Maggie, Bill, Deb, Paul, Jen, Harold & wife (Irvine only) attended the Irvine and Vegas shows and have nothing but praise to pass on to Sting and the band. These shows were among the best we have ever seen, we agreed. Of course we're drunk and in a hotel room in Vegas at 3:45 in the morning. We expected no set changes, and little interaction, and because of this frame of mind, we partied like we never have before. These shows rawked!!!! Such energy, such crowd response, cooperative security, and to top it all off, oohing and ahhing at Michael Jordan gambling in the MGM casino Sunday morning.
At Irvine, Dominic smiled and smiled and smiled. Sting's voice was well-rested and perfect. The band was in unison. Kipper and wife were seen walking the amphitheatre grounds before the show. What a nice, nice man. We thought we were in for a treat, as Sting nearly made it through the entire show without uttering one word except for band intros. But......during Message (in a Bottle) a beautiful young girl was screaming very loudly. Sting stopped his lyrics, and said "Please madame, stop screaming. I'm trying to sing a song here." It was hilarious, a real show stopper. Deb will have to tell you about her adventures with security during the ENTIRE show.
Las Vegas was even better. You see, we drove over after the Irvine show arriving in Vegas at 4:30 in the morning. Surprise...Tomorrow We'll See was substituted for Moon (Over Bourbon Street). Was really special. Sting spoke a few more words tonight, and the beautiful belly dancer returned to the stage. By the way, as I write this, Paul is snoring very loudly. It is not even his hotel room.
We wore Krispy Kreme hats during Fill Her Up to stand out in the crowd. Much to our surprise, nearly the entire audience pulled out their hats and neatly placed them on their heads. Boy did we no longer feel special! At one time or another we all rushed the stage, conveniently ignoring the many security guards (who were dressed in very dapper tuxedos). Maggie, Paul, and Jen made it up to the stage from the 14th row in 1.3 seconds flat during When the World and bonded with Sting for several minutes. After Fragile, we all ran up and thanked the band.
Deb and Bill were asked not to stand up (these were floor seats mind you), as most of the crowd remained seated and calm until Every Little Thing (She Does is Magic). We danced anyway. This, despite Sting's insistence that we stand up and be counted (at least every boy and every girl anyway).
Paul wants everyone to know he is going to San Diego Sunday for that show. Here is a warning for any that happen to come his way...DON'T let him visit your donut collection in your hotel room. The donuts will be gone but Paul won't.
Everybody needs to chill out and enjoy these shows while we still have Sting. His concerts are still remarkable and fresh. Go early and go often!
This post is quite lengthy, so grab a cup of tea, put your feet up and enjoy !
The latest escapade to see Sting in concert began on Friday morning ... as I woke to realise that I had overslept and had very little time until my flight left for Orange County. The mad dash began and I arrived on time in the pleasant southern California sunshine. Picked Bill up from the airport a few hours later ... and he, Kim and I were off to the venue.
Thanks to Jen's e-mail that day, I was able to recognize her adorable red-haired son at the front of the line ... so we finally met Jen. Kim and I were ticketless for this one and took our chances on a last-minute seat becoming available. Worked out rather well as we managed to procure a spot at the back of the orchestra section, but quite far behind Maggie and Harold (who were in the pit) and Bill (right behind them). The show began ...
The setlist was not a surprise, but the six days off prior to that show for the band was evident. Here's a synopsis of the show .....
Highlights were A Thousand Years, Seven Days, Every Little Thing and Fragile. Dom was excellent on All This Time and Jason's solo on When the World won over the entire crowd. Desert Rose seemed to be the favorite for most at this show--not a soul sitting this one out. The screaming woman ("Would you please stop screaming, madam," Sting asked) ruined Message ... apparently her screeches could be heard on the lawn too. Sting didn't interact at all besides that. Drama in the pit at the beginning of the show as a water fight broke out between a Compaq person and another individual ... those Compaq people just don't like to get up and dance ... nor do they like others to do so.
Maggie, Bill and I were heading off to Vegas after the show ... with an extra ticket and an extra spot in Maggie's Honda. No sign of Paul Carter yet .... so we managed to twist Jen's arm and get her to come along at the last minute. Great spontaneity on her part! The road trip began ... crank up the music and head on our way. After 4 hours of Police, hiccups, Sting, singing, Police, stops for road snacks and more Police ... we arrived at the MGM Grand. A wall of screens with Sting playing greeted us as we went up to our room (Bill and me hobling a little due to foot injuries). It was 4.30 am ... and we were quite the merry band of fools ! Jen and I checked out the place and lost our first dollar before catching some sleep prior to our next show.
