Nothing Like The Sun: 1987/88

Sting's stage show reaches new heights, crowd's heart...

A decision to cancel concerts at The Ballpark in Old Orchard Beach brought the quality music event of the season to the Cumberland County Civic Center Saturday night, where pop musician and peace activist Sting provided two and a half hours of captivating music for 8,000 of his fans.

Backed by a band of nine that included two background singers one of whom doubled as bass guitarist-Sting breezed through a collection of songs dating back to the late '70s, when he was lead singer for The Police.

Up front with Sting was saxophone great Branford Marsalis, whose considerable musical skills alone would have given fans their money's worth. Sting also known as Gordon Sumner started the show with dark-shaded material from his current album, 'Nothing Like the Sun'. Opening with 'The Lazarus Heart', Sting followed with the only bona fide hit from 'Nothing Like the Sun', 'We'll be Together'.

While most rock bands save their most recent hits for an encore set, Sting refused to pander to the industry formula that builds toward a finale instead choosing to keep the musical energy at even keel all evening.

Although this performance had been billed as Sting's first Maine appearance, the singer himself remembered when he was here last - with The Police - in April 1982.

"Well, it's nice to be back in Portland, Maine," he said after the first two numbers.

"They said rock'n'roll is too noisy for that other place," he continued, alluding to The Ballpark, from which Sting and other performers have been banned by the Old Orchard Beach Town Council.

"Let's show 'em some noise!"

The 36-year-old actor-turned-singer continued with 'Englishman in New York' and 'Sister Moon', which epitomized the dark resignation of 'Nothing Like the Sun'.

The tempo brightened as the percussion-heavy band chirped through several hits from Sting's Police days: 'King of Pain', 'Message in a Bottle' and 'Every Breath You Take" were all hits with the audience.

Sting removed his shirt for 'Don't Stand So Close to Me', delivering the 1986 version of his hit in black suspenders-on-flesh.

Curiously, Sting played nothing from his first solo album, 'The Dream of the Blue Turtle', save for 'If You Love Somebody Set Them Free'. It would have been good to hear the reggae-flavoured 'Love is the Seventh Wave', the haunting 'Russians' or Sting's bluesy 'Moon Over Bourbon Street' from that disc. 

However, we shall not complain. At least the Civic Center - along with its consistently professional staff - was available for the Sting date on short notice.

All rock'n'roll bands are not equal and neither are their followers.

No one would dispute that a band like Def Leppard whose appearance last month led to the concert ban - sells tickets to young fans who are prone to typical adolescent rowdiness. But it was obvious that the demographic profile of Sting's fans shows a far more convivial group.

It simply makes sense that a musician whose work is thoughtful and provocative would not attract the young, drunken yahoos that a teen-oriented heavy metal band would.

(c) Evening Express by Jim Sanville