Thanks to Holly Murdoch for the Ticket Stub
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Thanks to Holly Murdoch for the Ticket Stub |
"I'm much more interested in seducing people than corrupting them or screaming at them and giving them a headache. I've done my share of that and I don't want to be the man I was when I was 25." - Sting
I'm still on a Sting high that will probably last for days. As a result this will be more of a stream of conciousness than a review. I've just experienced what I can only describe as the "emotional seduction" of an entire audience. Sorry for the length, but I wish I could convey the true energy of this concert.
Wolf Mountain is located on the side of a ski slope in a resort town that will host the 2002 Winter Olympics. I can't think of a more beautiful setting to see Sting in. The crisp mountain air, the clear night sky lit brilliantly with stars. The reserved seating sold out on June 1st in 30 min. and I was lucky to get good seats. Lawn seating went up the side of the mountain and it was packed. The concert was sponsored by a radio station called B98.7 and there it was, on the road leading up to the venue, a giant inflatable bee. I really hope they drove Sting in on a side road so he didn't have to see it.
Directv had stacks of fliers to win a trip to see Sting in London and I grabbed a bunch (and a handful of the baby pencils that said "Directv Presents STING") and filled out a huge stack of forms. I should win for the effort alone. I then went and spent a ton of money on merchandise. A couple of shirts, the cool poster, and that beautiful program. They had the lithograph on display and it is gorgeous. The lyrics printed lightly in the background are those to "Let Your Soul be Your Pilot". It's hand signed by Stinger himself and I guess it was one of those you had to be there moments, but I broke down and ordered one. I guess that qualifies me as officially obsessed. Now I have to wait 4-6 weeks to get it!
The Samples opened, but I'd never heard them before. They were fine as an opening act but they weren't who I wanted to see. Though by the end of the set I was starting to get into them. They didn't introduce themselves, but they introduced most of their songs. Their set list was: "Won't be Back Again", some song with the lyrics "growing old, seeing silver turn to gold," "Big Bird", "When It's Raining", "As Tears Fall" (which the singer dedicated to his mom who died 3 years ago), a song about dropping out of high school, "Did you ever look so nice" (my favorite of the set), "All my thoughts", "Feel Like Shaking", "Taking Us Home", and "Heard the Words." The singer then said they were great friends with Sting's crew (note crew, not Sting) and were honored to be opening for him.
While the Samples were playing several of the roadcrew walked past me to the soundboard and I got a close look at the all-access passes. They were beautifully designed and embossed in gold. After the Samples it took 20 minutes to set the stage for Sting. I've never seen a road crew work as fast as proficiently. It was amazing just to watch them. I think I started screaming as soon as Danny walked out with the bass.
At ten to 9 Dominic, Vinnie, Kenny, Butch and Clark walked casually on stage and most of the audience didn't notice who they were. But then the lights dimmed and the *entire* audience was on their feet screaming. Not a single person sat for the rest of the night. I sang the entire night. Sting; wearing army boots, khaki pants, a grey-green vest, a watch, and the gold bracelet; sauntered on stage and everything just erupted. The electricity in the air was amazing. They started right into "Hounds of Winter." We all danced and sang, and everyone knew the words! I love this song and I've been waiting for months to hear it live. It was incredible. The howling was so infectious that the audienced howled right back, much to Sting's delight. Sting's voice was in perfect form. During several of the songs he held notes so long that he recieved cheers from the crowd for that alone.
He then slid right into "I Hung My Head." There isn't a more perfect place for this song to be sung than in Utah. This song fits in perfectly with the western folk music I grew up with and the story is one that could have, and probably did, take place here. Besides, one of the most famous salt lands in the world is just a few hours away, by the Great Salt Lake. Next was "I Was Brought To My Senses", my favorite song on the album, and I wasn't prepared for the live version of this song. It totally rocked, nothing like what I expected. But as he sang "I wondered how I could win you, and if I could make you mine" he did it in such an intimate and heartfelt way it sounded like he was singing just to me.
Sting then spoke to the crowd for the first time. "It's great to be back in Utaawh! You know I really should come skiing here some time. But I'm not really a skiier, I'm a shredder. I shred things." He then looked at Dominic with a "does that make any sense?" look. "Is anyone here English?" Someone in front yelled. "You're English? You'll know what I'm talking about then. We English are so glad the Olympics are finally over with. We only won one gold medal! Only one! And it was in darts or something like that. Oh, well, what can you do?"
