The Police at Wembley...
There were quite a few men with their hands wriggling in their pockets throughout The Police's final concert of their European tour.
And it wasn't because Sting was looking well ripped in tight black jeans and white moth-eaten tank top. Although he was. Very much so.
They were just checking the Rugby scores, which, for obvious reasons stopped after about the tenth song.
The only giveaway that the Rugby was being played was the fluro glow coming from hundreds of phones being checked around the arena. But, other than that, it was business as usual.
The mostly older crowd (lets face it, they're the only ones able to afford the £90 tickets) were expecting a belting trip down memory lane, which a tea-drinking Sting, Andy Summers and Stuart Copeland delivered, with some help from a vocal audience.
The flawless set covered 'Message In A Bottle', 'Walking On The Moon', 'Don't Stand So Close to Me', 'Hole in My Life', 'Every Little Thing', and 'Da Do Do Do'.
A ramped up 'I Can't Stand Losing You' electrified the crowd, and standout version of 'Roxanne', complete with wild red stage lighting, really showed off the trio's still powerful and tireless talents.
Copeland seemed to have a ball on a high-tech scaffold percussion setup, which rose from the rear of the stage, and Summers played up to the audience, jumping around and teasing Sting. The 56-year-old front-man got his own back by standing on Summers' foot during two encores which featured 'King of Play' (sic), 'So Lonely' and a brilliant 'Every Breath You Take'.
Some of the songs were drawn out and extended more than was probably necessary, but considering the band was only together for six years 20 years ago, and produced some of the most peerless pop songs in the world, you can hardly blame them for trying to do things a little differently.
Sting still has that stage presence and incredible voice that got them to the top of the charts, and the crowd's enthusiastic response to his promise that ''We'll see you again soon'' leaves me in no doubt that tickets for the next tour will sell-out as well.
Four stars.
(c) The London Paper by Pru Vincent
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