Ghost In The Machine: 1981/82

The Police prove worthy of their growing acclaim...

Everything seems to be going right for The Police these days. They are not only now popular enough to fill an arena the size of the Hollywood Sportatorium, as they did Friday; they've also become good enough to thoroughly justify that level of acclaim.

Their 70-minute Sportatorium set was invigorating stuff, their modified reggae and soul rhythms kicking in with precision and punch. As in their last South Florida show (December 1980 at the Sunrise Musical Theater), the set was not without boring moments their slow stuff, like 'Bring on the Night' and 'Shadows in the Rain' is weak on record, and it seems strange that they insist on doing extended live versions of these songs. But a couple of get-on-with-it moments are a small price to pay for an otherwise excellent set.

Like all truly fine live bands, the Police put their concert emphasis on the songs, rather than on theatrics or self-indulgent soloing. But there's no apparent effort to duplicate the studio originals, and in the playful, freewheeling live arrangements, it becomes apparent just what a good player each member of the band is.

Sting manages to perform all his many functions well. His vocals are sharp and clean, his admirably melodic bass playing provides a full bottom for the trio, and his athletic stage moves make him the visual focal point. He didn't tell any good jokes, and his repeated insistences that the crowd sing along got a little tiresome, but you can't have everything.

Andy Summers is an amazingly imaginative and tasteful guitarist, only rarely playing conventional leads or rhythm parts. Instead, he colours the music, weaving his lines deftly through whatever pattern the bass and drums are playing. His style is one of the clearest reasons the Police sound is never too heavy or muddy.

Drummer Stewart Copeland was the only one of the three to seem somewhat diminished Friday night. Not that he played badly; he was fine, bordering on superb. But he didn't dominate the sound as he did at the Sunrise show, where his powerhouse playing almost overwhelmed his partners'.

Probably, though, Copeland didn't feel that he needed to fill up the sound so much on this tour, since the band is now augmented by two saxes and a trumpet. Occasionally, the horns got lost behind the electric instruments, but generally, they fit in perfectly, especially on the newer, more soul-inflected numbers.

Most of the songs came from the Police's last two albums, and in fact, sounded better live than they did on record. In particular, 'Demolition Man', probably the weakest, cut on 'Ghost in the Machine', came off as one of the show's highlights. Not much was done from the first two albums except the hits - 'Roxanne', 'Walking on the Moon', 'Message in a Bottle'.

So far, The Police have been able to maintain a constant increase in both their popularity and their ability to deliver musically. It'll be interesting to see how far they can take it.

Opening act Joan Jett, making the big leap from clubs to an arena and her fifth South Florida appearance in a little over a year once again demonstrated how effective sweet rock'n'roll simplicity can be.

(c) The Fort Lauderdale News by Cameron Cohick