For Reno, there's nothing like Sting...
From the first time I saw Sting, 10 years ago in a little dive in Salt Lake City, playing to a packed house of about 30 people with the then-New Wave band The Police, I knew he'd be great. At least that's what I remember. But I never knew he'd be as great as he was Saturday night at Lawlor Events Center, this time as a jazz-reggae-rock solo act.
Unaccompanied by an opening act, Sting and band took the stage at about 8:15 p.m. and left about three hours later, interrupted only by a short break. From the moment they opened with 'The Lazarus Heart', the group was in control of the crowd of about 9,000.
'Lazarus Heart' segued into a jazz version of The Police's 'Too Much Information', foliowed by a funk version of 'We'll Be Together', off Sting's latest album, '...Nothing Like the Sun'.
Throughout, keyboardist Kenny Kirkland traded lead riffs with saxophonist/horn player Branford Marsalis in a jazz-rock standoff supported by percussionist Mino Cinelu, drummer Marvin Smith, and Tracy Wormworth on bass.
Both Marsalis and Kirkland shined on the calypso 'Englishman in New York' and the slow jazz 'Sister Moon'. On 'Consider Me Gone', keyboardist/vocalist Delmar Brown did what is probably best described as a scat piano-vocal solo that left one breathless. Jimi Hendrix's 'Little Wing' featured a Hendrix-style scorching solo from guitarist Jeff Campbell, and on 'Be Still My Beating Heart', the hypnotic rhythm section carried the day.
None of which should be read to detract from Sting. His solid, expressive vocals and acoustic guitar were the hub around which the rest of the show revolved.
On the slow, dreamlike 'They Dance Alone', Sting's tribute to political prisoners, his vocals soared, then pulled into a rock'n'roll mood on a rendition of 'King Of Pain' that was nearly note for note a copy of The Police version of the song.
On most songs, however, Sting clearly left behind his minimalist Police stage, preferring complex jazz versions of even the songs his former band made famous.
On 'Bring On The Night/When The World Is Running Down', what once depended on Stewart Copeland's drum pyrotechnics and Andy Summers' reggae guitar colourings now give way to Kenny Kirkland's double-fisted piano attack and Sting's dance-in-the-aisles singing, matched in intensity by Dolette McDonald.
Luckily, this seasoned, seamlessly tight band is up to whatever jazz/rock/reggae/calypso demands are made on them. On one song, Sting introduced his audience to the nuances of 7/4 time, and even The Beatles 'From Me To You', slipped into the final moments of 'Little Wing', carried a complex jazz inflection.
Sting was brought back for two encores, the first featuring 'Fortress Around Your Heart' and the slow version of 'Don't Stand So Close To Me'. Brought back for the second time, Sting sang 'The Secret Marriage', accompanied Marsalis and Kirkland, and then moved into an acoustic version of 'Message In A Bottle'.
All in all, I can only conclude, as I did 10 years ago, that Sting is a musician who is still going places and will continue to be a great influence in modern music. Of course, I predicted that for the band that accompanied The Police that night... The Specials.
(c) Gazette Journal by Randall Edwards
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