Thanks to ??? for the Ticket Stub
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Thanks to ??? for the Ticket Stub |
Just my quick review for you all. I was 19 rows back from the stage, center. (the following are my opinions)...
HE WAS AWESOME!! In excellent voice, and looking quite fit (sorry!) in his greyish vest top and green/grey pants. The set list was pretty much the same as has been previously reported, but I have to say I wish he included a few more Police songs. I know, I know,...this is his SOLO material, but it would have been nice to hear some gems. He did play ELTSDIM (excellent version!), EBYT and of course Roxanne, but I wanted MORE, damn it!! (he he!) Anyway, it was great! The "Vinnie Colaiuta (sp?) side show" was pretty interesting also. He was eating a sandwich, smoking cigarettes, and drinking beer throughout the entire set, all while not missing a beat!! He was amazing in his own right!
I did want to ask, however, does anyone know why Kenny K. is using a cane? I know this has been asked before, but I did not see the reply. I hope he is alright.
Anyway, just my humble, brief review. Hope I can see him again soon! P.S. I thought the rap in EINY was lame compared to Branford's BOTN rap, but then again...
The COWBOY JUNKIES took the stage around 8:00 and played for about an hour. While the crowd seemed unresponsive at first, it quickly warmed up to this band's set, which did not disappoint.
STING took the stage around 9:10 to a large round of applause. He first opened with songs from his new album. Despite the crowd's apparent lack of familiarity with the new material, these songs sounded fantastic. What really got the crowd started was "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free" and especially "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic", which had the whole audience singing. The POLICE songs probably got the best reception from the crowd, but his older solo material was also well received.
One of the highlights was when Sting brought a fan on stage to sing the chorus of "I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying". He did this only after the fan promised that he knew the lyrics to the song. The fan remained on stage for the whole song, and often sang the chorus by himself (sometimes Sting sang with him). The fan was well deserving of the round of applause that followed, as he sounded pretty good.
Another highlight was "Bring On the Night/When the World is Running Down". The keyboard player (Kenny Kirkland) played an incredible piano solo that left the crowd begging for more.
Sting and the band were in top form for the whole show. His vocals were outstanding, and his band played their hearts out. The two horn players were very enthusiastic and often ran around the stage and helped pump up the crowd.
The audience ranged in age from 8 to 60 (from what I could see), and it seemed that a good time was had by all. This was the first time I have seen STING in concert, but it definitely won't be the last.
This was the fourth time I have seen Sting and it was either the best or a tie with the first time, which was on the Nothing Like the Sun Tour back in '88. It was MUCH better than the last time I saw him. He was far more active on stage and very conversational from about the halfway point on.
From the beginning... I got there in time to see the Cowboy Junkies, who were on for about an hour. I know very little about this band but suspect their live show doesn't do them justice. The show was boring and the vocalist had no stage presence whatsoever. They do play a wide variety of instruments, which was cool, but the sound was so bad you couldn't really appreciate it. Very muddy. I'm curious what their recorded sound is like.
The arena was filling in the whole time Cowboy Junkies was on and I noticed something I hadn't expected but which makes perfect sense. The audience was fairly old by rock concert standards. Very few college age folks or younger. There were a fair number of 20 somethings like me but lots and lots of fans who were obviously in their 30s or 40s. So, we apparantly had lots of people who were Police fans in college or whatever and either kept following Sting's career or are big on nostalgia. This made for kind of a bizzare audience dynamic because parts of the audience wanted to stand and dance all the time while others were yelling for them to sit down so they could see from their seats. Many of the older folks also blew off the encore (and in some cases a bit more) to get back to their cars.
Sting and co. emerged around 9pm and played for two hours. We had the horn section and they were great. Helped flesh out the Mercury Falling arrangements and added new twists to older material. They also did a lot of hamming it up with the audience when they weren't playing. I just read the review from Philadelphia and had many of the same reactions. Dominic Miller looked like he weighs about 90 pounds. Vinnie looks like Dominic gave his lost weight to him. (Two dietary problems?) Sting wore a khaki tank top with the army pants and boots. His voice was very good for almost all of the time but it did get a tad scratchy every once in a while. However, he absolutely nailed many soaring high notes throughout the main set and encore.
We had a fan get to sing with Sting during I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying too, just like Philly. I had been thinking up to that point, "gee, I wish he'd talk to the audience more...". So, of course, he goes on this two minute dialog with the front row about the song, whos been divorced, etc. Then he said that a few shows ago someone requested to sing on stage during the song (apparantly the Philly gig) and asks if anyone would like to come up. The place goes nuts. "Now, you have to REALLY know the chorus, ok?" he clarifies. More screaming and jumping up and down. He picked out a guy from the front row who climbed up, shook hands with Sting, and off they went. The guy knew the chorus and even had a decent voice. Sting let him take it all on his own in places. Very cool.
Last comments before the set list: Sting was in a great mood all night. Got some air a few times, roamed all over the place waving to folks, prancing, dancing, etc. I wish we had heard more of Kenny Kirkland. His solo on World Running Down was predictably mind blowing but I would have liked to have seen him featured more prominently elsewhere. He's a fantastic musician so it was frustrating to see him buried in a minor role. I agree with earlier reviewers regarding Dominic Miller. Nothing really new or exciting about his playing at this point. I'd like to see Sting find another guitarist next time round. Dom has been there for three tours now. Lastly, loved the slide show effects. Catch this show!!
The set (which appears to be locked in for the long haul now):
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