Rock star Sting shone in the darkness of Tallinn
Right at the end of the concert Sting said that he knew very well that he was performing in Estonia on the memorial day of a very tragic event. He dedicated to this event the song, 'Fragile', from which remained a resounding thought that was repeated as a mantra - how fragile we, human beings, really are. And finally, when the stage darkened and the sounds ended, many people who were leaving the concert place at Vabaduse väljak (Freedom Square) sighed how great the concert was.
It was. Maybe it did not meet the expectations set by somebody who totally enjoys listening to Sting's quality pop at home, alone, loudly, from the headphones, but it certainly lightened the mind and increased the human self-estimation even more than expected.
It has never happened before
Already amongst the veterans of rock music, the youthful middle-aged Sting mostly performed the hits from his past and from his newest album 'Brand New Day'. The reggae-like 'If You Love Somebody, Set Them Free', and swinging 'Moon Over Bourbon Street' were performed, from probably the best Sting album 'The Dream Of The Blue Turtles', as well as the greatest hits from Police period, like 'Every Breath You Take' and 'Roxanne'.
The highest excitement was created by 'Englishman in New York', where Sting let the line ''Be yourself, no matter what they say'' resound.
The most colourful impression by the band was created by the trumpet-player Chris Botti, and secondly, certainly by the drummer Manu Katche, from who were heard a couple of rap-parts in French. A memorable moment was the understanding that in addition to really good bass playing skills Sting also plays the guitar nicely.
Excluding a break for a few minutes due to electrical problems - nothing like this had never happened before, as Sting commented - the technical parts, the amplified sound and light directing was enjoyably good.
All this enabled Sting's songs of quite eclectical backgrounds, with their references to reggae, jazz, afro, gospel and country, to sound and have an effect. An optimistic feeling was maintained through the concert, that surprisingly changed the melancholically sounding songs on the CDs to much more lively ones.
It was a great night
Before the concert, when the stage was empty and the memorial service in St John's church was over, Toomas Paul [the pastor] stood on a church door and peacefully and wisely observed the audience at the square. Timeless and temporal meets right here, in our lives. And so also the past has its role - yesterday's hits, and events in the past. But at the end of the day it becomes clear that to today's people the problem raises from the corner of how that influences their lives here and now and in their future, and the continuation of life.
Although Sting spoke few words about the message of his songs in an interview given before the concert, it was absolutely clear at the end of the concert that his songs tried to instill people to believe in themselves and in the world, to encourage them to look to tomorrow rather than intentionally hurt themselves with painful memories. It was a memorably great night.
(c) Postimees by Immo Mihkelson/translated by Kristel Sarapuu
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