57th & 9th: World Tour

Sting: Reggae and Yoga Among the Rich and Famous...

The former Police frontman opens the Universal Music Festival at the Teatro Real.

Many things have been imbued into Sting's public image, shaping the current perception of him. First, as the undesirable antagonist of the spirit of The Who and the Sex Pistols in the films 'Quadrophenia' and 'Who Killed Bambi?'. Then as a populariser of reggae among white audiences (for some) or a leader of flagrant cultural appropriations (for others) with his group The Police. Then, as a musical traveller around the world, championing causes like those of the native peoples of the Amazon. Or as a hero of posh clubs. And finally, as a tantric sex machine and yogi superman who is obscenely well preserved for being past retirement age. But beyond that, Gordon Sumner remains a musician who keeps alive the passions of 40 years ago, as was evident last night at the Teatro Real, in the first of the Universal Music Festival concerts, which will occupy the Madrid arena for most of this month.

Before an audience that included everyone from the Vice President of the Government, Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría, to celebrities such as Carmen Lomana, Manel Fuentes, Eduardo Inda, Nacho Cano, and Antonio Carmona, among many others, Sting appeared radiant and invigorated, sipping a cup of tea, saying hello in Spanish, and playing the traditional British and Celtic-inspired "Heading South on the Great North Road" on acoustic guitar with his son Joe (backing vocalist on this tour). But the concert had barely begun when the problems began. His microphone was inaudible during "Synchronicity II," prompting angry complaints and whistles from the crowd, who had paid €300 for a ticket, which turned into applause when the sound of his voice returned to the song, the first of many stops in the Police repertoire.

'Spirits in the Material World,' also by his late group, set the stage for Jamaica, which culminated with a guitar-driven dub version of 'Englishman in New York,' which sparked some dancing on street corners to the sound of bass drums and stadium-sized handclaps. It was also the first of many sing-alongs, chants between musicians and audiences, that night, with Sting asking in Spanish to "louder, please," as, paradoxically, the song "Be yourself / no matter what they say" came on. 

"I Can't Stop Thinking About You," one of those songs that has earned him enemies among those who see him as a messenger of horror-AOR (Adult Oriented Rock), before a poppier "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic," by the Police, which gave way to one of the lows of the concert, with "One Fine Day," "She's to Good for Me" (lifted by an accordion blues), "Mad About You," with its orientalist dalliances, and "Fields of Gold," another moment worthy of a morning TV commercial.

"Shape of My Heart" epitomized what Sting has been since the end of The Police: the crossroads, the gentle, unobtrusive melody, the unplugged touch by candlelight, and Gordon's voice above all else, never faltering.

Then, to lift it up, a bit of noise (not a terrible thing either) with 'Petrol head', spliced into 'Message in a bottle', with slightly outrageous dancing in the front rows that required a warning from the ushers.

After that, his son attacked David Bowie's "Ashes to Ashes" alone on guitar, his voice raising its eyebrows: sometimes his father, sometimes Bowie. "50,000" and "Walking on the Moon" finally put this sweet moment on track, despite another unnecessary sing-along. And "So Lonely" demonstrated its potential to bring the "pureta" venue to a standstill; there was even one who put his physical integrity in danger by bouncing on the very edge of his box while taking selfies.

Now on track, they spun into the sexy, mutant "Roxanne," which seemed to even call for cannabis smoke, with "Ain't No Sunshine" before returning to "Roxanne" again.

'Next to You,' especially beautiful, was a respite, and once again, without respite, that ode to the suffocating pressure that is 'Every Breath You Take,' although the passage of time has turned it into an excuse for cuddles.

He closed 'Fragile,' again with his guitar. And one could imagine him walking along the beach covered in a white linen blouse and sarong. In the background, an Ibizan party on the sand, from which he distances himself, thinking that even the richest and most powerful share something with the rest of us mortals: "How fragile," he concluded in Spanish.

(c) El Mundo by Dario Prieto