Smoldering Sting back to his roots...
"You can't age gracefully in rock 'n' roll," singer Nick Cave said in a 2008 interview. "You have to clock out scandalously. Otherwise you end up like Sting playing lute music."
What Cave didn't realize, but what should have been clear to everyone at Sting's concert at the GrandWest Arena on Tuesday night, is that this 16-time Grammy winner and superstar comes from a different, younger and healthier planet than us mere mortals - he will apparently never have to retire.
If that's not the case, then there must be something to all the media rumours about his yoga addiction and prowess in the tantric sex department (although Sting playfully denied the latter on stage). The 60-year-old British icon simply looks indecently young; in fact, too good to be true. In jeans and a tight grey T-shirt, there was no sign of fat or flaccid, tired flesh to be seen on the former frontman of The Police.
He also didn't treat the packed house to any of his lute music with classical pretensions - the whole idea behind his current Back To Bass world tour is to return to his roots as a bassist and singer.
With a boiling water band of six musicians behind him, he entertained the appreciative audience for more than two hours with an eclectic selection of old and new until the dancing crowd cheered him back for three encores.
After Sting (Gordon Sumner to his mother) started energetically with three big hits - 'All this Time', 'Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic' and 'Englishman in New York' - one became increasingly impressed by his versatility as a singer-songwriter.
The man not only has a phenomenal, unmistakable voice, but as a composer he is equally fluent in pop, rock, funk, jazz and folk - he can even throw in a bit of country if he needs to, as he showed with 'Love Is Stronger than Justice' which ended with a delightfully rabid violin solo by Pete Tickell.
One suspects, however, that the Police's evergreen, reggae-flavoured blend of pop-rock is his musical mother tongue. Sting's solo career has produced several highlights since 1985, but somewhere in the middle of the concert the impression arose that you were listening to the virtuoso style and finger exercises of a highly gifted pop artist whose inspiration sometimes deserts him in the lyrical department.
With rousing versions of the old Police hits 'King of Pain', 'Roxanne' and 'Every Breath You Take' in the first encore, however, all reservations were forgotten and all eyes were on the lithe blonde singer.
Because it is with these smouldering, classic songs about the obsessive side of desire that Sting has thoroughly earned his place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
(c) Die Burger by Danie Marais
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CREATE A DISPLAY NAMEI doubt if Sting really ever reads any of these and who could ever hold it against him ?He’s done enough and given a choice between a good book and quiet game of chess or mindless fan mail and media activity I know which way I would swing .However its about the gig which was nice . Not great but not bad either. In the 12th row aisle seat I had a fair view but the sound was not always as good as it could and should have been . Sometimes the balance between vocal and backing not fantastic and some of Sting’s lyrics got lost here and there .I would mention diction were it not for the fact that Sting is usually pretty articulate and understandable which was not always the case here The musicianship was of a relatively high standard with Vinnie standing out( which one would expect ). Sting is great and has influenced me as both lyricist and musician .Deserving of all acolades in the main .The band nice and the tunes well played . He has a nice easy going inter action and obviously loves it all … Now I can say I have seen him live and go on studying the music of John Coltrane
My husband & I had a ball last night. Thank you to the band & of course Sting for passionate music & musical excellence.