'Soul Cages' songs spark Sting show...
Sting stung 'em at Starwood last night.
Rock god, cinema star and video idol Sting wasn't in particularly good voice when he performed before an estimated 7,000 fans, but what he lacked in singing power he more than made up for in musicianship. Sting persevered despite shredded vocal chords to deliver a show characterized by emotional, compositional and instrumental excellence.
He mostly showcased the auto-biographical material from 'The Soul Cages', his strongest solo album to date.
On a stark, unadorned stage, Sting and his sidemen laid down dense, passionate slabs of sound on evocative tunes like 'Mad About You', 'All This Time' and 'Jeremiah Blues (Part 1)'.
Keyboardist/guitarist David Sancious was the finest musician on stage, and his contributions were essential to Sting's triumph. The standout of the 'Soul Cages' songs was unquestionably the exquisite reverie 'Why Should I Cry for You?'
Interspersed were things like an airy, atmospheric arrangement of Bill Withers' 'Ain't No Sunshine', a psychedelic treatment of Jimi Hendrix's 'Purple Haze' and a smattering of well-received Police oldies - 'Roxanne', 'King of Pain', 'Every Breath You Take' and the like. On the latter, the audience sang along heartily and Sting welcomed the participation.
Nashville's Kennedy Rose opened the concert with a 15-minute showcase of their stirring acoustic pop.
The British band Squeeze followed. In what I believe was its first Nashville concert, the act acquitted itself admirably. There was considerably more punch, bottom and fullness to its live sound than is audible on its current Play CD. Selections ranged from Squeeze's 1981 classic 'Tempted' to its current single 'Satisfied'. This is pithy, potent pop-rock worth remembering.
(c) The Tennessean by Robert K. Oermann
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