Sting @ Oslo Spektrum...
Although Sting, according to his birth certificate, is dangerously approaching what most people consider retirement, it was a vital Briton with a band that took over a well-packed Oslo Spektrum this Monday night. The man looks good, he has by no means lost his grip on the four-string guitar, and his voice is nothing to complain about either.
Although Sting, according to his birth certificate, is dangerously approaching what most people consider retirement, it was a vital Briton with a band that took over a well-packed Oslo Spektrum this Monday night. The man looks good, he has by no means lost his grip on the four-string guitar, and his voice is nothing to complain about either.
This year's tour is named after last year's album "57th and 9th", but could almost as easily have been called "Father & Son". Joe Sumner is on tour with his dad, first as the evening's warm-up artist and then as a backing vocalist. In addition, Sting's long-time guitarist Dominic Milner has been joined by his son Rufus, who also plays guitar. The rest of the band consists of the hard-hitting and precise drummer Josh Freese, and not least the one who was the positive surprise of the evening for me, the accordion virtuoso (!) Percy Cardona.
With a set relatively evenly divided between solo material and Police songs, it was close between the audience favourites. Although there are probably a few percent of those present who probably wanted something more obscure, it was during songs like "Fields Of Gold", "Englishman In New York" and "If I Ever Lose My Faith In You" that the atmosphere was highest. Not to mention Police highlights like "Message In A Bottle" and "Walking On The Moon", where you couldn't put your finger on either empathy or performance. Very funny for the undersigned, who is still a little disappointed that the announced concert at Valle Hovin during The Police's reunion tour in 2008 was cancelled. A small Bowie tribute in the form of a father-and-son duet on "Ashes To Ashes" wasn't bad either.
The audience was treated to a relatively sober, yet atmospheric and delicate light show. The sound was more than acceptable by Spektrum standards, albeit a bit on the high side. When the song material consisted of a lot of classic pop-rock from the last four decades, performed by a professional and moody ensemble, I guess few people left the hall disappointed. Yes, this was a great evening!
(c) NorwayRockNet by Anne-Marie Forker
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