Well I finally got to see Sting again last night at the Montage Performing Arts Center in Scranton, PA. I must start by saying that the venue was very interesting since it is not a permanent ampitheatre...just a lot of folding chairs and a lawn seating area behind it. I got there at 2:00 in the afternoon and found that the band had not even arrived yet. The crew was just beginning to unload the equipment from the trucks. The entrances to the seating area were open so I decided to sit down and watch some of the stage being set up. I was left alone until about 4:00 when they said that I had to leave since they had to do a closed soundcheck. Undaunted, I left and sat on the top of the one piece of playground equipment on the hill outside the entrance and had a perfect view of the soundcheck activities. First, Dominic came out and tuned his guitar. Slowly but surely, Vinnie, Kenny and the brass section all came out to partiicpate in the sound check. After they all were finished tuning up, Sting came out in a grey knit shorts and tee shirt w/ those black boots that he seems to like. They then proceeded into Hounds of Winter during which Sting walked around to the other band members and was listening and talking to them. Dominic then pointed my mom and I and the other 3 people that were standing on the playground equipment watching the soundcheck. He was laughing and looking at us as if we were crazy. I admit it must have looked funny. He motioned for us to calm down during Hounds of Winter...I think that he thought "If they are this crazy over a soundcheck how will they act tonight? As soon as the song was over they all started to leave, Sting first then the rest of the band.
Then it was pretty boring until they opened the gates at 6:00...They allowed cameras to be taken in to the show which I thought was great (especially since I came stocked with film. The opening act, Dogs Eye View, was not that good. They only played for about 50 minutes, thank goodness. With all of the other good opening acts that he has had, how come we got stuck with them? Anyway, he came out at 8:55 or so. The reception was OK but not as resounding as some other shows that I have been to in my many years as a Sting fan. The crowd was dead for the first 3 songs, but then livened up with If You Love Somebody. The set list was the same, except he did not do Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot. The I'm So Happy sing along occured, with about 15 people joining him on stage. It took a while for the security (which was horrible) people to figure out how to get the people up on stage so Sting engaged in some conversation with the audience, asking about the skiing here in PA and saying what a beautiful state PA is and that he was in Philly a few weeks ago. When the people finally got up on the stage, most of the girls gave him a kiss, to which he said "I think that I am in some trouble!" They did a great job with the sing along and there were so many people up there that Sting gave up and stood in front of the mike while they sang the chorus. He just shrugged his shoulders and was laughing. Even Dominic cracked a smile (a rare occurance). They then left with more kisses (Sting said "I think that I even kissed a guy!") Some of the people also said Hi to Dominic as they left. The rest of the show was pretty uneventful...the horn section was enjoyable and a little hiper. Their moves during Demolition Man are funny. Oh during If You Love Somebody, Sting broke a bass string and Danny had to get the bass and fix it mid song. Sting being the professional that he is just kept right on with the song while Danny took the bass off and on the stage. He just clapped during that part of the song as if nothing had happened. Nothing phases this guy! The encores were nice since the security people finally allowed the audience to get closer to the stage. I moved from my spot in row Q to row H this allowed me to get even better pixs and a better view of the band and Sting. He finished at about 10:30 and when people yelled "More" he shrugged and pointed at his watch. Overall, I enjoyed the show, he was in good spirits and seemed to have a good time. I just wish that he would lengthen his show another 30 mins of so...it seemed to be over as soon as it began. As to Sting`s outfit, it was the striped vest and the army pants again. Other than that, not much else to say, except that it was fantastic to see him again and that I am looking forward to seeing him on Sun in Pitts. (I just hope that he shows up at the VIP hospitality tent where I will be before the show. He did during the TST tour so here's hoping!)
Still on a Sting "high".
As promised, here is my review of July 16th, Montage Mountain.
My sister and I recently had the great pleasure of attending our first concert since our college days. (I will not say how long ago that was...) We just saw Sting (July 16th) at Montage Mountain in Scranton PA. and it was a terrific show. I am a relatively new member of cyberspace but one of the first sites I looked up was Martin Nickel's "Fields of Gold" website. Since the purchase, some weeks ago, of the tickets for this concert, I been avidly reading the reviews of his previous shows. I thought it might be fun to try my hand at it as well. And, so, here I am...
But, yes, let's elaborate a little as it was really an excellent show. Please forgive me for not using the normal superlatives of "awesome" and "outrageous", etc. as this is a baby-boomer version. While his show was certainly all of those things I can not find it in my middle-aged vocabulary to sound like a teenager...forgive me.
