Brand New Day: 1999/01

Sting's euphoria remains absent...

A refined night out. Everything about Sting's concert at Rotterdam's Ahoy exuded good taste and harmony. The audience hummed in subdued tones before the performance and greeted their hero with approving applause. Sting considers the embrace of his audience upon arrival the best drug in existence, but this time he had to make do with a meagre dose.

Not that he leaves his fans indifferent, but stamping and cheering simply isn't in their blood. They appreciate "the better pop music," whatever that may be, and the quality is commensurate. Sting, aka Gordon Sumner, and his seven-piece band also made a distinguished impression. Dressed in various combinations of black, they stood before a backdrop of long canvases, onto which a different abstract colour scene was projected each time.

And then the music: it sounded like a bell. Rarely has such crystal-clear sound been achieved at Ahoy. Every strum of the guitar, every handclap from the choir, yes, even every word from Sting's mouth was clearly distinguishable. How then could the euphoria fail to materialize? Where was the spark that compels surrender?

By the second song, "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free," the evening still seemed promising. A driving rhythm, stimulating lyrics. Thematically, it fit perfectly with the optimism of his latest album, Brand New Day, which fosters faith in the restoration of broken relationships. But it seemed as if the content didn't matter so much, because Sting sang all the songs with the same tight, piercing voice.

So it all came down to the music itself, and in that respect, the man can draw on a rich repertoire. From guaranteed sing-alongs like "Roxanne" from the Police era to the complex, jazz-infused pieces on his first solo albums. In his later work, this versatility is fused with bits of Algerian pop, Latin, soul, and, more recently, even country music. Thanks to the excellent accompanists, all of this came across flawlessly during the concert. The guitarist could flawlessly play the staccato African style as well as produce wailing country sounds and droning rock chords. The trumpeter conjured miraculous antics from his instrument, the keyboardist impressed with his dexterity. And when necessary, Sting himself would conduct the entire ensemble to a fitting conclusion with short jerks on his bass guitar. But he failed to captivate the audience en masse. Perhaps the pursuit of perfection got in his way. Or perhaps he's simply too much of a gentleman, as he sings in "Englishman in New York." Gifted, refined, but lacking in fervour.

(c) BN DeStem by Ann Bouwma