Mercury Falling: 1996/97

No doubt about it, Sting's mercury was rising...

With the mania of his Police days and early solo years behind him, and with his latest release, the soft 'Mercury Falling', rapidly descending the pop charts, Sting may be headed for the more relaxed world of the ''adult contemporary'' entertainer.

But he is aging well. Goateed and muscular, Sting appeared content and youthful in combat boots, fatigue pants and a gray tank top as he and his five-man band worked the crowd of - mostly - thirty-somethings, alternately lulling and rocking them. His 90-minute set mixed popular favorites with a few more interesting choices.

He dipped into his Police repertoire for such standards as 'Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic' and 'Every Breath You Take' as well as the unexpected 'When the World Is Running Down' and 'Demolition Man'. His vocals were in fine form - his age noticeable only on the highs in 'Roxanne'.

Sting was in control on bass, but the band wasn't up to rocking Police standards. Ironically, on 'Synchronicity II', they weren't quite in synch. The jovial, untucked saxophonist and trombonist filled the set with improvisational interludes and jazzy tomfoolery - and even an old-school rap by sax man Butch Thomas in the middle of an excellent rendition of 'An Englishman in New York'.

Sting gave the current album its due, with well-crafted tracks like 'The Hounds of Winter' and 'I Hung My Head'.

Opener Lyle Lovett entered the stage to enthusiastic applause to share the vocals on the country-influenced 'I'm So Happy I Can't Keep From Crying.' The balanced set kept the crowd rapt. For every soothing sit-down number like 'Fields of Gold', there was an up-tempo 'If You Love Somebody Set Them Free' to get the fans up and dancing. He chose to bow out quietly, ending the night with 'Mercury Falling' and 'Fragile'.

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the show was that each song was translated into sign language - ''a beautiful language,'' as Sting called it. Two energetic female signers in the pit below stage-right took turns gracefully bringing his lyrics to a contingent of deaf fans in front of the stage. Credit Sting with making a fascinating addition to the rock scene. 'My Faith In You' was performed as the encore, and then some.

No doubt about it, Sting's mercury was rising.

(c) The Buffalo News by Jim Sullivan

Sting and Lovett: wonderful voices in different ways...

Birds and reptiles are actually closely related, if you're willing to check back to maybe the Jurassic Era. So the idea of two such exotic and diverse creatures as Sting and Lyle Lovett existing in the same environment - perhaps even eating the same backstage meal - has some precedent.

Still, it was a little eerie Saturday night at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center watching the two warble their way together through 'I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying', the country song on Sting's latest album, 'Mercury Falling'.

It was like watching an amiable meeting between two leaders from different planets.

Consider Lovett: his gangly build and the famous hair that appears to have been constructed from a wild animal pelt combine to give him the look of a carrion bird.

Dressed like an undertaker, Lovett's eyes narrow to little slits as he sings, and he constantly glances over his shoulder as though someone's sneaking up on him.

And consider Sting. There's an attitude there that just makes you want to call him... Sting Baby. Maybe it's the sense of colossal self-purpose that he brings to the stage. His blond hair is cut in the ragged style of a combine passing through a wheat field, and he's added a bristly goatee. His ensemble included a green knit vest, silk parachute pants and combat boots.

But it was a really nice show for about 10,000 people by two entertainers who actually have a few things in common.

Both have wonderful voices, although in different ways. Sting soars and barks like a dog, while Lovett convincingly conveys the lonely, pathetic man he claims to be in his songs. It's probably natural that every lyric he writes is examined for clues about his ex-wife, Julia Roberts, because every character in his song is reflecting over a cup of coffee, as though considering a deep loss.

Whimsy is a big part of Lovett's act. It's in songs such as 'She's No Lady, She's My Wife' and it's in his between-song patter as well. Introducing one number, Lovett described how he once knew a woman oh Lord, is he talking about Julia again? - who would watch The Andy Griffith Show and write poetry "after it had sunk in."

Most importantly, Lovett and Sting fuse many styles; they performed a country song together, but both are heavily into jazz today. Sting's fusion seemed a little more like puree when he came on he was too smooth - but three or four songs in, the whole effect began to make sense.

(c) The Democrat & Chronicle by Jeff Spevak