57th & 9th: World Tour

This is what Sting's performance at the Olympiahalle was like...

As part of his 57th & 9th Tour, Sting was at the Olympiahalle on Tuesday evening. Here's our review of the concert in Munich.

Oops, is that really Sting on stage? The Olympiahalle is only half full when he takes the stage at eight o'clock sharp. For a moment, you wonder if Sting's 40-year-old son, Joe Sumner, who is announced as the opening act, simply looks identical to his father. But it really is him: "Good evening," says Sting, who could easily pass for 40, in German. "I'm very happy to be here tonight."

Then he plays the folk song "Heading South on the Great North Road" on acoustic guitar. His son follows him to the microphone and sings along. Then Sting gives him the stage. Joe Sumner has a great voice, extremely similar to his father, and he knows how to accompany himself effectively on the electric guitar – but he lacks his father's killer songs. He then throws them out one after the other. 

He starts off brilliantly with the Police number "Synchronicity II," and it sets the tone for the evening: This 65-year-old, who looks so incredibly younger, wants to rock. He has the right band for that, including the two guitarists Dominic and Rufus Miller – another father-and-son team – and the dynamic drummer Josh Freese, who has also played with Guns N' Roses and Nine Inch Nails.

The sound that this quartet sends into the Olympiahalle – partially supported by a bandoneon player and Joe Sumner on backing vocals – is as precise and clear as on record, but as full of power as is only possible live. And so "Spirits in the Material World," "Walking on the Moon," "Message in a Bottle," "So Lonely," and many other rock numbers sound simply stunning.

Sting often plays them seamlessly; everything seems to be of one piece; the show, without any showmanship, is a pleasure. And you have to hear this man live to truly appreciate what a gifted singer he is. The 8,000 spectators in the not-sold-out Olympiahalle are completely thrilled when he leaves the stage after "Roxanne." The four encores, the last of which are the ballads "Every Breath You Take" and "Fragile," bring a magnificent concert to a close.

(c) Abendzeitung by Dominik Petzold