Police Reunion: 2007/08

The Police rock the stadium...

More than 25,000 fans were thrilled by The Police in Geneva on Sunday. It was the only Swiss concert of their world tour.

After 23 years, the legendary New Wave band reunited. From the opening song, "Message in the Bottle," Sting, his guitarist Andy Summers, and drummer Stewart Copeland had the audience at the Stade de Genève in the palm of their hand. The trio played 15 hits, including such essentials as "Roxanne" and "Walking on the Moon." The evening ended after four encores with a somewhat frantic rendition of "Next to You." Wearing a white, collarless sweater vest and black skinny jeans, Sting was in top form - and not just vocally. His youthful charm made him appear far younger than his 55 years. With French-language requests to the audience – “Chantez encore une fois s’il vous plaît, et plus fort” – he finally got even the most reserved listeners moving.

During their precise yet understated show, the musicians, known for their tumultuous relationship, communicated more with the audience than with each other. Nevertheless, Sting and Andy Summers showed no signs of animosity and demonstrated team spirit on stage. The legendary band hadn't actually rehearsed a specific stage show. Ultimately, The Police ended their Geneva concert ten minutes earlier than announced; two songs were missing from the setlist they had played at the start of their US tour. The audience, consisting primarily of people in their 30s and 40s – mostly in pairs – didn't seem to mind.

The Police had never played in Switzerland before, not even before their 23-year hiatus. Despite its exclusivity, the concert—unlike most of the shows on this tour—was not sold out. At least a third of the seats remained empty. Management kept the number of tickets sold secret. Sting greeted "40,000 people." In reality, there were likely several thousand fewer. Only about a third of the audience had traveled from German-speaking Switzerland; the rest came from French-speaking Switzerland and nearby France.

(c) Zurich Oberlander by Mathieu Cupelin

The Police dust off the hit machine...

More than 25,000 people packed the Stade de Genève yesterday to applaud the return of the English trio.

Walking On The Moon, Message In A Bottle, Every Breath You Take… In two hours, three well-tuned bass hits and a flurry of smiles, The Police had done their rounds.

On Sunday at the Stade de Genève, 28,000 people were expected. The final attendance figure? Unknown at the time of publication. What we saw and heard, however, was rather positive. The pitch was packed, but not overcrowded. The stands were similarly spacious. Relatively comfortable, considering the disastrous sound for those at the back. Too much echo, the bass was distorted.

To appreciate anything other than Sting's dazzling performance on the big screen, you had to move much further forward. In other words, pay more.

Kicking off at a blistering pace at 8:38 PM, The Police's performance lasted exactly two hours minus three minutes. A marathon set packed with their essential hits. The Police delivered their show, classic and predictable, with a stage setup that was anything but extravagant.

Stewart Copeland, the drummer whose finesse can never be praised enough, offered some lovely arrangements with gongs and bells, Andy Summers contributed two or three solos, unfortunately inaudible, and Sting, in fine voice, with his well-worn bass at the ready, brought the whole thing together with his unchanging vocals. How do you resurrect a band that died more than twenty years ago? The answer came yesterday at the Stade de Genève: by doing the same thing, plus the ego clashes, but these were clearly foreshadowed. The Police are not possible without Sting, who needs the other two. The result, while lacking in substance, wasn't unpleasant. A new album, on the other hand, seems less likely…

(c) Tribune de Genève by Fabrice Gottraux

"The Police": A highly professional trio, but lacking in flair...

After the Rolling Stones and Elton John, it was the English trio's turn to stir up nostalgia in French-speaking Switzerland with a unique performance.

From the very first notes of "Message in a Bottle," the message was clear: The Police were indeed present for their scheduled performance. Some had been waiting for this for twenty-one years. A few had probably given up hope. And yet, Sting, Stewart Copeland, and Andy Summers were there, just as they had been on that day in 1977 when they formed The Police.

Thirty years after the release of "Roxanne," La Praille was decked out in a riot of colors. There were the die-hard fans who knew the lyrics by heart and couldn't help but eagerly browse the merchandise stands. And then there are the curious, those who come because it's legendary and because the opportunity to see a concert on such a massive scale doesn't come around every day. Legendary—perhaps a bit of an exaggeration, but one we like to use when the past makes such a resounding and unexpected return.

