Nothing Like The Sun: 1987/88

Bewildering Sting hits most of his marks...

Sting is rather like your favourite breath mint. Or is that a candy mint? Sting is a pop star and a serious artiste; he's a silly dancer and a politically inspired songwriter; he's a stylistic synthesist and a believer in the power of a simple refrain. Want more? He's a stark-raving heavy metal freak and a cocktail jazz singer; he's Everyman and an Intellectual. He's even Johnny Cash: Sting was the man-in-white during the first set and the man-in-black during the second... symbolising man's duelling nature or just a sartorial change of mind?

Last night, Sting brought his roadshow - two sets totalling 130 minutes - to a soldout crowd at Great Woods. He was accompanied by his nearly all-black septet, and they played, for the most part, a heady, cross-cultural stew of jazz-oriented pop. They brilliantly reworked the old Police songs 'Bring On the Night' and 'When the World Is Running Down' at the close of the first set; they - especially saxophonist Branford Marsalis - played with magnificent poise and discipline. Stunning arrangements. But then, Sting tried to make this audience compete with other audiences for singalong volume - there is no more dopey trick - and there were moments, especially during the second, more melancholic, set, when it all sunk into a low-key, self-indulgent bog. The march into the bog was proudly led by the ultra-sensitive, semi-longhaired Sting. Hey, it's hard to avoid: Sting invites this love/hate - as George Bush might put it - thing.

And it's no surprise, really: When Sting shows up, critics clash: Genius or fraud? (Just to keep you up to date, Musician magazine has voted for the former and Village Voice for the latter.) It's worth noting that this sort of controversy has dogged Sting from the start; remember, the bottle-blond Policemen were not exactly the darlings of the punk rock set. The idea was floated early on that these elder gentlemen - including an ex-schoolteacher/ jazzbo (Sting) and an ex-member of progressive rockers Curved Air - were not exactly the genuine, angry young article. And, now, two albums into his solo career Sting, for all his smarts and for all his love of music, still seems a little suspect. Part of that is because of a certain smugness, something Sting has a much harder time shedding as a rocker than he does as an actor - in fact, he's earned admirable praise in his secondary career.

But that's (almost) enough carping. Second set doldrums aside, Sting hit most of his marks - from the easy, nostalgic swing of 'Englishman in New York', to the poignancy of 'They Dance Alone' and 'Sister Moon' to the hell-bent-for-glory wail of Jimi Hendrix's 'Little Wing'.

He sang for Nelson Mandela and he railed at the Republicans (''What was missing from their convention was the I-word - intelligence. What a bunch of weirdos'').

He sang a lot about love, dipped into blues, avoided Police-like reggae, and closed with an interminably long 'Don't Stand So Close To Me' - in which the black jacket came off; yes, folks he's a sex symbol too! - and a puzzling final encore of Squeeze's 'Tempted'.

Bet he does the same tonight.

(c) The Boston Globe by Jim Sullivan

Great Woods gladly stung by Sting...

Critics have called rock star Sting many things. Pretentious. Self-indulgent. Ego- maniacal.

He's all of the above... and extremely talented. This Englishman in America proved that last night in the first of two shows at the Great Woods Center for the Performing Arts. Delivering a superb 19-song, 2-hour-plus set before a capacity crowd, the former Police frontman and his crackerjack band were in top form from start to finish.

Ah, what a band. Sting is wise enough to surround himself with the finest musicians, and the super-tight group that's hit the road for this gruelling 13-month tour provides some brilliant playing. Branford Marsalis' reed work - mostly saxophone and clarinet-sets the mood of each song, much like Andy Mackay's blistering sax set the stage for Bryan Ferry's anguished croonings with Roxy Music.

The red-hot rhythm section - (S.T. Lewis, drums; Mino Cinelu, percussion; Tracy Wormsworth, bass) is the power behind each tune, fuelling and setting an infectious groove that set many a toe tapping. Kenny Kirkland's jazzy classical piano and Delmar Brown's aggressive funky organ played well off one another, and guitarist Jeff Campbell handled rock and roll and quiet ballads with the same finesse.

But the audience had come to see and hear Gordon "Sting" Sumner, and he was in fine form. After opening with a jazzy 'The Lazarus Heart' from his latest album, 'Nothing Like The Sun', he jumped into 'Too Much Information', a big hit for the Police.

From there, each tune surpassed the next. 'We'll Be Together', featuring some fine vocal work by Dolette McDonald, was a high-energy high, and 'An Englishman in New York' was highlighted by Marsalis' light, airy alto clarinet.

Sting has a talent for blending one song into another. The classic 'Summertime' led into 'Sister Moon'; 'Bring on the Night' evolved into a chugging 'When the World is Running Down You Make the Best of What's Still Around'; and the delicate 'Fragile' turned into the evening's peak, a superb rendition of Jimi Hendrix's 'Little Wing'.

The latter found Campbell doing his very best Hendrix impression, squeezing emotion and power out of his howling, crying guitar. This boy can play.

The show was split into two parts. A two-encore, 7-song closing set followed a 10-song pre-intermission show.

There were many standouts. 'One World (Not Three)' was a burning reggae-style funk fest that found audience members chanting the chorus and clapping along. 'If You Love Somebody Set Them Free', dedicated to Nelson Mandela, was lovely.

The second set began with a slowed-down 'King of Pain', a wondrous, soulful 'They Dance Alone'. Encore No. 1 - 'Down So Long' and 'Don't Stand So Close to Me' - led to an unusual second encore two verses of the Stones' 'You Can't Always Get What You Want' and Paul Carrack's 'Tempted'. It was an odd way to conclude a terrific show, and audience memmbers booed when the house lights came on, wanting to hear a 'Every Breath You Take' or 'Roxanne' or something from his marvellous first solo LP, 'The Dream of the Blue Turtles'.

On the fashion front, Sting wore a loose-fitting casual outfit during the first set, switching to a black number after intermission. Audience members squealed their approval when Sting removed his jacket to reveal well-tanned torso and then led a group aerobics session with band members performing jumping jacks and high leg kicks. Tonight's show, also at Great Woods, is sold out.

(c) The Daily Item by Bill Brotherton