While Bill and Maggie were holding court at the craps table, Jen and I decided to try to get into the soundcheck. No luck with that, but we did see the band members arriving in thier unmarked white vans ... and who should we encounter at the backstage entrance but none other than .... Paul Carter ! He got lost in Irvine and never did find the venue ... so he headed for Vegas. We were the only three souls back there, so we headed back to the casino to hook back up with the high rollers. On a winning streak and not ready to quit, Bill and Maggie continued to play and Paul, Jen and I leisurely sat at the slot machines. Paul sticks a dollar in and chats idly to me about his most recent Sting shows ... and Jen notices that someone somewhere has hit a jackpot .... Paul and I look around to see who it could be .... and ... it's Paul ! He has just won $250 on his first dollar !!
Off to get Paul a ticket now and lady luck strikes again ... there's a single ticket available on the floor, center section, right by the rest of us. Pretty amazing given that the show was sold out earlier and that the seating capacity is 20,000. We're all set for the show and all in the same area. Everything is falling into place ... and the mood is definitely one of jollity and excitement. The house is packed, even for the opening band, Remy Zero, who put on a fine show (despite their drummer having a broken arm).
Sting and co hit the stage amid massive applause. Sting wore a snazzy jacket and velvety pants (same as Saturday night at the Greek, according to Maggie). This somewhat sophisticated crowd was digging every note. The setlist changed a tad ... Tomorrow We'll See back in ... but Bourbon Street out. Odd decision there, seems that Bourbon Street would stay regardless .... maybe he forgot to play it ?? We'll find out after the Chula Vista show, I'm sure. Not a good exchange if it was intended, but Tomorrow was played superbly ... Chris' chance to shine again. Still no Mad About You.
Still the same tired Perfect Love, except that Manu did his rap part behind Sting the whole time.
Sting messed up on the lyrics of All This Time (as at Red Rocks) but recovered rather nicely. Introduced Fill 'er Up with, "Here's a song that was written about Las Vegas" ... followed by the predictable cheers of the audience. Russ played his guitar for this and Englishman. You can actually hear him sing now, since the tapes of the female backing singers have been discarded ... he's not as bad as in the earlier shows. He claps less ... and plays the tambourine as if he knows the songs.
Brand New Day sounded excellent, much more life to it than at recent shows. The intro to Roxanne was shorter, but the choruses every bit as punchy as usual. The belly dancer was back for Desert Rose ... but only danced around the darbouka player (who regretfully was not mini-pigmy .... a new one, named Ned, according to Bill). She was a different dancer than the one in Irvine, but neither dancer added anything to the song.
As the intro to Bring on the Night began, Bill and I saw Jen and Maggie position themselves on the aisle of their row, ready to make the dash to the stage for Sting's solo on When the World is Running Down. Sure enough ... they and Paul were right up there in a flash when it was time ! Bill and I were in aisle seats anyway, on the other aisle ... but our security guard was not having any of that ! Watched as the others went nuts in the other aisle ... Jen's first time up close like that. Everyone was really having a good time.
As the guys came back onstage for the first encore I inched my way forward ... only a few feet to the front ... managed to get into the front row with another girl, who was numb with excitement at being right there. The house was on its feet and singing for both If I Ever Lose My Faith and Every Breath You Take. Sting did his "Here I come" line in Message twice, and no screecher to ruin it tonight. I was fortunate enough to be right in front of Sting as he sang Fragile. Several times in the front row before ... but never exactly in front of Sting for Fragile until now. A very memorable experience.
We filed out of the arena all agreeing that it was one of our favorite shows to date. The 5 of us congregated over cocktails at a table in one of the bars and shared our thoughts on the show, interrupted briefly by two females wrestling on the floor next to us. Then it was off to the blackjack table ! At the end of the night, Bill and Maggie went for my laptop and wrote a review together , while Jen and I went off for a stroll. Paul apparently made himself quite comfortable on Jen's bed while we were gone ... and had to be woken due to the loud rumblings and snorts he was making.
Truly a fun trip, but such a shame that Jer wasn't here ... not the same without you ! Will see you for the next set of shows later this week though ...
Many of you have already summed this show up quite nicely but here's my take anyway..
Maybe it was the EXPECTATION....
Maybe it was the ALCOHOL....
Whatever it was THIS SHOW ROCKED!!!!
Looking at our tickets we wondered who was opening the show, and to our surprise some band we had never heard of came on to the stage and began to sing.. There sound was very U2ish and quite mellow so I was a little bit worried about the mood being set for the show.
We weren't on the floor but our seats were definitely doable. The first section of the floor to the left side of the stage, (but not to left). We could see him well enough to make out his expressions however we had binoculars just in case.
