Blue Turtles: 1985/86

Sting shows spunk at Sun Dome show...

Sting's decision to leave The Police was no cop-out...

While Andy Summers makes guitar noises with Robert Fripp and Stewart Copeland heads to Africa, Sting has turned to four of the finest jazz sidesmen - drummer Omar Hakim, bassist Darryl Jones, keyboardist Kenny Kirkland and saxophonist Branford Marsalis - for his "solo" project.

And for all its weak attempts at social commentary ("I hope the Russians love their children, too") and musical pretentions to pass as jazz, the British superstar's latest album, 'Dream of the Blue Turtles', is more likeable than anything he's done with The Police in the last four years.

Nearing the end of a lengthy tour, which will be commemorated with a making-of-the-band concert film to be released next month, Sting and his four-man band spun through a spunky two-hour-plus set at the packed USF Sun Dome Wednesday night.

After opening with re-worked versions of such Police favourites as 'Shadows in the Rain' and 'Driven to Tears', Sting trotted out a slew of songs from 'Blue Turtles'.

With the exception of 'If You Love Somebody, Set Them Free' and 'Fortress Around Your Heart', most of the new songs are moodier and more melodically complex than his Police hits.

This gave the musicians, particularly sax man Marsalis (brother of trumpet phenom Wynton Marsalis) and Weather Report's Hakim, a chance to flex their improvisational muscles.

But contrary to the hype, such Sting originals as 'Children's Crusade', 'We Work the Black Seam' and the pretty 'Moon Over Bourbon Street' are not jazz songs.

These are pop songs stretched out with extended instrumental breaks and well-placed solos by respected jazz players.

But that didn't take away the intensity of this enjoyable concert, which was livened up by the frantic singing and dancing of backup vocalists Dolette McDonald and Janice Pendarvis (who added heat to Talking Heads' 'Stop Making Sense' film).

When he wasn't bunny-hopping across the stage with bassist Jones, Sting shined on guitar. Although known for his bass playing in The Police, the charismatic singer-actor displayed surprising prowess on guitar; he traded wriggling, snake-like solos with Marsalis during 'Roxanne' and then cranked out a blistering version of Little Willie John's 'Need Your Love So Bad' as one of the encores.

Before he finished, Sting treated the more than 7,500 fans in attendance to more Police classics, including 'Every Breath You Take', 'Message in a Bottle' and a frenzied, al- most unrecognizable version of 'Demolition Man'.

Despite the wild finish, most of the two-hour, 20-minute set was more subdued than expected and - with its emphasis on musicianship over showboating - might have worked better in a theater setting.

It certainly would have been more enjoyable with reserved seating. Wednesday's concert, promoted by Fantasma Productions, was general admission, which was unusual for both Sting and the Sun Dome. (Almost every concert at the Dome is reserved.)

And, as expected at general admission shows, fans standing near the front of the stage were crushed against the stage barrier and had to be pulled to safety by security guards even before the show began. No injuries were reported, spokesmen said.

(c) The Tampa Tribune by David Okamato

Versatile Sting not on same wavelength as his crowd...

Sting may be working without Police protection these days, but he's by no means a solo act. With the same versatile team of jazz musicians by his side that developed the album 'The Dream of the Blue Turtles', Sting on Wednesday night showed a Sun Dome crowd that was ready to rock how nice it can be to roll.

For more than two and a half hours, the group presented a mixed bag of rock, jazz, reggae, soul and blues, at times all within one extended song. There was something of a musical education to be had by the crowd of 8,099, although many seemed dissatisfied with the course. Sting may be a fashionable, cute teen idol, but this wasn't a show for teens, as Madonna or Rick Springfield would be or perhaps even the Police.

The slower pacing of songs such as 'Children's Crusade' and 'Moon Over Bourbon Street' didn't stem the tide of hot, frightened bodies being passed over barricades to security workers at the stage, only five feet from where Sting stood singing. From the outset Sting implored the audience to step back, finally saying, "I hate to see corpses coming to the front of the stage like this." It never got that serious; general admission seating, however, which allowed thousands to pack the Sun Dome floor and cram up close to the stage, was a huge mistake for this show. Reserved seating would have made an enormous difference.

The band covered most of the new album, with 'Shadows in the Rain', 'Consider Me Gone' and 'Fortress Around Your Heart' benefiting most from the extended jams built into many of the songs.

Sting, wearing an oversized white linen suit with a black T-shirt, carried a guitar most of the evening and even played a little, leaving bass chores to Daryl Jones, the Miles Davis sideman. Jones, along with drummer Omar Hakim (who has played on albums for Weather Report, George Benson and Dire Straits), kept up a steady soul rhythm embellished by Kenny Kirkland's galloping keyboard.

