Sacred Love: 2003/05

Expertly sealed...

Flanders boasts a wonderful network of cultural centres for aging rockers. Local artists sometimes get lost on the provincial roads to get there, and sometimes people look down on their second careers, but usually, in the best of circumstances, they can give intimate concerts there and let their fans rediscover old songs in new guises. On a global scale, it's more difficult. Just ask Sting.

When you hear the former boss of The Police perform some songs from "Sacred Love" with a select group of gifted musicians in an intimate setting on his most recent DVD, you realize how they should actually sound live. You notice that his band, despite their mediocre quality, adds value to the new songs. Unfortunately, the singer still performs in arenas and sports halls, where his fans are crammed in like sardines, barely able to move, and the musical space is expertly sealed off. Even in a packed Sportpaleis, filtering the sophistication proved no easy task. At times, it felt like delicate alphabet noodles were being served in a thick soup. Especially at the beginning of the set, the two keyboardists, drummer, percussionist, and guitarist, however well-thought-out their individual parts, constantly got in each other's way. Towards the end, the emphasis shifted a little too emphatically towards a more refined, Eastern mysticism.

Sting, however, can't be accused of routinely pursuing success, although during this tour he's made a habit of repeatedly asking the audience if they're feeling sexy: right before "Sacred Love," which, accompanied by titillating images of several strippers, led the band to a musical orgasm. The audience was more drawn to Police classics like "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic," the first song that got the crowd moving. The singer is very indulgent, but in turn, asks for respect for the new, sometimes rather diffuse routes he's mapped out for his old songs. At best, they form a smooth synthesis of the styles he explored throughout his career, but too often they're finger exercises that got out of hand.

"Englishman In New York" began coolly, gained a jazzy piano note midway through, and ended frantic. There was deserved applause for backing vocalist Joy Rose, who bravly took over Mary J. Blige's role in "Whenever I Say Your Name."

Sting, as always, attempted to connect the present with the past. When the new "Inside," lifted by the backing vocals, flowed via the diligent guitarist into "I Was Brought To My Senses," opening act Chris Botti chimed in briefly. "Roxanne" was added midway through "Sister Moon" and special guest Shaggy, a combination that wasn't exactly overflowing with subtlety. We'd love to see Sting give it another try next time at the Queen Elisabeth Hall.

(c) De Tijd by Marcr

Sting between sublime and weak...

Sting: weak soup or sublime show? Well, a bit of both, last Sunday at the Sportpaleis. The performance had some inspired moments, although the songs from Sting's latest CD threw too many spanners in the works. And Shaggy's surprise appearance didn't help matters either.

When Sting kicked off the 'Sacred Love' Tour in Paris last September, everything was far from perfect. We saw a chaotic build-up and few relevant show elements. Fourteen months later, in Antwerp, the setlist seemed to be somewhat better put together. But the sticking point remained that most recent, disappointing CD. Every time Sting picked songs from it, the tempo dropped and the atmosphere of the performance collapsed like a pudding. Sting announced the title track, 'Sacred Love,' as a sexy number, but there was nothing more sex to be found than the strippers displayed on the big screen behind the group. The same problem with the childishly flat R&B of "Whenever I Say Your Name" and the dreary "Never Coming Home": they were just as exciting as on record—not so much.

In the first forty-five minutes, Sting indeed served up a weak performance. But just when we were beginning to wonder if the man was worthy of a packed Sportpaleis, the performance turned sour. Not coincidentally, with older material: "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" was still delivered somewhat casually, but "Fragile" and especially "Fields of Gold" once again provided several minutes of tranquil splendour. At the end of the set, Sting once again demonstrated his class, seamlessly complementing "Roxanne" with "Sister Moon" and excerpts from Bob Marley's "Them Belly Full." The encores also featured a bit of the same routine: "Every Breath You Take" received a standard performance, while "A 1,000 Years" closed the evening in a fitting, understated way.

(c) Het Nieuwsblad by JC