Then he went into a great (if a bit familiar) arrangement of "If You Love Somebody, Set Them Free" and the crowd went wild. It was a lot of fun and I didn't think the crowd could get into the concert more until he hit "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic." *Everyone* was going wild and sang "ee-ooh" without any prompting. I thought I was going to regret knowing the set list ahead of time, but I knew "Seven Days" was next and had fun counting in the song along with him when no one else knew what was next. And It was such a thrill to hear the "big enough umbrella" line twice in a row!
I was really disappointed that he dropped "Mad About You" but was surprised once again by "You Still Touch Me." He sang "I'm a soul man" in the intro with Dominic's slide guitar, but after that it almost sounded like a new song. It was stripped back much further than the TFI Friday version. He played around with the lyrics a bit and at some points was singing almost a capella. It was beautiful, and ended up being the most tender song of the concert.
Sting stopped there and said "This is a very special part of the concert for me. This next song is called 'I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying'. Does anybody know this? I need a guy. No, I don't need a guy! I mean I need someone who knows this song to come up and sing with me, preferably a man. How about you? Yes you. Just jump over it [the fence] and I'll help you up." So he helps this guy climb up on the stage and asked him his name. It was Jack Chase, and Sting said "You do know this don't you?" Jack said he did so Sting told him "I'm going to sing the verse and you sing the chorus. While I'm singing you stand there, clap, and look sexy. Are you nervous?" Jack said "Yes, very!" Sting laughed and said "Good I like that." Jack did a great job. He knew the song, came in with the verse on time, and was able to work the audience while Sting sang. This song is so touching, during it I looked up at a georgous night sky and I picked a star for me, and a star for him (no, not Sting). It was perfect.
"Fields of Gold" was met with a cheer from the audience and everyone calmed down, but still I didn't see anyone sit. We all swayed and sang along. Dominic's solo was great but for the past couple of years I've had this overwhelming urge to jump up and cut his hair. Maybe then he'd be able to see his guitar without leaning way over it. No one (but me) was prepared for the transition into "Synchronicity II". Suddenly everyone was jumping up and down and singing "eeeeooooohhhh". The loch projected on the screens behind was perfect. After "Synchronicity" we all went crazy when "Roxanne" began. It just wouldn't be a Sting concert without "Roxanne." The singing from the crowd was so loud at times it was hard to hear Sting. Butch and Clark were incredible throughout the show but really shined on this one. A great twist on a classic song. As the song was ending I could just feel the patented Sting jump coming on, and sure enough I timed it just right and jumped with him.
"Bring on the Night/When the World Is Running Down" is now a concert staple and I was excited to hear Kenny play. This wasn't the same old Kenny-doing-David-doing-Kenny solo, as incredible as it was, that I was expecting. It was Dominic that played the same old solo (how's that for fuel on the fire). Kenny went into this calypso-ish solo while Sting stood on the very edge of the stage and did this funky dance step. Then Kenny moved into a jazz mode and Sting did a slinky, crouched down cat-walk slowly across the stage until he got close to Kenny and went back into the funky dance step again. Who ever said Sting looked like an angel was right. He was in perfect form, and his arms are incredible. He is truly the poster boy for the power of yoga. He looks better now than he did 10 years ago. BTW, what gotee? The song came off as a high-light. He got pretty elaborate in the sing-along section (probably because of the audience's responce) but we were able to follow him.
When "Demolition Man" began I could tell a lot of people didn't recognize it at first but they still danced and Sting got everyone to clap along just like he does in the music video. Vinnie just totally amazes me. By now he was smoking so much that they could have turned off the smoke machines, but he never missed a single beat. The song ended with the second jump of the night. After the song Sting walked to the left of the stage, leaned against the side, and smiled. The rest of the stage went dark and he stood there for a few seconds looking over the audience, perfectly satisfied. He then walked slowly toward Kenny, the spotlight following him, as "Englishm an In New York" began and sang "aaahhhhh" as he walked past the mic. The audience loved it. This arrangement of the song is so much fun to dance to and the rap was hilarious! I don't remember all of it but it was something like "Come listen to a story about a man named Sting...He was once in a band, they were known as the Police...He then struck gold and his friends said, 'Sting move away from there!'" As Butch took over the stage for the rap Sting followed him around, mimicking his movements. The crowd ate it up. If there was room to ROFLOL I would have been. Sting got us singing "Be yourself no matter what they say" so loud he was able to sing another vocal line over us and it sounded perfect.
