Broken Music: 2005/06

Police-style onslaught...

Sting ran through the best tracks from his former band in a packed venue. One hour and forty minutes with a very brief encore.

A persistent legend, which girls gigglingly share, attributes to him the ability to make love for hours on end. It's one of the benefits of tantric yoga. On Tuesday evening, Sting only lasted 1 hour and 40 minutes on the stage of the Stravinski Auditorium, with a fleeting encore. Considering the ticket prices (109 francs standing, 249 francs seated), he could have made more of an effort.

But still, it was an excellent concert. Mostly Police songs, played with relentless intensity in a packed venue. Maximum capacity: 4,000 people. The sweltering heat didn't detract from the predominantly rock performance. To allow paying audience members to take their seats for this Swiss exclusive, the festival asked its badged staff to wait outside, or even remain outside altogether.

On stage, the singer, in fine voice and armed with a gritty bass, didn't catch his breath from the opening notes ("Message In A Bottle") to the smooth landing ("Fragile"). Alongside him were two guitarists: the ever-faithful Dominic Miller and Lyle Workman, who made liberal use of the effects pedals. Behind the drums was the powerhouse Abe Laboriel Jr.

Quincy Jones (see following pages) announced the start of the show at 10 p.m. Sting appeared very elegant, his blond hair streaked with silver. The Englishman quickly shed his jacket, revealing a finely sculpted figure beneath a sheer blouse. "What a body! Did you see his butt?" was a common refrain.

An inspired composer, a handsome man, a charmer, he can revisit his repertoire without ever becoming tiresome. We've seen him unplugged, with strings and brass; now we discover him in Montreux, playing with tempos, revisiting the Beatles, or quoting the jazzy phrasing of "It Ain't Necessarily So" ('Porgy and Bess') on "So Lonely." Twenty-one tracks in all. Not a single one from his latest album. An oversight? Sting seemed a bit rushed on Tuesday.

© Le Matin by Didier Dana

Police Raid...

Sting was at the Palais des Congrès on Tuesday: armed with a Fender bass, Gordon Sumner unleashed about fifteen hits into the crowd after checking their IDs.

It didn't matter that Sting's concert was one of the most expensive of the festival. Tuesday evening, the Stravinski auditorium was packed to the rafters, and even cubic centimeters of oxygen were being sold at a premium. No doubt about it: the popularity of the most Jamaican of white singers remains intact despite his deplorable habit of revisiting his repertoire dressed as a jazz dandy (see this same venue in 2001) or as a pop astronaut prone to new-age antics. Back to reality: for this one and only Swiss concert that Sting, it's said, personally insisted on performing in Montreux, the singer is expected to be as venomous as ever, one who won't hesitate to delve into the archives of The Police, the band he left in 1985 for a solo career marked by fluctuating inspiration.

And he's right. Backed by a drummer with a monstrous yet precise touch and a pair of guitarists with sparing use of effects, Sting goes for a raw, unpolished sound. Or almost. Not his fault: the man is both talented AND experienced. Nearly thirty years after its creation, 'Message in a Bottle', which opens the concert, has had time to absorb the dozens of transformations of Sting: ex-punk, singer, bassist, guitarist, actor, environmental activist, and tantric sex instructor. Like the other proto-punk anthems he unearthed in ninety minutes under a sweltering sun, the venom of the early versions had given way to a more consensual, effective rock sound, with impeccable production. But the master of ceremonies's conviction, too, seemed to be in check.

Dressed in a smart shirt, a glass of water to his right and a teleprompter (!) to his left, Sting appeared to be taking the easy way out—a path he misjudged and disrupted by tedious jazzy digressions from which 'Roxanne' never recovered. Outside the generic rock format, his finest inspirations benefited from more spacious passages: 'Every Little Thing She Does is Magic', 'A Day in the Life' (a Beatles cover), and especially a final 'Fragile' played on acoustic guitar, the only remedy to the odious ethno-disco 'Desert Rose' that Sting belted out as an encore. At 54, he's capable of demonstrating an undiminished voice, boasting an effective backing band, and gracefully revisiting his repertoire with his hands in his pockets. But he can't resurrect The Police, dead and buried in 1985.

© La Presse by Francois Barras

Sting at the Montreux Jazz Festival...

It was the most eagerly anticipated concert: On Tuesday, Sting stopped in Montreux as part of his Broken Music Tour. And he thrilled the audience.

It was the most eagerly anticipated concert: On Tuesday, Sting stopped in Montreux as part of his Broken Music Tour. And he thrilled the audience. The lanky blond from The Police would one day be the next Charlie Parker: That was the first thing Quincy Jones heard about Sting in 1976, as he announced at the start of the concert.

Indeed, Sting has made music history and, it is said, earned 100 million pounds. Therefore, he can afford to be selective and perform in intimate venues like Alberschwende (Austria), Werchter (Belgium), or, indeed, Montreux.

The average age on Lake Geneva was high, and because a sponsor had booked all the seats, gray heads could also be seen in the stalls. The atmosphere was less hysterical than at teen concerts, but by the time he played "Sending SOS," "If I Ever Lose My Faith In You," "Walking on the Moon," and of course, "Englishman in New York," it was ecstatic.

But Sting would be betraying his jazz roots if he were to deliver a request concert. Supported by superb musicians, including Paul McCartney's drummer Abe Laboriel Jr., he varied the songs to his heart's content—though not always with great imagination. The highlight was a 20-minute, very free version of "Roxanne."

After four encores, including a rather lackluster rendition of "Every Breath You Take," he said goodbye. He has 12 more concerts scheduled before the end of the month, including shows in Russia and the Baltic states. Since saving the rainforest and advocating for human rights are among his passions, as is Tantra, he is one of the fittest musicians of his profession and age group.

Given the long shadow cast by the rock aristocrat, one almost felt sorry for his opening act, Starsailor: They, who had only one hit to date – "Four on the Floor" in 2004 – performed without drums or keyboards, just bass and acoustic guitars. While this suited their polished, class-obsessed look, it was also somewhat dull.

But we'll be hearing more from them: next up is July 16th in Munich and July 19th in Hanover, opening for the Stones.

(c) Zio