57th & 9th: World Tour

How Sting captivates Hamburg fans with simple means...

Just sound and light are enough for the singing bassist in the sports hall to thrill his fans with a pure rock concert.

Hamburg. Sting performs his hit "Englishman In New York" as the third song. A plausible decision, since the current tour is called "57th & 9th," a street intersection on the west side of Manhattan. This is where Sting recorded the songs for his current album, and where he also owns an apartment where he and his wife have lived most of the past few years.

New York was the starting point for the new album; it's the place from which Sting recalls his childhood in a suburb of Newcastle and revisits his musical roots. Many songs on "57th & 9th" recall the beginning of his unprecedented career with the new wave trio The Police.
 There's no frills on the stage at the Sporthalle Hamburg; Sting has even dispensed with video screens. There's just sound and lighting, just like in the old days. The focus is on the songs. After the formidable Texan support act The Last Bandoleros, whom Sting – ever the gentleman – had announced at 8 p.m. sharp with the song "Heading South On The Great North Road," he takes the stage an hour later and launches into "Synchronicity II" and "Spirits In The Material World," two Police numbers.

The plan is clear: this evening will be all about rock 'n' roll. After "Englishman," the first smash hit from "57th & 9th" followed: "I Can't Stop Thinking About You," blazing fast and possessing the rawness of very early Police songs.

As he has for 30 years, Sting relies on the guitar skills of his colleague Dominic Miller, who stands at the left edge of the stage. On the other side of the band is another Miller: Rufus is Dominic's son and also a brilliant guitarist. Sting has brought Josh Freese into the band as a new drummer. The American, born in 1972, is an accomplished drummer who has worked with many great rock artists and participated in more than 300 recordings. His intricate playing is reminiscent of Police drummer Stewart Copeland.
 This fits perfectly with the evening's repertoire, as Sting has six more Police songs on his set list. Regarding "Message In A Bottle," he explains that he wrote the song in the mid-70s and that no one except his cat wanted to hear it back then. It has since become a classic, sung along to by the enthusiastic fans in the sold-out venue just as passionately as "Roxanne" and "So Lonely."

Sting is also a family man. Two of his six children have become musicians, and 40-year-old Joe Sumner, from his first marriage, accompanies his father on tour. He, too, has an expressive voice. He is part of the opening act and later performs a cover version of David Bowie's "Ashes To Ashes." After experimenting with medieval lute music and a musical, Sting has returned to where he began his career in 1977: rock music, which was then called post-punk or new wave.

His fans celebrate him and experience a thrilling concert in the sports hall. The bassist himself also seems to be having a great time. Perhaps he remembers the Police concert in the Markthalle. Back then, in 1980, he and his band had already made a killing.

(c) Hamburger Abendblatt by Heinrich Oehmsen

Sting rocks the Alsterdorf Sports Hall...

The 65-year-old presented his album "57th & 9th," released in November, on which he returns to a decidedly rockier sound after forays into musicals and world music.

First concert in Germany on his current tour, a sold-out house for weeks, the all-rounder's return to straight rock – great excitement in the sports hall. What's his style like, what's he wearing, where does he start? Big surprise: Sting has his son, Joe Sumner, 41, with him, and he performs a few numbers with the Texan band "The Last Bandoleros," who then rock a few Tex-Mex songs on their own, very catchy, with good harmony vocals.

But then the master himself: Synchronicity II, Spirits in the Material World, and a distorted version of "Englishman" in New York. By then, he had the audience in his grasp.

He mixed the songs from his new album "57th and 9th" with some very old Police songs – to the delight of his fans, who grew up with their idol but unfortunately haven't always stayed in as good shape as the 65-year-old Brit, who came on stage in a simple blue T-shirt (and, unlike in 1988 at the same venue, kept it on until the end).

Sting designed the two-hour concert as a big family celebration. His son Joe sang in the backing choir, but also as lead singer, David Bowie's "Ashes to Ashes" in reminiscence of his colleague, who died in 2016. In his new song "50000," he addresses the deaths of several friends and musicians, including Prince, Bowie, and Alan Rickman, with whom Sting was a personal friend.

Sting's long-time collaborator Dominic Miller brought his son Rufus into the band. No keyboards, no brass, instead a crisp, transparent, crunchy rock sound, close to The Police, with a singer who was vocally at the top of his game - and hardly withheld a hit from his fans: Message in a Bottle, Walking in the Moon, So Lonely, Fields of Gold, Shape of My Heart and of course, as an encore, Every Breath You Take.

(c) shz.de by Joachim Pohl

Sting's tour kicks off: Balm for people's souls...

Sting is early. At prime time for the "Tagesschau" (news) news, the Brit, born Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, arrives on stage quite unpretentiously in a T-shirt and jeans; even though the audience in the Alsterdorfer Sporthalle in Hamburg, which had been sold out for weeks, had actually expected his support band first.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," the 65-year-old musician greets the tour kickoff with a distinguished German greeting, launching into the song "Heading South On The Great North Road" on his acoustic guitar. It's from his album "57th & 9th," released in November, on which he returns to a rockier tone after forays into musicals, orchestral music, and world music.

On this evening, the song serves to introduce the audience to a special person in Sting's life: "Here's my son, Joe Sumner!" he says after a few chords. Joe Sumner, who is also already 40 years old, joins in his father's singing to much cheering, and it's touching and astonishing at the same time how similar the two sound and look. Sting's offspring sings a few more acoustic pieces alone, after which the Texan support band The Last Bandoleros warms up the packed hall.

A little later, Sting returns. He is now accompanied by a six-piece band, including his son. As dozens of spotlights bathe the stage in red light and he begins to play "Englishman in New York," the first applause breaks out. The new songs "I Can't Stop Thinking About You" and "One Fine Day," performed afterward, also go down well. Sting's concert is as straightforward as he is; it's all about the music. The 16-Grammy-winning artist has accumulated so much of it over 40 years that he's guaranteed to give you goosebumps.

As the first notes of "Fields Of Gold" resound and the light changes to golden yellow, a deep sigh sweeps through the audience. In a world that's been torn apart, Sting also offers people balm for their souls. With "Ashes To Ashes," he lets Joe Sumner sing a tribute to his colleague David Bowie, who died in January 2016. On "Desert Rose," Sting demonstrates what a brilliant arranger he is: With its world music elements, the song feels like a wild ride through cultures.

Sting sprinkles a surprising number of classics from his former band The Police into his set, for which he receives the biggest applause. He performs "Message In A Bottle," "So Lonely," "Roxanne," and "Every Breath You Take," sometimes in modified versions. Things get emotional again at the end when Sting returns to the stage for the second encore. "I'd like to end the evening on a thoughtful note," he says, dedicating the song "Fragile" to the victims of Wednesday's Westminster attack in London. A fitting conclusion to a great concert.

(c) Zeit Online