Anyway, back to the concert. The play list alterations have already been discussed so I won't get into that. The one thing I would like to note was that the encores were different at the Gorge and MGM.. At the Gorge he played Fragile first by himself, and then the band came out and played the second encore. At the MGM Fragile was the second and last encore as usual. Another thing, (and maybe I just missed it) I don't remember hearing 'Soul Cages' at the MGM and it was played at the Gorge.
Stings red tank top looked great and had everyone screaming when he pulled his jacket off. His vocals were awesome and the crowd seemed quasi-energetic. There wasn't much dancing going on in my section -- Just lots and lots of screaming. The chicks behind us kept yelling out 'we love you sting' and were some of the only ones to get up and dance. They just might be on this list.. If so, You Know Who You Are so say hello!
I agree that going into it with the frame of mind that this is going to be a fun energetic show with lots of upbeat songs and great tunes will make for a great time. The belly dancer was cool during Desert Rose, however I wish she would have stayed out there a little bit longer. The change was nice, and every little bit of added energy helps, so thanks to the dancer!
***********Thoughts************
Here is a thought I had about this tour vs. Mercury Falling and Before. Sting once said that touring was a way for him to re-invent his songs and make them better. I don't think that I have heard one Brand New Day song sung different than how it was originally written on the album. What does this mean? Does he really think that each of these songs are perfect and need no alteration.. no improvement? Or has he given up on trying to make them better and just accepted them for what they are? Has he chosen to take the easy road out? Not that I know Sting personally, (although sometimes it feels that way but this seems sooooo out of character for him. He is always striving to be unique and to stand out from everyone else. He needs to be the best read, best dressed, most eclectic, and best looking person in his group of people. He drifts towards eclectic or alternative things.. The Yoga.. The Tantric Yoga.. The Veg*anism.. All of these things make him stand out in the crowd. They keep others puzzled as to what he will do next. I think he likes it when people just can't quite figure it out. In the past he has been very unpredictable and always gave you more than you could have ever imagined. Are we just spoiled?
This is the one thing that I have noticed about this tour that really has shaken me and made me take a good hard look at where Sting stands with us longtime fans. I truly believe that for someone who has never been to a show, that this tour would have seemed awesome and that they can not understand how someone can be disappointed.
For myself, there was something missing at both shows. The second show at the MGM was just expected and accepted and I enjoyed it for what it was. I will take anything that I can get and love every minute of it. It would be a real waste if I didn't considering that this may be my only chance for awhile. So what is missing? The energy is there in the crowd but not in the man that we all love and respect so much. With the older songs that he has so brilliantly re-done over and over again sticking to the basic version that you hear on the album.. With the new songs being sung with no individual personalities. No improved versions. Sting seems to be singing and that's it. Before it appeared that he felt it within him. It was almost like the song became him and you felt the vibration of the music and his energy cumulating into one being and then blending with your own. I know that sounds a bit freaky but that is the only way I know how to describe it. His voice would give me chills and literally make me cry. I felt it and he was the reason. Ghost Story did this to me when I heard the album for the first time. Definitely my favorite song on the CD and he doesn't play it live. (I do have the Direct TV Free View of BND and he did play it there)..
Where are the songs that you know he appreciates the most. The ones with the great lyrics and the deeper meanings? Why are we having to listen to We'll Be Together when he has said repeatedly that he hates that song and wishes it dead? Why would he sing something that meant nothing to him personally. I always thought of Sting on a separate level than other musicians. He was on a level all of his own, just as he likes it. He did something with his music that made you feel, in the pit of your stomach, something unexplainable. With me, he still stands on that level all of his own, I am just a little let down that he doesn't seem to really appreciate it anymore.
This morning as we walked through the Luxor to catch our shuttle back to the airport, Desert Rose was playing throughout the hotel.
Sorry for the long email; I had lots of time to write while we were delayed six hours at the Vegas airport. But hey, we saw Penn from Penn and Teller.
Just to fill in a couple of personal notes...it's a long one; I hope you enjoy:
With only the clothes on my back--oh, and ATM & Master cards--I went with them, Maggie and Bill driving straight to 'Vegas. BTW, a great way to cure hiccoughs is to name aloud ten bald men as fast as you can. Dunno why it works, but I am grateful to Deb for this!