The opening act, Dog's Eye View, did an admirable job and, unfortunately, like most opening acts, they won't get the accolades they deserve. Despite the fact that the bass was a bit too overpowering, they certainly performed well, well enough for me to go out the next day and purchase their CD, no small task. It was a nice way to begin the evening.
A little before 9:00 PM, Sting came out, with very little fanfare I may add, to a warm welcome. Certainly no "teasing" the audience here with drum rolls, loud announers, dimmed lights, etc. (Am I "dating" myself with such a comment?) Sting and his band simply entered the stage and began!
And how refreshing to see a simple ensemble of musicians performing well-prepared music. Sting's voice was in good condition and the sound mix was very well balanced. As stated in several other reviews the combination of voice, instrumentation, arrangement and mixing made for a truly musical evening of songs that were at least equal to, and in many cases, BETTER than the original recording. I also enjoyed and appreciated the stylistic changes and interpretations he added to some of his songs.
I will not bore you with a list of the songs he performed as I believe it was pretty much the same as his previous shows but I was pleased with the mix of old and new, Police and Sting songs that he selected. Certainly there were others that I would have loved to hear but how much can one man sing in an evening, after all?!
Sting seemed relaxed and unhurried. He spoke to the audience a good deal and even made a few jokes. My sister and I commented to each other that this makes a concert MUCH more enjoyable. A performer who is willing to speak to you as if you were the only one in the audience is a rare commodity. It can add a tremendous feeling of intimacy to concert that is, probably, jam-packed with a zillion other people! And for 2 middle-aged ladies who no longer arouse stares, hoots or whistles, it certainly is nice to pretend he was speaking to us!
One of the highlights had to have been his impromptu back-up singers on "I'm So Happy..." In a repeat of the Philadelphia show, he invited the holder(s) of a banner to join him on stage for the number. Instead of one, however, he ended up with an entourage of 10-plus, and they were pretty good, too. This did throw his crew into a tail-spin, though, as it took several requests and a good verbal barb ("Come on guys, use your imagination!") before they were able to get them up on stage. VERY funny!
Needless to say, the two of us were green with envy over the last minute hugs and kisses the female "performers" were stealing! After all, WE survived the 60's just to be here in the first place (OK, so I was only a kid) and we couldn't help but feel that we more than deserved at least a peck...not that we got one, mind you. But life goes on and so I come to my closing comments.
If anything struck me the most about the overall experience it was the audience itself. It seems apparent that the audience Sting draws to his concerts is as eclectic as his musical style. We were very afraid that we would stick out like two sore thumbs but this was not the case at all. We saw children as young as 8 or 9, a healthy smattering of teens and twenties, and an overwhelming number of baby-boomers just like us. What a pleasure and a relief! Why, we even saw a few grand-parents, some public accountants and a couple of "good ole boys" to boot! Even more amazing, EVERYONE seemed to enjoy it!
What an exciting evening it was! Thank you, and kudos to Sting, Dog's Eye View, and to you, Martin, for this wonderful opportunity to share the evening. And, Gordon M. Sumner, if you're reading this, I'm still waiting for my peck on the cheek!
On July 16, 1996 I was able to see a fantastic concert in my hometown of Scranton PA, USA. Sting and his band were absolutely fabulous. It was the first time that I had seen Sting and I couldn't believe how great he sounded in person. I have recently become a die-hard Sting fan, probably because over the last year I have bought mainly Sting / Police albums. Enough about me, though..... Back to the concert. Sting opened with Hounds of Winter and continued to sing mostly stuff from his new album, Mercury Falling. I haven't really had much time to listen to the new CD, but I loved hearing it live. He played some Police songs, but I would have loved to have heard more. Then, Sting and the band did the coolest thing I have ever seen at a concert. A group of about 15 held up a sign that said "STING - can we please help you sing 'I'm So Happy that I Can't Stop Crying'". well, Sting invited these people (all of them) up onto the stage and they were lucky enough to get to shake his hand, kiss him (I was sooo jealous), and help sing the song. That was a really nice thing Sting did for his fans. Now I know that he is a great entertainer and muscian. I only wish that i could have been up there! I sincerely recommend that if Sting should ever come to your town, you hustle and bustle to get a ticket. He came out for two encores and was fabulous in each. Even friends of mine who weren't big Sting fans totally enjoyed themselves at the concert and agree that Sting is a great performer.
Have fun at the concert!
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