Soul Cages: 1991/92

Sting puts on a show - 3,000 rock with star in intimate Patrick Gymnasium...

Rolling Stone called Sting "the pop idol adults can admire" in a February 1991 interview coinciding with the release of his third solo album 'Soul Cages'. Apparently that goes for college students, too, as the British rocker was lavished with a thunderous welcome that reached deafening levels defying the "small" venue of University of Vermont's Patrick Gymnasium on Sunday night.

"This is our first time in Vermont. I don't believe we've ever played a gymnasium before," he said as the crowd roared with virtually every pause in his comments. With a nightly talent fee that generally hovers around six figures, Sting seemed intrigued to be surrounded by just 3,000 onlookers. For the ticketholders, it was an extremely rare opportunity to see one of the generation's biggest pop attractions.

With such a huge build-up, concerts of this magnitude are generally vast disappointments or, conversely, destined to jump from memory for a long, long time. Count the Sting performance in the latter category. His 90 minute set was executed to perfection, taking advantage of superb backup players and one of the best sound mixes ever heard at Patrick Gym.

After the opening set by Timbuk 3, there was some question about how the sound mix would play out. The Austin, Texas, band was hampered by a bass quotient that crushed the rest of the mix and overall volume that was just plain ridiculous. From the first notes of 'All This Time', it was clear the same problems would not plague Sting. The infectious opener rolled out an evening heavy on Police hits and selections from the new 'Soul Cages', along with a couple of unusual dips into the rock library of artists whose days have gone by.

'Jeremiah Blues' and 'Mad About You', both from the new release, established the pattern of the show: Sting likes to rotate from rockers to softer spun ballads, with every solo and nuance pre-planned. "The show does not vary from night to night," admitted one of the road crew. It's hard to find fault with that tactic, as Sting has mastered how to push his live performances by showcasing his greatest attribute (his voice) and letting his excellent sidemen have just enough room to shine without overindulging them.

Much has been said about Sting's exaggerated sense of self importance; perhaps comments like, "Here's one I'm gonna do that I didn't write, just cuz I feel like it" prior to launching into 'Ain't No Sunshine' don't help that issue any. But what's wrong with putting your own stamp on a couple of oldies? The Bill Withers rework was great, as was the inferno created later on 'Purple Haze'. David Sancious, who once fronted a fusion act that played at UVM in the late '70s, donned a guitar to duel with Dominic Miller. Given his talents at the keyboard, it was remarkable to see Sancious cook against Miller, who is much younger.

'Why Should I Cry for You' is one of the soaring ballads from 'Soul Cages' inspired by Sting's coming to grips with his parents' recent deaths. As the spotlights bathed him in a stream of colour and smoke poured from machines onstage, Sting wrung the emotional tension for all it was worth. A strange segue, a line from Bobby Darin's old hit 'If I Were A Carpenter', brought the set to 'Roxanne', and the audience nearly raised the roof.

From there, it was a blistering run through the biggest hits, including 'King of Pain', 'Fortress Around Your Heart', 'If You Love Somebody, Set Them Free', 'Walking on the Moon', 'Every Breath You Take', and 'Message in a Bottle'.

One must hand credit to Sting for his selection of band members; the threesome he has on board have incredibly strong stage presence and exceptional skills. Sancious replaced Kenny Kirkland on keys, a decision that definitely worked in Sting's favour. Along with Miller and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, the band made good use of "tune-up" dates in smaller theaters before tackling the bigger arenas. As Sting commented in Rolling Stone, "I think it's your job to make every basketball arena as intimate an occasion for the ticket buyer as you can." Well, intimate might not be the exact word I'd use to describe the scene at Patrick on Sunday night. Perhaps Sting put it best, in uncharacteristic modesty: "I think we've got a pretty good little combo."

(c) Burlington Free Press by Paul Kaza