Nothing Like The Sun: 1987/88

Sting exceptional in Purdue concert...

West Lafayette "played the first of a two-night stand in Indiana with an exceptional two hour-plus performance here Tuesday night in Elliott Hall of Music on the cam pus of Purdue University.

Today he and his band will travel south bringing his show, hailed as the "most intelligent concert of the year," to Indiana University for a show in Assembly Hall.

Sting, formerly the frontman of The Police. put an emphatic end to any doubts fans might have had concerning his jazzy solo efforts during the two long sets he and his eight-piece ensemble presented before an enthusiastic, near sell-out audience of about 5,600.

He opened his first 80-minute set with the lead track of his new '...Nothing Like the Sun' album, 'The Lazarus Heart', which led neatly into the Police tune 'Too Much Information'. The audience jumped to its feet when "they first spotted Sting onstage and remained there throughout the set, dancing and clapping along to his strongly rhythmic music.

Sting made a point of introducing his band in the beginning of the show. Though that's a bit unusual, he's traveling with a most unusual band including, among others. Branford Marsalis on sax and Kenny Kirkland on keys. The power and energy of this group gave Sting's music tremendous impact live.

Music from the new album including 'We'll Be Together Again', 'Englishman in New York', 'Sister Moon' and the playful 'Rock Steady', filled most of the first half. Following the latter. Sting told fans the song was written in "reaction to American television evangelism."

"Which brings me to my next song... A man called Jimmy Swaggart once claimed it was written by the devil," he said as his audience roared. "Well, he ought to know."

The tune, 'Murder By Numbers', featured a fine sax solo by Marsalis. It was followed by the new 'Straight to My Heart', which as Sting demonstrated, was written and performed in 7/4 time.

Following a vastly different version of the Police hit One World Is Enough, Sting wound down the first set with 'If You Love Somebody Set Them Free', 'Consider Me Gone' (with its incredible keyboards/vocals work from Delmar Brown) and the inventive pairing of 'Bring on the Night' and 'When the World Is Running Down'.

Following a brief intermission, Sting returned with the evocative 'They Dance Alone', a song inspired by the emotional dance of grief played out by women of the "disappeared" men of Chile.

A dramatic new interpretation of 'King of Pain' led into a few more tunes from his current album, including 'Be Still My Beating Heart', 'Fragile' (during which the former Police bass-man played lead acoustic guitar) and 'Little Wing', an inspired cover of the Jimi Hendrix song that featured brilliant guitar work from Jeff Campbell.

Sting returned to the stage alone to accept the audience's ovation, and asked what they most wanted to hear. In almost perfect unison they called out for 'Roxanne', the first hit song for The Police.

Though he teased about not wanting to play it, Sting eventually obliged with a solo acoustic version and was eventually joined by Marsalis.

Sting, backed by his full band, also offered 'Fortress Around Your Heart' and 'Don't Stand So Close'.

Returning for a second encore, he played another new al- bum track, the Brecht-inspired 'The Secret Marriage', before again asking what the crowd wanted to hear.

Though he pretended to hear shouts for songs by Bon Jovi and Madonna (he even offered a half-hearted snippet of 'Material Girl'). Sting clearly understood that fans wanted to hear another Police classic, 'Message in a Bottle'.

He presented the song in solo acoustic fashion, eventually turning over lyrics to fans who eagerly accepted the opportunity. Sting's band later returned to the stage to finish the song in commanding a cappella style.

(c) Indianapolis Star by Jill Warren

Sting's solos dominate PU Concert...

Opening with a rendition of 'Lazarus Heart' and closing the show with 'Message In A Bottle', Sting's energy kept the room temperature at a consistent simmer at the Elliott Hall of Music Tuesday night. Occasionally it boiled, but it was never tepid.

Lasting nearly three hours, the concert featured over 20 songs - each one given extended play. Although recent material from his two solo efforts clearly dominated the song list, Sting dusted off his Police badge a couple times just to give the crowd something more familiar to sing along to. Sting, typically portrayed in print - be it magazines or lyric sheets and television - as aridly serious and probably boring, proved to be neither on stage.

Instead, he maintained a light-hearted, self-effacing posture. Consciously aware of his inability to dance, Sting limited himself to prancing up and down the six-tiered set, jogging in place and goose-stepping. But it was unanimous. No one on stage could dance. No one in the audience seemed to care.

Both keyboardist Kenny Kirkland and saxophone player Branford Marsalis got enough spotlight solos to get a sunburn, occasionally outshining the central figure, who seemed more than willing to share audience attention. Marsalis appeared to be weary, somewhat shy of the crowd and reluctant to prance around the stage, despite prompting from Sting.