The multiple twists and turns in melody and style were led by either Branford Marsalis (brother of Wynton) on saxophone or Sting's vocals. As a singer, Sting has always flirted with a melody, using his soaring voice as another instrument, playing hide and seek with the other principal parts of an arrangement. On albums he hopes his political lyrics are understood, but in concert the message is the music, and Sting's voice is just another sound in the mix. Backup singers Janice Pendarvis and Dolette McDonald added soul to the choruses, but the verses were a constant adventure.

Police songs were rearranged in concert for Marsalis' sax to lead instead of Andy Summers' guitar. 'Driven To Tears' suffered without the airy guitar that sharpens to an exclamation point at the end of a musical phrase. At the same time, 'Shadows in the Rain', a reggae drag by the Police, bounced along, happy in its new format.

'One World', another Police tune, was reggae that worked wonderfully as Marsalis and Kirkland provided an extra kick on the upbeat. Jones joined Sting here for the first of what would be many happy-feet dance numbers. 'One World' led into a similar bright reggae arrangement of 'Love is the Seventh Wave'. These two songs strung together were the highlight of the concert.

Sting, perceiving perhaps that not all of the audience was enthralled with his choice of songs, announced that a surfing song was coming up. Applause and screams. "Does anybody here surf?" he asked. More clapping and yelling. As if to say, "Now that I have your attention," he told the crowd the song is not about surfing but coal mining and nuclear waste and proceeded into the brooding 'We Work the Black Seam'. It was an annoying exchange.

A dull version of 'If You Love Someone Set Them Free' was followed by a dull first encore, including the Police's first hit 'Roxanne'. 'Every Breath You Take' livened up the second encore, and 'Message in a Bottle' capped the third.

(c) The Tampa Bay Times by Drew Rashbaum

Sting combines Police past with new band... 

Sting debuted his new vehicle to Tampa Wednesday and it came in a host of shades, from black funk to white blues.

That vehicle was his new band, a stunning collection of jazz/pop/funk-fusion musicians whose collective talents saved Sting from drowning in the pretensions with which he has laden his new 'The Dream Of The Blue Turtles' album.

The first half of his 22-hour concert was packed with Police covers that show he is still anchored in the past. Leading with 'Shadows In The Rain' and 'Driven To Tears', it was clear he was trying to reign in the band's eclectic bent, pigeon-holing their talents for economical support.

In the beginning he and his bandmates did not move about much. On a stage made of steps, they held their places, looking more solemn than anything else. It seemed Sting's lyrics, steeped in bombastic foreboding, were dragging them down.

Clad in a loose-fitting white jacket, baggy pleated white pants and a black T-shirt, he laboured through familiar lyrics of songs that had the indelible mark of his ex- Police mates. It wasn't Blue Turtles' music.

Other Police covers used included 'One World', 'When The World Is Running Down', and 'Bring On The Night'.

Some songs from the new album also did not work well live. In the case of 'We Work The Black Seam', the song's rigid bass line lacked the springboard for innovation that saxophonist Branford Marsalis and Co. needed to shine.

When the show soared, and by the second half it had, was when Sting abandoned his mega-star pulpit and let the brilliance of Marsalis' sax glide. The college-age crowd seemed less concerned with Marsalis' opulent texturing than Sting's body, as was seen by the fact he had to plead several times for a rush of fans to move back lest they overrun front-row spectators. 

Using amazing energy, Marsalis, drummer Omar Hakim and keyboardist Kenneth Kirkland textured a beautiful Caribbean-style mix for 'Children's Crusade'. For the first time the band was playing not as high-priced fill-ins but as a group complementing, competing, driving hard.

There's an extreme polarity between Marsalis' sax work and Sting's voice when the tune is right.

Like a blast, 'Demolition Man' from the Police's 1981 'Ghost In The Machine' collection, split the arena wide open. Hakim, who has played for David Bowie and Dire Straits, pounded a meteoric solo that floored the crowd. From there, keyboardist Kirkland used his jazz fusion expertise to unleash a fabulously textured and enthralling 10 minute jam.

From there the band went uptempo, bopping around and looking like they were having a considerably better time. The 25-year-old Marsalis delivered a funked-up rap on 'When The World Keeps Running Down' that was nothing but pure fun and kept the crowd dancing. Their opulent jamming even made Sting's patently awful 'Moon Over Bourbon Street' bearable.

The band finished with a free-wheeling rendition of 'If You Love Someone Set Them Free', cutting loose, flexing their considerable muscle.

In all, 'The Dream Of The Blue Turtles' tour was refreshing, as much for where Sting and his band failed as where they succeeded. They are not an arena group, though. Their music is better suited for a small club.

(c) The Ledger by Shaun Assael