The rest is an unbelievable blur, including meeting Paul (what an adorable Brit: Love you, Paul!), sympathizing with the twin gimps Bill & Deb and their injured feet, shopping for an outfit for the concert--I will not sit in the fourteenth row in bib overall shorts and a ripe tank top!--dancing with Maggie the entire concert, rushing the stage and having Sting jam right in front of me for the very first time ever, shaking hands with the band, drinking ourselves into a celebratory stupor afterwards, watching Michael Jordan (that's one bald man, you've got nine more to go) gamble away in five minutes what most of us make in a year, learning how to play craps, and spending five hours in the Las Vegas airport trying to get a flight home. Whew! Whirlwind to say the least, but the best concert ever, not only due to the fabulous performance by Sting, but also to four of the best fans ever. Thanks to Deb, Bill, Maggie, and Paul. Decent folks, I will take great pleasure in the memory of those few hours.
Now about the "Vegas concert--wearing the outfit that I've twice seen rather closely (same as the Tonight Show), he and the band had an unbelievable musically brilliant night. Again, I am not referring to the mistakes, but the overall performance. I have a theory on why this show rocked a notch or two above the others. Most of the venues he plays, and obviously prefers, are outdoor. Preferred by the fans also, I will say this about the ceiling factor: the sound bounces around in there, filling up every air space again and again, and then back to the guys on stage. It kicks 'em in the arse, and as a performer you can't help but respond. But if the A/C breaks down, you're outta luck.
You've heard enough about the concert itself, and I agree with those who loved it. Of course, I got a little something extra out of it with his sweat dripping on me, but after all, it's *sweat*--I wiped it off. Oh, and for those who haven't experienced this close-up view, while he jams he sings to himself (or maybe to his bass) keeping the energy up and the rhythm in place as his adoring fans are screaming at him or trying to grab his boots (I elbowed a woman trying to do this: for god's sake, he's playing his instrument, leave him alone!). I liked that.
And when Dominic went to shake my hand, I had to laugh--being that I am only 5' 2", he had to replant his foot and bend waaaay over to reach my outstretched hand. Sorry, big guy!
Thanks to all involved for all enjoyed, including the sorely missed Jeremy.
I'm back from Vegas! It was every bit as flashy and tacky as I expected it to be, but also surprisingly endearing; there is definitely some surreal beauty there! The weather was magnificent, I'd never seen such a perfectly cloudless sky; so I was very very sad to have to return to this old town.
I'm even sadder to report that I was a bit disappointed by the concert, though. Could be for various reasons, some of which actually having nothing to do with Sting and the guys: I had a better seat in Montreal, the concert was almost 15 minutes shorter (can't figure that one out, because only "Moon Over ..." was missing from the set list, which I've included with this message) and the audience was totally unresponsive (only the people in the front row seemed to be having a good time; nobody off the floor level got up until "Desert Rose", and the folks around me actually left before the end of the main set - I don't know why they bothered coming at all!).
To top it off, I even lost a contact lens right in the middle of "Message In A Bottle"! (thank heaven it wasn't BEFORE that!
Seriously, I just think Sting and the boys are getting tired and bored, by now, and it's starting to show. Can't blame them, I'm sure I would feel the same way. But I have to agree (up to a point) with most of the reviews so far, including of course the Las Vegas Review Journal's (which I have just read on your site; thanks!): the guys sound like they're in a hurry to "just get it over with", and that's not fair to the audience. "Every Breath ..." is the perfect example of that: why on earth does Sting suddenly start speeding up at the end, like he's racing to the finish line?!
They play so fast that there isn't even enough time for Dominic Miller to change guitars between songs, which leads to unfortunate incidents. For example, on Saturday, his nylon string did not work at all until well into the second verse of "Fields of Gold", which all but ruined the song; and we were at least a whole minute into "Englishman ..." when he finally came back on stage (and Sting shot him a furious look).
Mind you, I wish Mr. Miller would stop fussing with all his fancy sound effects pedals and gadgets and just get back to playing guitar! Don't get me wrong, I love him; but I just think he's taken the whole thing a bit too far on this tour!
But hey, I make it sound like the concert was awful when it really was NOT! It was totally worth the long trip, and the best birthday I've ever had! And if the audience and the L.V. Review journalist didn't care at all for the "new" songs, I think it's just their loss! (and "Fill Her Up" will always have a special meaning to me, in its own funny way, that's for sure!)
Oh, by the way, there was one strange thing: before the concert, one of the techs doing the instrument check was wearing a Montreal Canadiens hockey jersey! What a coincidence! If you have any idea what the deal was with THAT, please let me know! (like whether the guy is from Montreal too or something, though I seriously doubt it!)
Gosh, I've really rambled a lot, haven't I?! I hope I didn't bore you! Just thought I'd let you know how it went; thank you for your patience!
Until later, take good care now!
P.S. I don't think I've told you this before, but those ultra-glamourous (!) "Sleeping Beauty" pictures of Dominic and Kipper always make me smile!
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