Thanks to Bill Bredice for the Ticket Stub
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Thanks to Bill Bredice for the Ticket Stub |
Today, I bask in the afterglow of seeing Sting three nights in a row: Friday in Portland, Saturday in the Gorge in Eastern Washington, and Sunday in Vancouver, B.C. Each experience was different in many ways and Sting failed to disappoint.
I'm glad the Portland experience was the first one, because it was by far the poorest of the three shows. The sound in the Rose Garden was lousy, my seat was lousy, I was in a bad mood because I passed on getting a Row 2 floor ticket, and the set was the predictable 17 song set we have all come to know so well. Why focus on the negative though? It was absolutely awesome to be in the same building as our hero for the ninth time. The goatee is back. The guy he chose to sing with him on I'm so Happy was nervous as can be, didn't know most of the words, and according to what Sting told us the next night, was shaking so bad that he made Sting nervous. The concert ended after 90 minutes, and like Sting, I returned home that night and set off for the Gorge on Saturday.
If there is a more beautiful setting in the world to see an outdoor concert than the Gorge Amphitheater in George, Washington, I'd like to see it. Situated on top of a cliff that overlooks the Columbia River, the background for the concert-goer is a splendid sight indeed. All you see are miles and miles of hilly terrain and the river down below. Stars shown up above for the duration of the concert, and Sting came on shortly after the sun set behind the hillside. (BTW, the opening act was Samples, same as in Portland). Although I had reserved seats not far from the stage, I chose to sit on the grassy hillside well up and back from the stage so that I could enjoy the scenery and listen to Sting's music at the same time. The crowd was into the show in a big way (especially for the Police songs), and get this --, a fellow named "Nate" was chosen to sing with Sting this time. He did a fine job. Midway through the show, as the rum was settling in and the stars began to shine a bit more brightly, I began praying that this would be the concert that Sting goes beyond the usual set list, adds a few songs, and stretches the concert another hour. Of course, he didn't, and the show ended 90 minutes after starting. For you folks that like to sit as close as possible (as I do), take a break sometime, especially if it is outdoors, and sit far away from the stage to experience a concert in a brand new way. Better yet, next time Sting comes to the Gorge, treat yourself to traveling to see him there.
After returning home again on Sunday, I debated whether I should actually go see Sting again in Vancouver. After all, I had the experience Saturday that I had been looking for. My foot was in pain from twisting my ankle after the concert, and it would be a 6 hour round trip drive and hassling with the border crossing, etc. I came up with just about every excuse I could think of, but the thought of having Sting 130 miles from me singing the songs I love without me there didn't make sense, so I set out to do what I originally promised myself I'd do & see Sting for the third night in a row. I got to GM Place about 7:00 for the 7:30 concert and hassled the scalpers into getting a fairly decent seat next to the stage, 10 rows up. Not a bad seat. Something was different this time. They were filming the opening act of Jan Arden. She was interesting and funny. I began to believe they would film the Sting concert, and sure enough they did. I noticed signs posted on my way out that said the concert was being filmed for broadcast. Let's hope it is, because this concert was the absolute best exhibition of Sting on stage playing for the cameras, with his voice in the best shape possible, and an audience really into the show. The images on the camera monitors were great with the lighting on stage. Since the show was being filmed, I think he felt compelled to lengthen it a bit, and sure enough he threw in LYSBYP and Mad about You, and also All Four Seasons! What a treat. This lengthened the show to about 110 minutes. Here's hope for all you floor fans that are back a bit from the stage: Sting was talking about how this was his favorite part of the show, as we would see in a minute. A fellow was holding up a sign that said "I'm so Happy I could Sing", and guess who Sting picked to come on up? Yep, it was him (Ross), and he did the best job I think anyone could do. He knew the words, he had the moves, he could sing, and at one point Sting just turned it over to him. He even had the courage to say: "Back to you Sting". This show was the perfect one of the three, and technically it was flawless. Sting's voice was almost gone by Fragile, but I like it that way sometimes.
There you have it: three shows with personalities as different as the boys in the Police. Individually they were great, but together they were beyond belief. On to Mountain View!
I just want to say that the Sting concert at the Gorge in Washington was incredible. He sounded incredible, and the experience, besides the two hour wait in the parking lot, was surreal. There is nothing like listening to your absolute favorite musician with a bunch of close friends on a beautiful, star filled night..
This was the first time I have ever seen Sting (relatively young fan) and I own just about every legit Sting A&M CD.
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