Sting: Cheers for the Classics...
Sting didn't present any brand-new material on the Stadtpark stage - much to the delight of his loyal fans, who have been following the British musician for almost a quarter of a century.
They waved their neon-coloured glow sticks wildly, cheered, and sang at the top of their lungs as soon as they recognized classics like "Englishman in New York" and old Police numbers like "Message in a Bottle" or "Roxanne."
The charming singer and bassist, whose real name is Gordon Sumner, performed these songs with a top-notch band, some of them in a jazzy style. Trumpeter Chris Botti, who frequently accompanies Sting, and keyboardist Jason Rebello, in particular, rightly received enthusiastic applause.
For a good 100 minutes, Sting - wearing a short, cheerfully colourful shirt - and his six-piece band presented their successful blend of pop, world music, reggae, rock, jazz, and even a hip-hop interlude.
Despite reminiscing fondly about the 49-year-old musician's past, tracks from his current album, "Brand New Day," were naturally included, though even his most devoted fans couldn't quite sing along to them fluently. This was in contrast to his interpretation of Brecht's classic "The Ballad of Mack the Knife," which Sting sang in flawless German.
Unfortunately, there was no time for an encore due to the noise regulations for the city park, which stipulate that concerts must end by 10 p.m. at the latest.
As the opening act, Nitin Sawhney presented songs from his current album, "Prophesy"; however, his spiritual soul music only met with a lukewarm reception in the city park.
(c) Hamburger Abendblatt
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