04/01/05: Sting at the SJSU Event Center


Playing more rock and more Police tunes than I've heard in a long time

This must be Sting's version of a mid-life crisis. (Yes, he might be past the normal age for such a crisis, but I'm betting the Tantric yoga practice keeps him young.)

Get yourself a half-new, stripped-down band and go out on tour singing mostly tunes from the Police heyday, and focusing almost entirely on rocker tunes. Toss the unplugged style versions and do tunes like Message in a Bottle and Roxanne like the new wave punk masterpieces they originally were.

I've seen Sting at least four times before, and two of the shows rank amongst my top concert experiences ever. The first was at Madison Square Garden, the Nothing Like the Sun... tour. The final song had the entire packed place standing on their chairs and singing Message in a Bottle for Sting, while he just kind of vocally riffed around what we, the crowd, were doing. The second was at Shoreline, the Soul Cages tour. He closed with a beautiful version of Fragile, while everyone in the audience stayed on their feet swaying back and forth...mostly arm-in-arm or hand-in-hand...on one of those beautiful, clear California nights. It sounds a little hippy-dippy, but it was really magical.

The last couple of times I saw Sting he wasn't quite as inspiring. In fact, he seemed a little less connected, not really there...even while the band was playing well and sounding great.

So, I think he's gone in for a little reinvigoration by sticking to the most energized tunes in his repertoire. This was the kick-off date of Sting's new tour, and it did show a bit. While the band was high on energy, it was occasionally not the tightest band on earth. And the mix was strong on bass and drums, while a little muddy between the two guitars.

That being said, having never seen the Police live, I really enjoyed hearing tunes like Spirits in the Material World, Invisible Sun, Synchronicity II and others played live. Sting was in awesome voice, and his bass playing was spot on.

In a 90-minute show he played exactly 2 ballads, and 2 of my favorites: Why Should I Cry For You and Fields of Gold. The rest of the time he was rocking out.

This concert doesn't rank up there with the top 2 Sting concert experiences I've had. But it does look like focusing on his punk roots is how Sting Got His Groove Back.

Posted: Sat - April 2, 2005 at 11:58 AM       EmailFeedback

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