Brand New Day: 1999/01

Simple and effective...

With strict punctuality and mathematical musical precision, the ex-Police vocalist landed in Valladolid with the predictable bag of successes he's delivering through out his whole European tour.

With a simple but tremendously effective band and scenery, Sting brought gold to the new city of Valladolid with international rock. No circus, no spectacular jumping around. The show limited itself to shine perfect music and top musicians within its 2 hours of which, major circus-like antics resemblant of great international artists were replaced by such a high standard quality music.

Nitin Sawhney was considered to be at the level of the show protagonist. Soon after 8:30pm the Indian musician, accompanied by a large number of singers, rappers and world musicians climbed to the status of his host, making a thankful show full of universality and fusion. Everything, of course, comes from the common thread base of the evening: classic and modern jazz enhanced by vertigo keyboardists. After the brilliant opening by British-Indian Nitin Sawhney, Sting came without too much delay. Considering a possible delay due to an impertinent last minute rain, the ex-Police team solved the crisis with sufficient professional attitude as not to delay the scheduled show.

And that's the way it was. After only 5 minutes past 11pm, the band came followed by a juvenile, full of vitality Sting. 1000 years opened the show mixed with an initial screaming public and yet the crowd was very respectful to their star. Stuck during the concert to his lifetime Fender Jazzbass bass, Sting travelled a precise path, representative of his trajectory, through his more popular themes as Set Them Free or 'Perfect Love'. The Police era didn't took long to come out of this magician with a non expected 'Every Thing She Does is Magic'.

But, of course, expected was the slowed down version of 'Roxanne' which satisfied everybody who knew Sting when he was part of the New Wave era. The Ex-Policeman finished this classic with a punk-like customary jump. Driving to the past? Jazz, reggae, some rap and pop were the ingredients handled by a band and a leader who knows how to treat grown up rock without giving out its juveniles connotations. The accomplished Sting seems to come back to the limelight with balanced energies.

(c) Norte de Castilla by Roberto Terne/translated by Vitor Cunha