Soul Cages: 1991/92

Audience enthusiastic over Sting's old works...

Thousands of fans cheered and moved to the music of Sting Friday night at the Hardee's Pavilion at Walnut Creek Amphitheatre.

The English singer/musician and former member of Police opened with 'In This Time' and followed with a variety of songs from his new album 'Soul Cages' as well as favourites from earlier albums including the works of the Police.

The audience was attentive throughout, but expressed the most enthusiasm when the more familiar tunes were offered.

Based on audience reaction, 'Roxanne' was a favourite, with audience members cheering and happily following Sting's encouragement to sing along. As the song continued, the performer picked up the pace and fans began dancing.

Other favourites included 'Message in a Bottle', 'Every Step You Take' and 'King of Pain'.

Another popular song was Jimi Hendrix's 'Purple Haze'.

Sting showed his strong showmanship not only in his performance style but his interactions with the audience. He occasionally encouraged them to sing along, teasing them one time about how he expected that a Charlotte audience two nights later would sing louder.

He frequently crossed the stage, making eye contact and playing to fans at all sides of the stage, and at one point sang the line "Nothing Could Be Finer Than to Be in Carolina" to the delight of the audience.

His special effects were simple but at times quite effective. Smoke from smoke machines appeared to drift up the funnels of spotlights shining from the ceiling during some of his songs, and, during the performance of 'Purple Haze', a simple backdrop of psychedelic lights added a touch of flavour.

Sting was accompanied by some very impressive musicians: guitarist Dominic Miller, keyboardist David Sancious and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta. Bongo player Vinx joined the band later in the concert.

Following the show, the audience continued cheering and Sting responded with an encore performance of 'The Rain Will Tell'.

Preceding Sting's 9:15 appearance was a concert by Squeeze followed by Vinx. Both performances were well-received with Squeeze's performance of 'Tempted' getting a particularly enthusiastic response from the fans.

(c) Goldsboro News-Argus by Winkie Lee

Singer treated to adoring bop-fest...

When you spend $3 to park in a gravel pit, walk for what seems like miles through it, and later spend a solid half hour trickling out of said gravel pit (not counting time spent looking for your car because you neglected to notice landmarks), you hope that what came in between was really special.

Oh well.

Sting and his fellow bleached-blond Police may have earned the scorn of the proto-punks of the late '70s, but they were responsible for five albums of intelligent pop music. Someone once said of them, "Never mind that they weren't pure reggae, the Police were cute." Reggae brings the backbeat up front, and as bass player, singer and songwriter, Sting soon found his way to the spotlight.

The show Friday night at Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, of nearly 20 songs from throughout Sting's career, went smoothly and was well-received by an enthusiastic crowd. Accuse me of old fogyism, if you will, but I can tolerate a stage diver coming down around my shoulders better than I can an audience that leaps to its collective feet in a group wiggle before the first chord has even finished sounding. The buttons, there to be pushed, were.

Sting's band this time is stripped down, essentially a Police-like power trio with himself fronting.

Aside from what seemed like obvious solo turn-taking, they performed ably, with David Sancious stepping out from behind his keyboards to help on guitar with a cover of 'Purple Haze' that stood the crowd up with a roar.

Guitarist Dominic Miller, based on earlier reviews, seems to have tightened and sharpened his playing since the beginning of the tour, and even seemed to play some of the more interesting bass lines. Sancious' keyboards brought an effectively Gothic tone to songs like "Mad About You" and 'King of Pain'. Sting's tenor wail rang true on 'Roxanne', and 'When the World is Run is Running Down...' showcased the band as a unit.

Another cover well served was 'Ain't No Sunshine' with the hypnotic "...I know, I know, I know..." in keeping with Sting's brooding image. Manuu Katche and Vinny Colauita supplied percussion.

Selections from 'The Soul Cages', Sting's most recent album, were awash in oceanic metaphor and reference. The video for the radio-ready 'All This Time' is set aboard a floundering ship. Both of Sting's parents died recently, and perhaps he is coming ever more to terms with a lower-middle class childhood spent in the shadow of a ship- yard and its threat of confinement, promise of escape.

Syndicated columnist; Lisa Robinson once wrote that, his songwriting skills notwithstanding, Sting has become enormously popular "because he is safe and he knows how to sell."

At Friday's show when 'Every Breath You Take', deprived of the edge of menace that made it an interesting song in the first place, became the excuse for yet another crowd bop-fest, servers were still kept busy delivering trays of beer and food to people waiting at tables. 

Give the people what they want.

Opening with a too-short set that began promptly, if not early, was Squeeze. Original members Glenn Tillbrook, Chris Difford and Gilson Lavis are still with the band and it was great to hear Difford's rumble of a voice finding harmony with Tillbrook's. Their last song was 'Tempted' from the album 'East Side Story'. The crowd would have been glad to let them go on from there, but that was it. It would be good to see them again, preferably as a showcased act.

(c) Herald Sun by Katheryne Corrigan