Ghost In The Machine: 1981/82

The Police give an arresting show at Capital Centre...

The Police raided the Capital Centre Saturday night, enthralling a sell-out crowd of 19,000 with an arresting blend of bouncy, reggae rhythms, slashing rock and danceable New Wave.

The Go-Gos, an all-female New Wave band from Los Angeles which has crashed the charts with the giggly single 'Our Lips are Sealed', opened the show for the Police.

After a delay of nearly 1 hour and 10 minutes, the Capital Centre house-lights finally dimmed at 10:20 p.m. for the entrance of the blond-haired Police: bassist Gordon Matthew Sumner (also known as Sting), guitarist Andy Summers and red-hot drummer Stewart Copeland.

The Police, who were bolstered by a three-man horn section, gave a spirited 90-minute show that included generous samplings of 'Zenyatta Mondatta' and 'Ghost in the Machine' their latest and hot-selling album.

The band opened with 'Message in a Bottle' from 'Regatta de Blanc', their second LP. They followed that with three tunes from 'Ghost in the Machine': 'Every Little Thing She Does is Magic', 'Spirits in the Material World', and 'Hungry for You'.

Although drummer Copeland was clearly Police's best individual artist, both Sting and Mr. Summers gave satisfying performances. Sting's syncopated playing on his fretless, upright electric bass reflected his jazz roots. The bassist, in a white tank top T-shirt and green army fatigues, delighted the crowd by bouncing around the stage, jumping and kicking his feet under him a la Pete Townshend.

Guitarist Summers, by comparison, was more subdued. Wearing a black, glittery jacket, sneakers and loose-fitting yellow slacks, he rocked up and down in place, bending his knees to the downbeat. Mr. Summers's musical style relied more upon sustained chords and electronic effects than traditional rock and roll licks. He played only a couple of leads all night. But his playing, while occasionally sloppy, was interesting, tasteful and devoid of cliches.

Drummer Copeland, the cop on the beat, was simply superb. He used his laser-quick hands to dart over the tom-toms, attack the crash and hi-hat cymbals and keep a syncopated reggae rhythm. On 'Spirits in the Material World', Mr. Copeland's snare drum cut through the smoky Capital Centre darkness with sharpness and force.

His drum kit, which included cow-bells, wood blocks and extra splash and ping cymbals, was plugged into a digital delay system that repeated the percussive sounds. Mr. Copeland was especially good on 'When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What's Still Around', the band's sixth number.

The Police seemed to establish a steady momentum with the next three tunes, which included 'De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da', from their LP 'Zenyatta Mondatta'. But that momentum appeared to be lost when they followed that trio of songs with several dreary tunes that had some in the audience heading for the exits.

They regained the momentum, however, with 'One World (Not Three)', the bouncy, reggae cut from their latest album. How many fans in the mostly adolescent audience understood the progressive global ideas of that and other Police tunes is open to conjecture. But the crowd, many of whom got out of their seats and rocked back and forth, seemed to like the beat.

(c) The Baltimore Sun by Robert Fuggetta

Police in Washington...

The Police, much like the Bee Gees, are a photogenic trio who have taken a kind of cult music and bleached it and fluffed it for staggering international popularity. What the Bee Gees did for disco, the Police have done for (and to) reggae-based, synthesizer-washed British New Wave. Just as Barry Gibb leads the Bee Gees, bassist Sting leads the Police with a gorgeous singing voice that showcases the band's catchy pop melodies.

Guitarist Stewart Copeland fleshes out the melodies with tastefully understated guitar arpeggios, while drummer Andy Summers leans heavily on the high hat. Saturday night at the Capital Centre this trio was supplemented by a three-man horn section and an occasional bassist when Sting turned to the synthesizer.

When the band played melodic, up-tempo songs like 'De Do Do Do De Da Da Da', they were as refreshing as the Bee Gees, the Jacksons or Elton John. When they played slower, artsier material, they were as pompously dreary as Yes or the Moody Blues.

By contrast, the Go Go's were not only catchy but strikingly original. This all-female L.A. quintet brought a fresh urgency and irresistible dance beat to the timeless complaints of girlfriends everywhere. In the two months since their last visit to Washington their playing has tightened noticeably; Charlotte Caffey played chunky guitar to rival Keith Richard.

(c) The Washington Post by Geoffrey Hines