Nothing Like The Sun: 1987/88

Sting's music speaks for itself...

Reviewers do love to hate Sting. Something about his pompous, arrogant manner strikes a bad nerve, but, damn, his show Thursday at the Concord Pavilion proved so thoroughly persuasive, it is difficult to cavil.

The sound could have been a little better. His band of virtuosos got carried away with themselves every so often, but that is often the case with virtuosos. Sting kept the grand gestures and bull to a minimum. It was, regrettably, a great show.

Now what am I going to write?

His eight-piece band of jazz-rock musicians blurred the arbitrary distinctions between the idioms and fashioned a churning, hard funk sound that could accommodate the spellbinding inventions of keyboardist Kenny Kirkland and the blinding rock flash of guitarist Jeff Campbell with equal ease. The rhythm section tackled their chores with a searing intensity that kept Sting's songs under a full boil.

Sting sang with passion and hot-blooded feeling, lending even his most arcane lyrics a genuine fervor. He goofed with the band, seemed loose and even good-natured, and generally disported himself with both conviction and cordiality. He had enough humor to bring the band back to encore with a spirited version of 'Home On the Range'.

Some of his solo efforts may be stronger than others, but his former band, the Police, never could have put together a song like 'If You Love Somebody Set Them Free', at once simple and engaging while also intricate and dense. His new band sounded somewhat over-qualified reproducing the old Police hits, although Sting still put his heart into the vocals, even if he clearly preferred the solo works. He dug into his 'Bring On the Night' with uncommon power, deftly plucking a nylon-string electric guitar, and letting keyboardist Kirkland light the instrumental passage with a solo that was nothing short of mind-boggling.

He brought the show to a stunning climax with the Jimi Hendrix classic, 'Little Wing', scorching the warm summer night with his band's supersonic firepower.

Throughout the 90-minute show - Sting eschewed his customary intermission - he gave these magnificent musicians extensive space to sketch on his canvas, without ever giving way to chaos or anarchy. Letting these players have a relatively free hand may be his most impressive stroke because they became much more than mere support, but actually had a fundamental role in the show.

The whole thing was so solidly musical and brilliantly realized. The only thing to complain about is that now I'm not going to get a nasty letter from Sting.

(c) The San Francisco Chronicle by Joel Selvin

Sting, always the heartthrob, puts on top-notch, versatile Pavilion show...

Sting brought his floppy blond mane and lean bone structure to the Concord Pavilion Thursday night, and proved that he's, well, more than just another good-looking guy.

Translation: He sang well, played well and thoroughly pleased the sold-out crowd of 9,000-plus with an eclectic set of his best music. (We'll spare you the puns about his "arresting, presence at this time.)

The performance, which lasted more than two hours, was a near-twin of his March concert at the Oakland Coliseum and featured the same band of backup players. But the fans didn't seem to mind.

The former schoolteacher-turned-rock-star-and-matinee-idol mixed moody tunes from his recent solo albums with the big beat of his Po- lice days to give the adoring crowd a full measure of his musical versatility.

And there was no doubt about it this was an adoring crowd.

It was a cross-generational mix of yups and pup part New Age, part post-punk and part pre-adult. It represented nicely the kind of crossover appeal that has propelled Sting to international superstardom and made his latest album, 'Nothing Like the Sun', a double platinum chartbuster.

Translation: wide-ranging versatility, a thin bod and blond hair breed big success, big money and adoring throngs. The old formula at work.

One of the evening's musical highlights, 'Don't Stand So Close to Me' an old Police tune about a young schoolteacher and a nubile student started the teenage hearts in the audience aflutter.

Meanwhile, his politically tinged musical statements won points among the old lefties in the crowd.

There were a few guffaws when Sting dedicated 'Consider Me Gone' to George Bush. And there was a hush of respect when he offered 'If You Love Somebody, Set Them Free', to South African political prisoner Nelson Mandela. Good looking and politically correct, too. What a guy!

Sting was helped in no small part Thursday by some hot players from the jazz vanguard, including saxophonist Branford Marsalis and keyboardists Delmar Browne and Kenny Kirkland. Their spirited playing gave the set a halting, rhythmic tension and exotic tonal complexity usually missing from pop fare.

On tunes such as 'Englishman From New York' and 'They Dance Alone', the effect was particularly haunting.

But the most enthusiastic audience response clearly was saved for the up-tempo dance tunes, the Anglo-funk stuff that Sting does so well. And he dished up a good portion of it, including ex- tended versions of 'Rock Steady' and 'One World'.

Old Police material was also received warmly.

'King of Pain' from the 'Synchronicity' album proved to be a big crowd pleaser, made especially so with the addition of a soulful Marsalis solo. The obligatory 'Every Breath You Take' also was revived for the encore. (Cue the fluttering hearts again.)

The repetition of material at this gig was understandable, coming as it did at the later stage of an extended international tour.

The bottom line is that Sting has successfully transcended the limitations of mainstream rock, and continues to do songs that have substance and a beautiful musical Zen.

The fact that he's still a teen heartthrob well past the age when a man should be one... well, we won't hold it against him.

(c) The Oakland Tribune by George Estrada