Stating his favourite American programming is TV evangelism, Sting made two references to the arrestingly photogenic Jimmy Swaggart. Introducing the Police standard 'Murder by Numbers', Sting said, ''Jimmy Swaggart claimed this next song was written by Satan. He should know.'' Reclaiming the stage for his first encore, Sting asked the audience for requests. 'Roxanne'. Claiming he sings the song every night of his life, he said ''just give me one night off. Even Jimmy Swaggart had a night off.''

Perhaps sluggish from the barrage of encore requests, fewer band members took to the stage each time Sting was beckoned back for another round. By the third encore, the crowd replaced the tardy back-up band and fleshed out Sting's acoustic 'Message In A Bottle' by joining in on the choruses. Near the end of the song, band members reappeared to assist the crowd, joining in on vocal duties. Apparently, backstage Elliott Hall has ample changing room. Each of the band members returned for their final appearance, without instruments, in street clothing. Even Marsalis traded in his suit for track pants, jersey, and ski-cap.

Frequently approaching the rim of the stage, Sting punctuated his performance by shaking hands with crowd members. Two ticket holders responded by leaping onto the stage, hugging the 36-year-old singer and meeting security personnel. Taking requests for encore songs, Sting informed a member of the audience that 'You Give Love a Bad Name' was indeed a Bon Jovi song. Asked to do 'Material Girl', Sting lowered his suspenders from his shoulders in parody of Madonna's bra routine.

The crowd, failing to rush the stage even once, behaved almost embarrassingly well. The audience, which ignored the chairs, kept to their feet and staged what was either an ill-fated attempt at a mass sit-down or an extremely slow wave.

(c) The Purdue University Exponent by Ryan Konig

Sting takes Purdue by storm...

A banner was hung from the first balcony of Elliott Hall of Music before Sting took the stage Tuesday night, and it proved prophetic.

"Purdue's heart beats with Sting," it read.

Before the night was over, the British singer-songwriter had about 5,600 souls wrapped around his finger.

Sting performed 22 songs during the 22-hour concert - alternating material from his recent double-album, '...Nothing Like the Sun', with tunes he wrote as the leader of the pop group the Police. 

Sting opened with the new 'Lazarus Heart' and 'Too Much Information', one of the older songs to get completely different treatment in concert. The talented eight-piece band featured saxophonist Branford Marsalis and keyboardist Kenny Kirkland.

Early in the show, Sting went to the edge of the stage to shake hands with some of the audience. Two fans, one male and a female, later would be chased from the stage by security. 

Four more new songs followed recent Top 10 hit 'We'll be Together," the jazzy 'An Englishman in New York', 'Sister Moon' and 'Rock Steady' the before Sting displayed his keen sense of humour.

"That last song ('Rock Steady') was written about one of my favourite things in America, television evangelists," he said. "And a man named Jimmy Swaggart claimed this next song ('Murder by Numbers') was written by Satan. He should know."

Swaggart recently was suspended by the Assemblies of God Church for reportedly engaging in pornographic acts with a prostitute.

The 80-minute first set ended with 'Straight to My Heart', 'One World', 'Set Them Free', 'Consider Me Gone' and 'Bring on the Night'.

'Set Them Free' - a hit from Sting's first solo album, 'The Dream of the Blue Turtles' - was another familiar song to get new treatment.

He opened the 70-minute second set with 'They Dance Alone', a story of the thousands of "disappeared" in Chile, victims of the Pinochet government.

'King of Pain', which Sting wrote with the Police, was another of the evening's many group sing-alongs he shared with the audience. 'Fragile', during which Sting displayed his talent with an acoustic guitar, was another political song that says violence will solve nothing.

'Little Wing', a cover version of the Jimi Hendrix classic, stopped the show.

The first encore was a crowd favourite.

"What do you want to hear?" Sting asked, walking on stage alone.

"'Roxanne', the crowd answered.

"Every night of my life I have to sing that song, can't you give me just one night off?"

"No."

"C'mon, Jimmy Swaggart got a night off."

"No."

"You heartless bastards."

Marsalis' accompaniment on 'Roxanne' fit perfectly into the traditional favourite.

'Fortress Around Your Heart' and a slower, barely noticeable version of 'Don't Stand So Close to Me' concluded the first set of encores.

The crowd called him back for two more encores, and after a moving rendition of the new 'Secret Marriage', again Sting asked what they wanted to hear.

"'Message in a Bottle'," they answered.

"'You Give Love a Bad Name', that's a Bon Jovi song," Sting said before asking again.

"'Material Girl', that's a Madonna song," Sting said, launching into a parody of the performer.

He finally accompanied himself on acoustic guitar for 'Message in a Bottle'; much of the crowd sang the background chorus.

(c) The Journal and Courier by Mark Curnutte