Broken Music: 2005/06

Evening walk with vital Sting along Memory Lane...

Sting is certainly an old jazz bassist and has collaborated with several of the genre's big names: Gil Evans, Kenny Kirkland and Branford Marsalis on his own projects - yes, Miles Davis himself even called him once.

But it was not in that capacity that the northern Englishman last night even sold out the town hall park and 13,000 spectators became the biggest audience success in the festival's history (coincidentally of course, because there will always be room for Sting in the calendar - jazz festival or not). Well, this time the now 55-year-old star came to Denmark in a small, effective rock lineup to consistently air the significant contributions he has made to pop and rock history - right from the Police in the wake of punk to the somewhat more distinguished solo career.

Let's just jump to the conclusion right away: It was a good version of Sting that the people of Aarhus got to see last night. Fortunately, miles away from the half-lurid ''eleganier'' version he showed up in a year and a half ago in Copenhagen's Forum with choir, brass, voluminous orchestra - and a huge urge to taste himself.

On Friday, the self-fat layer was cut off and the work clothes were put on (under the jacket, which was thrown away after a few numbers). Four men on stage in total. The resilient Sting himself in the center with deft play on the old worn-out electric bass - and with his still superb high voice intact.

Already from the opening, 'Message In a Bottle', there was massive bright community singing, which said everything that the spinning side was well represented. Of all ages. Yes, the women were in the majority this evening - not least up in front of the stage - and were willing to shout along and respond to everything ''that moved''. And that was a lot to do throughout the 1 hour and 33 minute concert...

When a Police trio of songs had set the mood, and Sting had shown that he masters the word ''thank you'' a few times, it was time for the delicate pop that has made Sting a superstar as a soloist. The classic composition 'If I Ever Lose My Faith In You' and the subtle 'Englishman In New York' were delivered beautifully tight and without any pretensions, and at that point in the concert everything was top notch - with Sting as a captivating and atmospheric frontman.

At the Denmark concert, Sting had seriously returned to the role of musician. It suited him...

''He's simply so superb to listen to'', said a smaller female audience member behind me to her girlfriend. She couldn't see Sting for more than a glimpse because of her height, but quite frankly just enjoyed standing in the middle of it all. And when Sting soon after started the beautiful folk anthem-influenced 'Fields of Gold' she was about to swim away: ''He just has a totally great voice...'' her boyfriend had to listen again.

Yes, Sting sang like an angel - with little horns on his forehead, if one were to interpret it from all the happy, smiling faces that stared almost adoringly up at the stage, where Sting added to the ''communication'' with imperceptible hip thrusts.

The build-up with alternating Police songs and solo numbers continued and about halfway through the concert the framework was loosened and more ''free play'' was allowed during the numbers for the musician team?on this tour - so that the long-time Sting guitarist Dominic Miller and the hired hands Lyle Workman (also guitar) and Abe Laboriel Jr. (drums) could stretch out.

Perhaps a little in the spirit of jazz - very a pro pos - and with a very competent bass-playing Sting as the bottom. But part of the time also with the danger of guitar strums and funk idling, before the songs were brought together again towards their end. This more or less applied to both the Beatles masterpiece 'A Day In The Life', which was quite frankly shabbily performed and unnecessary here, 'If You Love Somebody Set Them Free' and 'Voices In My Head'.

The result was not to be missed by the audience, who immediately went into talk-club mode - until more solid ground appeared under their feet again.

On the other hand, the massive response was almost touching, when 'Roxanne' was followed to the door by a huge choir, which told everything that the text has not been forgotten despite 27 years behind it. And after Sting & co. had been allowed to be musician-musicians in the first encore, the Arabic-sounding and delightfully ambitious 'Desert Rose', the ? (female) choir returned in full force in 'Every Breath You Take'.

Here you almost felt that the audience was singing directly to Sting in the song's final, repeated lines: ''Every Breath You Take, Every Move You Make, Every Step You Take, I'll be watching You''.

The ending 'Fragile' was as always beautiful with Sting's lyrical signature playing on the acoustic guitar and the rest of the group's delicate, airy bottom. It's not just a song of comfort on top of humanity's disasters a la September 11th. It's also a lovely song and a lovely take-care-of-one-now message to let the 13,000 go home quietly to.

So, a nice evening overall. And the only criticism, apart from the previously mentioned danger of being idle, was probably the concert's duration of just an hour and a half. No one could really complain about the content because of the pre-proclaimed tour of the old hits (one song was from 1999 - the rest were between 13 and 28 years old). So in this way, Sting cleverly avoided mentioning whether he will eventually succeed in finding the melody again here in the new millennium. That answer will have to come another time...

(c) www.jazzfest.dk by Henrik Friis

Rådhusparken, Aarhus: STING

One of the biggest British rock stars of the past 30 years was extremely generous with both well-known and lesser-known The Police songs when he visited Aarhus.

Although it was good to experience Sting on the musical trail that leads back to his old band The Police, one crucial ingredient was missing along the way:

It was the feeling that this particular concert was truly important and absolutely crucial for the main character and the band.

Sting came to Aarhus with a very small but very professional team, drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. and the two guitarists, the faithful companion Dominic Miller and Lyle Workman.

In doing so, Sting signaled from the beginning that he is currently taking a break from his career and taking a break from the grandiose and more pop-oriented tour experiences that have characterized the Briton's recent visit to Denmark.

During the previous few concerts, Sting has been too eager to promote new songs, and at the most recent concert in Forum, Copenhagen in particular, he spent far too many resources on new songs that couldn't stand the distance at all.

In Rådhusparken, in front of a well-prepared, adult, but also very chatty audience, he didn't come up with any new songs and was therefore in a much freer role.

He used it to zap familiarly around the almost 30-year-old repertoire that The Police and Sting have put their names to.

Therefore, we got well-executed and electric versions of rock classics like 'Message In A Bottle', 'Walking On The Moon' and 'Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic' as well as the two biggest Police hits, 'Roxanne' and 'Every Breath You Take'.

In addition, there were solo songs like 'Fields Of Gold', 'If I Ever Lose My Faith In You' and 'Fragile'. It was the evening's exit song, and here Sting, for a rare occasion, preferred the acoustic guitar over the bass guitar, which back in the 1970s was the instrument he brought with him from his career as a jazz musician and into the great promised and more commercial rock universe.

Sting went a step further and very bravely gave the packed audience lesser-known Police songs such as the semi-punk 'Next To You' and 'Driven To Tears' as well as one of the very best songs he performed as part of the famous band, namely 'When The World Is Running Down, You Make The Best Of What's Still Around'.

It was fantastic to hear these old songs live again. But it also became clear with those songs that an incredibly well-singing Sting was surrounded by three musicians who, first and foremost, were solving a specific task, and who could have played anything - and anywhere and anytime in Aarhus - without breaking a sweat.

Therefore, this evening lacked crucial nerve, temperament and the sense of a collective that elevates a concert with a star from being more than good entertainment and strong nostalgia to also being about simple magic.

(c) Jyllands Posten by Peter Schollert