Mercury Falling: 1996/97

Sting at the Age of Reason - 4,000 people at Antarès last night for a superb line-up...

Sting is back in France this winter with his 'Mercury Falling Tour', named after his latest album. A generous soul, he "offered" this opening act to singer Noa. They sang at Antarès last night, in front of 4,000 people.

Between Noa and Sting, we don't know if there's a love story. But there is love, recurring throughout their songs; there is a search for roots, Yemeni for one and deeply Christian and Christian for the other. There is also "pop." She particularly resonates in Noa's English-language pieces: raised in New York, a "product" of Anglo-Saxon culture and a certain jazz (Europa Festival fans will remember that she performed there a few years ago), she now lives in Tel Aviv where she has perfected her percussion skills and developed her Hebrew repertoire.

The result is there: the captivating Israeli plays (perhaps a little too much) on her beauty, but possesses an extraordinary talent and voice that Gil Dor, her faithful guitarist, has accompanied since her debut.

Still "Pop" with Sting. Gone are the barely cropped hair and unkempt raincoat of "An Englishman In New York." The Englishman from Newcastle plays her in black and with close-cropped hair, with the look of a boxer and the gentleness of a sandman. He completed his shift, which began in the '80s, and delivered a very jazzy concert (like the revised and corrected "If You Love Somebody"), sometimes consensual and smooth, where he leaped from funk to rhythm and blues.

Fortunately, we occasionally find those Celtic accents that open the ears to the endless expanses of his native land. Most of the time, the ex-Police invites us to a "mix" of world music. We sometimes regret that his surrealism is sometimes drowned in overly prolonged musical contemplation. His voice nevertheless remains intact in the depth of its timbre. Nostalgia remains. The audience remembers him, who reprised "Roxanne" from his debut. And "Mercury Falling" marks the air of a wise, almost Zen Sting, without pranks and rich in multiple styles, yet he still maintains his identity. It's rare.

(c) Unknown newspaper

Noa the bewitching, Sting the generous - 4,500 fans cheered a charming duo at the exhibition centre...

Noa almost saw Sting as the star on Monday evening at the Lanester exhibition centre. The 4,500 spectators present, delighted by the singer's performance, ultimately enjoyed the concert by the English star in fine form.

They didn't sing together, but their partnership worked well. Noa provided a powerful opening act for Sting's concert on Monday evening. This young Israeli woman, an activist for a secular Jewish state and recognition of Palestinian rights, is as committed to life as she is to her concerts.

For three-quarters of an hour, she created a warm atmosphere in the gloomy hall of the exhibition centre. Well served by her musicians, who moved seamlessly from the microphone to the congas, the beautiful dark-haired Oriental woman sent shivers down the spines of many.

Her last song, before the traditional encore, was a welcome hymn to brotherhood and humanity before Christmas. "The victory of light over darkness," she announced, before singing a new melody to the Middle Eastern pafrum, seated in joy, her hands dancing above her head like little flames.

The applause rose very high, but it was time to pack up and leave the spotlight to Mister Sting. What if the Interceltic Festival invited Noa as a guest star and ambassador of world music, just to spice up the program? We can always dream.

The breezes hadn't yet cooled when the former Police frontman was back at it. Four tracks from Mercury Fall, his latest album, to introduce the new Sting, and the singer-bassist embarked on an exploration of his musical world, gradually returning to his roots. Right to the end, the audience followed him, "You're all very kind," politely congratulating the singer, his face like a black commando, revealing his long, muscular arms.

The forty-year-old is doing well, but he's not the thug type. A little stingy with his musicians, whom he rarely lets express themselves—gone are the days when he performed in concert with some serious stars—Sting was generous with the audience, who, for their part, gave him all the energy he wanted. The inspired instrumentalist wasn't there, but the singer gave free rein to his performances. What a voice! His voice, soaring high notes like few artists can, played trapeze on his bass strings.

Women, men, children... the entire extended family, who had come for the final Wave concert of the year, sang along to "Roxanne," the Police hit that Sting joyfully revisited. Another powerful image of the evening: a boy and a girl invited on stage to sing with him. These two will remember this beloved evening (200 francs for adults at the door) for the rest of their lives, but it was decidedly very convivial.

(c) Ouest France by François Nikly