We had a real treat...
First, to answer any questions: Yes, I was the guy in the Police shirt and hat dancing down the front!
The crowd was by far the largest yet. They must have oversold the place or something. I was wondering why there were so many people on the lawn even before Sting's show started, then I realized that there was superb sound along with huge screens broadcasting directly to the lawn seats. This along with a seemingly endless supply of second-hand marijuana smoke made everyone very happy. There was also an insane amount of alcohol consumed by everyone. People here were like everywhere else, more happy to have a date for the night than to appreciate the music making going on.
Show wise, we had a real treat tonight. Sting played 'Message in a Bottle' in the 2nd encore! He's doing a really cool thing at the end where he's muting the strings on the riff, creating an almost pizzacato effect. Also, has anyone else noticed that the first note in the riff is now a low E, whereas it used to be a C#? I think this is because it's an almost impossible riff to play the original way (like how Andy did... even HE screwed it up sometimes!).
Jason's keyboard sound went out during his solo in 'When the World', and he had a tough time getting back into it. If you're going to a future show, listen in Roxanne for the hints of 'Spirits in the Material World', every night they play more and more of it. Dominic plays the riff almost exactly on the guitar now, but Sting still is sticking to a double-time reggae feel.
The crowd tonight were probably the best so far. These people must have gone to Europe, because they stood (yes, even in the first 15 rows) for the whole thing!
(c) James Norman for Sting.com
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