Turner with elements of The Best and What’s Love Got To Do With It woven in. In true Adams style, the performance remained stripped back and authentic-guitars, drums, bass and keys, no frills needed.
By linking the Melbourne performance with the coastal imagery of Coffs Harbour, Adams has managed to reframe Here I Am for 2025. The video not only pays tribute to the song’s equestrian origins but also cements its universality, marrying his Canadian rock roots with an unmistakably Australian landscape.
As Adams himself has always said through his music, simplicity is key. Whether rocking through Summer of ’69 or delivering heartfelt moments like Here I Am, his songs strike the balance of raw energy and emotional connection.
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