Sacred Love: 2003/05

Sting at Zurich's Hallenstadion: An 'Englishman' delights Swiss audience... 

Sting was in Zurich: The audience in the almost packed Hallenstadion was thrilled on Saturday by the eternal "Englishman's" musically and vocally skilled concert. Not a trace of electronic chirping or playback.

From the first to the last note, Gordon Matthew Sumner, aka Sting, his top-notch band, and singers demonstrate that even today, concerts can be devoid of frills and that class doesn't depend on elaborately staged shows. With Sting, it's all about the music, the arrangements, and his voice.

With great passion, Sting, charming as ever, now 52 years old and "Commander of the English Empire" since 2003, conjures up the vast realms of emotion his songs speak of. He skilfully switches rhythms, alternating quiet, contemplative, and harmonious songs with fast and catchy sounds.

It's excellent how the singer and band repeatedly whip up slow songs or spice up pop with elements of jazz, classical, folk, and reggae. They drive 'Roxanne,' the classic from the Police days, forward as if on a wild ride through the desert.

In 'Desert Rose,' Sting lets Arabic-Oriental sounds roll through his throat; in 'Fragile,' he sounds with a hint of Spanish. No trace of the sore throat that prevented him from singing for ten days.

Sting, the former teacher from Newcastle in northern England, has always been a politically minded person; for years he has been committed to human rights and environmental protection. This commitment is palpable in 'Dead Man's Rope,' where images projected onto the stage show both intact and destroyed forests.

He pondered the attacks of September 11, 2001, for a long time. The result is last year's album 'Sacred Love,' with songs like 'Dead Man's Rope' and 'This War,' in which the Hallenstadion is bathed in yellow and red light. The images show planes from World War II, falling bombs—and, again and again, oil refineries.

The sound of the latest album contains everything Sting fans love. They immerse themselves passionately in the Englishman's dream world at the Hallenstadion. And yet, they would have longed for more of his older songs. 'De Do Do Do', 'Russians', 'Every Little Thing She Does is Magic', and 'Message in a Bottle' would have certainly made the atmosphere even better.

'Roxanne' and 'Every Breath You Take' were also included. The undisputed highlight of the evening was 'Englishman in New York', during which the audience, at the star's prompting, sang along at the top of their lungs, "be yourself no matter what they say." Sting always remains true to himself – no matter what anyone else says. And that's a good thing.

(c) SDA - Basisdienst Deutsch by Petra Stoehr Bellingen

Blue-eyed soul brother...

Strong songs, strong performance – and yet a touch too pastoral: Sting at Zurich's Hallenstadion.

He stands there in an elegant dark gray suit, his high white shirt collar open, holding his instrument before him like a monstrance, stoic, grounded, while the band transitions its technoid, powerhouse opening into a soul-jazz machine, flying, child's play.

Sure, Sting has had more mischievous moments at the Hallenstadion; after just the first two or three changes of light, a certain wistfulness sets in. But then it becomes obvious: With such a torrent of words, which this concert opening demands, the singer can't perform any great rock leaps. Sting delivers a truly breath-taking cascade of words; his special way of rapping. Or simply reading the riot act with demands like 'Send Your Love (Into The Future)' and 'Forget About The Future' – titles that express the full contradiction of his last album, 'Sacred Love'. And arguably, his entire oeuvre to date.

The live performance once again demonstrates that the English international star is a brilliant, intelligent songwriter; the new pieces, scattered freely throughout the set, are on a par with the evening's selected classics. The ballad 'Whenever I Say Your Name' alone, with its baroque, Bach-like harmonic intricacies and gospel-like antiphony – Mary J. Blige's original part is brilliantly taken over by the chorister Joy Rose – or the title track with its Marvin Gaye-esque soul style: Chapeau, Mister Summer!

Hats off to the accompaniment, too: a band that's as one, rhythmically perfect, sounding crystal-clear, capable of shifting moods as needed, from the Nordic melody of 'Dead Man's Rope' to the disco quote in 'Stolen Car' to the jazz improvisation of 'Never Coming Home' – the young Englishman Jason Rebello is truly virtuosic on the piano. Strangely, some of the few Police songs seem slightly out of place, such as a failed attempt at escape in 'Synchronicity II'. This makes the version of the old 'Roxanne' all the more impressive; the dub-like, reverb-like reduction fully reflects the chiselling of guitar acolyte Dominic Miller.

There's also variety on the visual level: instead of the altar-like projection triptych—although it was adorned with fabulous animations throughout the concert—a dim red-light ambience is conjured up. A dramatic gesture that nevertheless illustrates Sting's ongoing problem. Whereas common soul musicians usually aim to salvage a spark of religiosity into their erotic message, this blue-eyed soulmate often does the opposite: a touch too much church, his love, in fact, too sacred.

(c) Tages-Anzeiger

Sting at the Hallenstadion in Zurich...

As successful as Sting remains as a pop star, the 52-year-old Englishman has been plagued by world-weariness and a crisis of meaning for years.

The attacks of September 11th further unsettled him, which was reflected lyrically and musically in the seemingly indecisive album 'Sacred Love,' from which he performed almost all the songs on Saturday evening at the first of two almost sold-out concerts at the Hallenstadion. Sting himself says it was also hard to cancel nine shows at the beginning of May due to laryngitis.

There was no sign of this impairment at the Zurich concert. Sting's vocals remained confident and clear throughout the nearly two-hour performance, only slightly cracking during 'Fields of Gold.' For the most part, his unmistakable timbre was even more melodious than ever before, because he didn't sing as forcefully as usual. His voice is also strongly supported by the two backing singers, who unfortunately occasionally lapse into stereotypical soulful croaks.

Otherwise, the band interprets the songs tastefully and with effortless virtuosity. Sting grants his seven fellow musicians plenty of freedom, resulting in some excitingly extended, but also some overly charged versions. They play the new material in particular with more pronouncedness and stylistic variation. 'Send Your Love' opens the concert as a brisk dance number, 'Stolen Car' is vitalized by dub effects, while the Police classic 'Walking On The Moon' drifts into shallow lounge jazz.

The visuals on screen also seem uninspired: images of seductive dancers, water, and clouds; bombs falling from airplanes are striking in 'This War,' which doesn't fit with the complex lyrics. Sting's prowess as a songwriter of timeless pop songs is demonstrated primarily by older pieces like the touching 'Fragile,' the stripped-back 'Roxanne,' and the relaxed 'Every Breath You Take.' The latter finally ignites complete enthusiasm in the cheerful audience before the final encore - an Arabic-inspired version of 'A Thousand Years.'

(c) Neue Zürcher Zeitung by M Ganz