On the gigantic stage of metal, spotlights, and amplifiers, the three men seem tiny. In perfect harmony with the chords, the front and sides of the stage act like chameleons, as on "Synchronicity II" or the irresistible "Walking On The Moon." The crowd responds to Sting's every cue, even on the trio's less crowd-pleasing tracks like "Driven To Tears," "Hole In My Life," or "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da."

As for the performance, the fifty-somethings deliver. Sting's voice is silky smooth, Andy Summers' guitar playing is understated, while Stewart Copeland gleefully pounds his drums. Despite their professionalism, the three guys struggle to truly captivate a receptive audience. The show is polished, no need for embellishment. Long since abandoning their post-punk roots, the band revisits their five studio albums, as if to underscore the meteoric rise of a success punctuated by "Synchronicity," which sold over ten million copies.

While the audience appreciated the performance, it's doubtful the organizers shared the same reaction upon seeing the black tarpaulins covering a good portion of the stadium's stands. Terrified by the band's management, the staff had to comply with their directives, resorting to this tactic to mask the feeling of emptiness.

We almost felt like pointing it out to Sting when he asked the 25,000 people to raise their hands to the sky... But the finale, with its graceful rendition of "Can't Stand Losing You," quickly dispelled this somewhat bitter feeling. Then, from the opening bars of "Roxanne," the Praille audience swelled with energy, bathed in a fitting red light. For the encore, "So Lonely" and "Every Breath You Take" brought a beautiful, predictable performance to a close.

(c) Le Matin by Mathias Enatanam

The Police set the Geneva Stadium ablaze...

For their only Swiss date on their reunion tour, The Police set the Geneva Stadium ablaze on Sunday night. The legendary band played all their biggest hits to nearly 30,000 delighted fans.

Sting (vocals and bass) and his bandmates Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums) electrified the stadium from the very first song, the irresistible "Message in a Bottle." They played nineteen tracks, including the essential "Roxanne" and "Every Breath You Take," before ending their nearly two-hour concert with a furious and high-energy encore of "Next to You."

Wearing a white tank top and black stretch jeans, Sting appeared in top vocal form. Between songs, he addressed a few words in French to an audience largely composed of people in their thirties and forties, many of whom had come as couples.

The legendary rock-reggae group, which reunited for a world tour after more than 20 years apart, had never performed in Switzerland before. Despite the scale of the event, the Stade de Genève was not completely full. According to the organizers, the majority of spectators came from French-speaking Switzerland and neighboring France.

(c) 24 Heures

With charm and team spirit...

They came, they played, they conquered: More than 25,000 fans were thrilled by The Police at Geneva's stadium on Sunday.

Right from the opening song, "Message in a Bottle," Sting, guitarist Andy Summers, and drummer Stewart Copeland had the audience in the palm of their hand. The trio played 15 hits, including such compelling ones as "Roxanne" and "Walking on the Moon."

The trio played 15 hits, including such compelling ones as "Roxanne" and "Walking on the Moon."
 
The evening ended after four encores with a somewhat frantic rendition of "Next to You." The Geneva concert was the only Swiss show on the current world tour, for which the legendary band reunited after 23 years.

In a white, sleeveless T-shirt and black skinny jeans, Sting was in top form - and not just vocally. His youthful charm made him appear far younger than his 55 years. With French-language requests to the audience – “Chantez encore une fois s’il vous plaît, et plus fort” - – he eventually drew even the listeners in the back rows out of their shells.

During their precise yet understated show, the musicians, known for their tumultuous band dynamic, communicated more with the audience than with each other. Nevertheless, Sting and Andy Summers showed no signs of animosity and demonstrated team spirit on stage. The legendary group hadn't even rehearsed a specific stage show.

Finally, The Police ended the concert ten minutes earlier than announced; two songs were missing from the setlist they had played at the start of their US tour. The audience, primarily in their thirties and forties, who mostly arrived in pairs, didn't seem to mind.Although this was The Police's very first performance in Switzerland, the concert – unlike most of this tour – was not sold out. 

The management kept the number of tickets sold a secret, however. They may even have kept the band in the dark. In any case, Sting greeted "40,000 people." In reality, there were probably slightly more than 25,000. Only about a third of the audience had traveled from German-speaking Switzerland; the rest came from French-speaking Switzerland and nearby France. sda

(c) Berliner Zeitung