Brand New Day: 1999/01

Sting in the completely sold-out sports hall - The music dandy...

"Sending out an S.O.S.": Hamburg's largest choir, 7,000 voices, and right at the front, a grinning man with a guitar: Sting as a people's tribune, not even his worst role. For almost two hours, the Brit maintained the simple but effective pattern: a hit, something new, lots of melody, lots of jazz, and hardly any concessions to the old days. A familiar-sounding Roxanne served as the only real consolation for Police nostalgia.

Since Sting's first tour with Branford Marsalis, there haven't been so many surprises: drummer Manu Katche raps his way through 'Perfect Love Gone Wrong' - in French, very skilfully, very discreetly.

In 'Desert Rose,' the colourfully lit caravan heads towards the Maghreb, and under the acclaim of 'Moon Over Bourbon Street,' our vampires roam the clubs this time – ably supported by Chris Botti and Jason Rebello, two top young British jazz musicians in Sting's band. Rock with an apologetic wink and the quiet certainty: The man is so good because he could be completely different – a musical dandy in a tight black muscle shirt.

Stage, lighting, the astonishingly good acoustics: everything tasteful, nothing exaggerated, no lazy compromises, just top-class music.

(c) Hamburger Morgenpost by Ralf Dorsche

A mature master surfs through musical worlds...

The wasp-like yellow-and-black striped T-shirts that once earned him the nickname Sting (sting) have long since been discarded in used clothing collections. Today, at the ripe old age of 48, Gordon Summer wears a black leather jacket and jeans. But even in his new outfit, the Brit has remained true to his name. Stubborn, prickly – someone like Sting, long a mega-star, doesn't ride the waves of musical fashion. Perhaps that's precisely why the musician, who grew up in the working-class city of Newcastle, is so immensely popular. Sting hates the high-tech race of his colleagues with ultra-modern laser cannons or pivoting stages – at the concert in the Alsterdorfer Sporthalle, which has been sold out for weeks, not even a video clip flickered. The Englishman, who has been active for Amnesty International and environmental protection for years, doesn't stage a pompous show, but simply makes two hours of great music.

A bout of flu would have made a performance in Hamburg almost impossible – he'd had to cancel his concert in Rostock the day before. Anyone who knows the man with the short hair only from his beautiful, catchy ballads like 'Fields of Gold' or 'Englishman in New York' may have been a bit irritated at times in the gym. Between his classics, Sting repeatedly indulges in other musical worlds, sometimes stepping from rap to jazz, from country to folk in a matter of minutes. Songs you have to get involved with – far removed from the usual mainstream babble – sometimes melancholic, sometimes full of joie de vivre. His excellent musicians are allowed to do more than just weave a cosy tapestry of sound. Every now and then, the master stands at the edge of the stage, plucks the bass, and listens with a smile as his colleagues improvise. The sound bubbles crystal clear from the speakers – mixed with almost surgical precision. The so-called experts, who have been complaining about the problematic acoustics of the sports hall for years, were clearly proven wrong on Tuesday.

At the end, Gordon Summer takes his fans on a journey back in time, back to the roots with the Police classic "Message In A Bottle," a must-have at every party in the early 80s. But even during the encore, Sting remains a thorn in their side. Instead of the famous heavy guitar riffs, an unplugged version is heard - Sting sends his "message in a bottle" on its journey as a ballad. The finale of a magnificent concert.

(c) Die Welt by Peter Wenig.

Perfect mix...

The flu epidemic doesn't even spare superstars like Sting: On Tuesday, the 48-year-old Brit had to cancel his performance in Rostock due to illness, forcing 5,000 disappointed fans to wait until February 29th.

But when Sting, aka Gordon Matthew Sumner, took the stage at the completely sold-out sports hall shortly after 8 p.m. yesterday, he had audibly recovered. And the fans did their part to help him forget his sore throat and fever: They enthusiastically welcomed the megastar and his first-class seven-piece band. After all, the people of Hamburg had to wait three years for a Sting concert.

Without elaborate stage decorations, illuminated by an unobtrusive but effective light show, the likeable musician opened the concert with "A Thousand Years," the first track from his current CD, Brand New Day. Sting took his audience on a journey through his long career and, of course, didn't shy away from his years as the Police frontman: The audience enthusiastically sang along to the choruses of the obligatory hits like "Every Breath You Take" and "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic."

He continually interspersed classics like 'Englishman In New York,' 'Moon Over Bourbon Street,' 'Fields Of Gold,' and 'If You Love Somebody Set Them Free,' with new songs. Sting also placed great importance on a balanced mix of styles: he and his band perfectly presented rock, pop, jazz, soul, and ethnic sounds. Sting, who not only sang but also played bass, gave his musicians – including guitarist Dominic Miller, drummer Manu Katché, and keyboardist Jason Rebello – room for improvisation.

(c) Hamburger Abendblatt