After they all left the stage everyone started pounding on the aluminum benches in the reserved area and it almost sounded like thunder. It was only moments before they were all back and "If I Ever Lose My Faith In You" was enthusiastically cheered. But not as much as "Every Breath You Take," a song I can literally never hear enough. It was wonderful to see the mountains of southern Utah projected behind him during the song. Is the sceen the same for every concert, or was it done just for us? The segue into "Lithium Sunset" was perfect, as he literally sang "I'll be watching...Fill my eyes". Once again the song live was incredible. Sting sang "See Mercury Falling!" with the conviction it deserved and Kenny did a great job on backing vocals. Sting introduced the band at the end and pointed to Jack in front and said "And Dereck on vocals."
All that was left was "Fragile". The new arrangement was breathtaking and the perfect way to end the perfect night. He left by saying "You're so kind. Thanks for coming and thanks for listening. I'll see you again!" I know that's what he always says but he really meant it. I've *never* seen and audience and an artist so energized by each other in my life. It was only 90 min. but it seemed twice as long. After several "Sting bows" he led the band to the edge of the left side of the stage for a bow, and then over to the right, in front of us. Instead of the "Sting bow" he left us with namaste "the light (ie. soul) in me salutes the light in thee". It was lost on most of the crowd, but it was a greeting that I returned. I didn't think it was possible, but I love Mercury Falling more now than I did coming in. This is *my* album and this was a night I will carry with me for my entire life.
Hi folks, I thought I'd contribute a little, especially since I saw the tour stop in Utah last night.
This was the 10th time I've seen Sting perform. Unfortunately, it is probably the last. I guess I come from a fairly unique perspective of having seen how Sting does shows in several different spots on all his tours.
Here are my criticisms:
Sorry if my comments sound caustic, but the whole thing seemed rushed, canned, and sent out to market. Sort of like the last album. Sting needs a musical makeover. It was ironic that the opening band was The Samples. They have carried the Police's torch better than he has. They put his show to shame.
The next time I see Sting, Stewart and Andy will be on the stage.
I just returned from a long trip and haven't had to a chance to post my thoughts on the Salt Lake City concert August 7th.
Overall, it was incredible. Being my first concert, it had the potential to blow me away, but the 4th row seats didn't hurt. I did, however, notice what others have posted, that 80% of the people in the first ten rows were OVER 40. This isn't a problem for me, only an observation. In fact, I think it's great that varied kinds of people enjoy Sting's music. But what I was surprised to see was that some of them didn't even seem to be fans. I saw several couples and groups of older folks just sit through the entire concert, even leave early. I assume they must be wealthy Deer Valley residents with money to throw to a concert if it sounds good. Also, what's the deal with people who won't let others stand up? We had a guy behind us claim that he paid a lot of money for the tickets and would appreciate us sitting down. Well, I paid a lot too! I agree with the lister who thinks their should be separate sections for the sittin' and standin' folks.
Sting's voice was excellent, and the other instruments never muffled him out. The backdrops added interest but weren't distracting. And the horn players rocked. Their solos were great and their dancing kept up the tempo. I have always loveed Kenny's jamming, and although it would be nice to hear a solo for a song other than "When the world is blah blah blah" that one always gets me pumped. Dominic Miller (who I've never seen before) added some electric guitar overtones to the music that would keep anyone from thinking Sting was getting soft with age. His face almost looked evil at times when he'd come toward the edge of the stage and stoke the guitar low. Spooky.
The guy who was invited to sing the solo with Sting did a little more grinning then singing. Perhaps he was nervous.
One last thing. If there was anything that really disappointed me about the concert, it was the lack of Soul Cages music. Not one song was played from what I consider to be his most poignant album. Why? Does he think people regard Soul Cages as his worst work? What's the deal? I was so excited to hear form the list that Mad About You was on the set list, I kept waiting to see when he'd sing out "a stone's throw from Jerusalem" - but nothing. Could someone please clear this up for me?
Thanks for listening (reading).
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