Broken Music: 2005/06

Journey into Sting's musical universe...

We had a memorable journey into Sting's musical universe, enjoying both the legendary songs of the Police band and the classics of the singer-bassist's solo career in a concert with a unique soundscape. The participants of Tuesday's concert in the Arena had a clean, fast-paced party, as they were the best on the show at the Broken Music tour party.

We waited two years for Sting after his last party at Hõsök teren, but seeing the satisfied audience at the sold-out Arena made it worth it. It would have been a great shame if Budapest had not been included in the two-year-old concert tour called Broken Music, which returns to the Police roots. We would have been the poorer for the fifth Sting concert in Hungary and the tight, fast-paced, clean, rock-sounding ''best of'' party of one of the greatest artists.

The evening was opened by the alternative rock band Fiction Plane, the band of Sting's son Joe Sumner. The eight or nine concerts were a quiet success, but let's face it, everyone was waiting for Sting. At a quarter to ten, the set-up was finished, the spotlights illuminated the stage designed in the spirit of minimal design, and the elements of the puritanical set twinkled to the rhythm of the famous 1979 song 'Message In A Bottle'. Sting's entrance on stage was accompanied by a huge ovation, and the musical legend was greeted with a standing ovation in the seated sectors as well. Dominic Miller and Lyle Workman accompanied the main character on guitar, who formed the rhythm section with drummer Abe Laboriel, Jr. as bassist. The line-up and the soundscape foretold that we would have a pleasant journey in Sting's musical universe, we would be able to enjoy both the legendary songs of the Police band founded in 1977 and the classics of his solo career with a unique soundscape. 'Synchronicity II' came second, 'If I Ever Lose My Faith In You' was followed by 'Walking On The Moon'. And Sting was in amazing form, as if time had not caught up with him since the heyday of the legendary new wave band, jumping with his bass guitar at the closing bars of the songs.

Before the evergreen cover of 'Englishman In New York' from the critically acclaimed 'Nothing Like The Sun' album, which is still considered one of the best Sting albums, he introduced his band, which he repeated several times during the concert, and the solos proved that everyone in Sting's team is an equal musician. The Englishman was a hit, the audience didn't even have to ask, the hall was already singing the chorus. As is tradition, drummer Abe Laboriel, Jr. gave his all, drumming the never-ending hit with a bang. Couples huddled together for 'Shape Of My Heart', waving their illuminated mobile phones. After 'Why Should I Cry For You', written in the early nineties, 'Fields Of Gold' was followed by a storm of applause. Sting simply couldn't help himself, there was no room for idleness in the almost two-hour party, they were the best on the show, and in the best performance. Although the black vocalists didn't come, the fans tried to replace them in their own way, the audience's backing vocals filled the hall for the song 'If You Love Somebody Set Them Free'. 'When The World Is Running Down' featured guitar solos, then the long-awaited Police opus 'Roxanne' was reworked, again with a little singing. The band left, but they didn't wait long for the encore, returning with 'Desert Rose', following the world music line they had played a lot. When the second song of the extra block, perhaps the Police's most famous song, 'Every Breath You Take', was played, several people started to mumble the lines in the arena after the exclamation of ''finally!''. Those who had been partying more restrained until then had already started to play the fast-paced 'Next To You', and then the band left again to end the fantastic musical journey with the hit 'Fragile' amidst amazing drumming and applause.

(c) Népszava by Herczeg Dóra