Sting moves the crowd by sheer musicianship...
Forget about the jazz thing and its relation to the rock star Sting. Whatever real jazz Sting plays is insignificant compared to the rock he produces, and it alone can touch and move near-capacity crowds of various tastes like the one gathered at Starlight Theatre Saturday night.
Take the kids wearing Metallica and Dokken T-Shirts. That guitar solo by Jeffrey Lee Campbell at the end of 'Little Wing' was a monster by itself. The kids wearing the U2 shirts could have picked up on the political and social pleas in 'Englishman in New York', 'They Dance Alone' and 'Fragile', while the INXS kids had to like the kicks in 'Rock Steady' 'One World' and 'Don't Stand So Close to Me'.
And the adults, of which there were many, heard the predictably brilliant pianist Kenny Kirkland and saxophonist Branford Marsalis, who ironically was blowing pleasing jazz through this rock show while his buddies E.U. from the movie 'School Daze'were jamming down at Kemper.
And everyone saw in Sting a showman who has long since exceeded the usual rock star range in music, motion and meaning. He looked most at home between Campbell and ex-Waitresses bassist Tracy Wormsworth, playing his guitar and seeming quite pleased with all the action in the front rows.
The best part of this show was the music. Visually, Sting is no great shakes, though he, Campbell, Wormsworth and singer Dolette McDonald have some fancy, calculated steps. But even a casual Sting fan, or fans from his Police days, would recognize each song he played. And thanks to the band, each song is only better.
The jazz element certainly meant little to some of the younger fans, who saw fit to bring the usual rock mentality down front. There was little sitting down and appreciating the impact of Sting's words or the beauty of the playing when an up-tempo number came up and people jumped on their seats. Also, late in the show, security had to work hard to keep idiots from jumping on stage. They didn't get them all.
The show wasn't free of Sting-style politics. Sting will soon join the Amnesty International Tour with Bruce Springsteen and Tracy Chapman. On stage, he addressed a question that had been raised regarding his playing a concert sponsored in part by the Coors Co.
"They said I shouldn't play here because Coors also sponsors the contras," Sting said before an emotional version of 'Fragile'. "But that's their right because this is a democracy. Just like I have the right to sing this song."
Off stage, Amnesty International booths took names for its Human Rights Now campaign. Sarah Feldman of Overland Park said more than 1,000 signatures were gathered.
(c) Kansas City Times by Ward W. Triplett III
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