Sting 3.0

Sting creates great emotions: Englishman in Fulda...

With his greatest hits, Sting gave Fulda an unforgettable evening. Thousands of people came to his concert on the Cathedral Square. But between the highlights, there was also a brief low point.

The band hadn't even started the song when Sting sang "ohoooo," and the entire audience burst into the chorus of "Englishman in New York." They enthusiastically sang along to the entire song and danced. At this point, the concert had just begun, but the mood was already exuberant.

On Saturday, Sting performed on the Cathedral Square in Fulda in summery 30-degree heat. While others were watching the news, he came on stage to cheers and immediately set the mood with the well-known The Police song "Message in a Bottle." His band consisted of him, guitarist Dominic Miller, and drummer Chris Maas.

Sting seemed to be in a good mood, quickly becoming sweaty due to the high temperatures, and greeted his audience in German. "Good evening, Fulda, I'm Sting!" he calls to the crowd, earning much applause. He introduces the next song ("Fields of Gold"), still in German. This will be the most detailed introduction for the rest of the concert, as Sting pulls through, singing one song after another.

The playlist consists of a mix of The Police hits and Sting's own songs. Reggae, pop, and punk alternate.

This concert is part of the "My Songs" tour, which began in May 2019. The coronavirus pandemic caused a lengthy hiatus, but the world tour has resumed in September 2021. Performances in Germany are planned for Salem, Füssen, and Lingen this year. This will be Sting's second concert on Fulda Cathedral Square. There was a six-year hiatus in between.

Sting is a global star, and at 72, one of the older ones. Yet he radiates vitality. His well-trained arms are a topic of conversation during the concert and afterward. His voice is still brilliant, for example, he has no trouble with high notes and loud passages. Only his wrinkles betray that Sting is no longer the youngest.

The musician from England can look back on a long career. He rose to world fame in the 1970s as the singer and bassist of the band The Police. Sting's first solo album was released in 1985, and since then he has released 14 studio albums, the last three years ago.

That he clearly has no intention of retiring is demonstrated by his new song, "I Wrote My Name Upon Your Heart." Played for the first time in Bratislava in May, Fulda will now be treated to the rocking ballad. It seems to have gone down well with the audience.

After the first block of songs, which consists exclusively of hits, a few lesser-known numbers follow. Unfortunately, this is immediately noticeable in the atmosphere. There's no longer any exuberant celebration; some people start chatting or getting something to drink.

But with "Can't Stand Losing You," Sting breaks the low and ensures that everyone is listening to him spellbound again. The audience, especially in the standing-room area, is in a good mood. Everyone in the seats claps along enthusiastically, but until the end, you can also see some unimpressed faces.

The audience is mostly in their 50s. Many listened to Sting's music as teenagers or young adults, grew up with it. And at the concert, they reminisce. Some cuddle with their partners, lovingly. Others are so moved that they tear up during one or two of the songs.

For the grand finale, Sting strings together several songs. "Walking on the Moon" transitions into "So Lonely." This is followed by "Desert Rose." The crowd on the Cathedral Square can no longer be contained by this point. The concert comes to a close with "King of Pain" and "Every Breath You Take." Sting incorporates many sing-along sections, which most of the approximately 10,000 spectators join in. The man sweats and delivers, leaving the stage to thunderous applause.

Sting returns to great cheers and gives the first encore: "Roxanne." Most people are standing, clapping, dancing, and singing along. Sting's last song is "Fragile."

For this, he swaps his bass for a guitar – for the first and only time that evening. He sits on stage, plays this quiet song, and the audience listens spellbound. Where everyone had just been dancing, there is suddenly silence. Some shine their cell phones, and the cathedral square transforms into a small sea of stars.

"Goodbye!" Sting calls at 10 p.m. sharp. That's what the concertgoers are hoping for. That Sting will come back to Fulda, again in good weather, and again with a fantastic concert.

(c) Tagesschau by Sina Philipps

Living legend at the Cathedral Square: Global star Sting sings his way into the hearts of 10,000 fans...

Global star, living legend, and mastermind: The man with the unmistakable voice – Sting – captivates the audience at the Cathedral Square in Fulda. 10,000 fans attended his sold-out concert.

Fulda – Musician, composer, and actor Sting will only perform five times in Germany this year. One of those times will be the Domplatz concert in Fulda. The concert was already completely sold out in December 2023. This isn't the 72-year-old's first visit to the baroque city. In the summer of 2018, he and musician Shaggy thrilled around 8,500 fans on the Domplatz. This year, there are even 10,000 fans in front of the unique backdrop.

And there he is... relaxed, fit. Cheering like nothing. "Massage in a Bottle" is the first song (Police). The audience is already singing along. He plays the song differently than usual. A bit more elegiacally. "Hello Fulda!" he greets the 10,000 enthusiastic fans. The third song: "Englishman in New York." Everyone sings along. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, it's nice to be back in Fulda," he says in German. "For the second time." And then he sings "Fields of Gold." Giordano Angi, the support act, started right on time with soulful pop in Italian and English.

"Englishman In New York," "Fields Of Gold," "Shape Of My Heart," "Every Breath You Take," "Roxanne," or "Message In A Bottle" – is there anyone who doesn't know at least one of these global hits? On his 2024 "My Songs" tour, the 17-time Grammy winner will perform the most popular hits of his career, both as a solo artist and with The Police. He will be accompanied by an electric rock ensemble.

Sting can't be pigeonholed. His music encompasses everything from reggae, pop, new age, French urban pop/R&B, and rock. "For more than 40 years, Sting has enriched the music scene like few others," emphasizes the concert agency Provinztour.

"We owe him numerous timeless hits, whether from the 1970s and early 1980s, when he made his breakthrough with his band The Police, or from the decades that followed, in which he released twelve studio albums as a solo artist, as well as various live albums, compilations, and DVDs, proving time and again that he is one of the musical giants of our time."

The legend won six Grammy Awards and two Brit Awards with the Police and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003. As a solo artist, he has received eleven additional Grammy Awards, two Brit Awards, a Golden Globe, an Emmy, four Academy Award nominations, a Tony Award nomination, Billboard Magazine's Century Award, and was named MusiCares Person of the Year in 2004. In 2003, he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for his contributions to music.

(c) Fuldaer Zeitung by Anke Zimmer, Anne Burkard

World Star Delights - Sing, Swing, STING: An Englishman in... Fulda

When one of the decades-long "million-sellers" of the international music scene pays homage to the Domplatz under the concert title "My Songs," the East Hesse audience doesn't need much convincing. Sting: Singer, songwriter, and, not least, actor, former frontman and founder of the band Police. Even without the "police" framing, the almost 73-year-old exceptional musician Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, his real name, creates an atmosphere at live concerts that gets under the skin of his 10,000 fans.

Barely 15 minutes have passed since the set-up phase following the support act, and the performance begins, to the delight of the quickly sold-out Domplatz. The question of what message Sting wants to convey to the audience right at the beginning is as simple as it is magnificent: "Message in a Bottle" – a true classic that compels the audience to return the message to their master: Fulda is ready! "Englishman in New York" also engages the last listener. His greeting is in German – fitting! This is his second time in Fulda, he lets us know. At the end, we can anticipate this much: a wish expressed by ten thousand people: May Sting recognize that after 2018 and 2024, all good things come in threes!

True to the motto "My Songs," a few newer songs follow, as well as several other older milestones: "Everything She Does Is Magic" or the enchantingly atmospheric "Fields of Gold." During "When The Angels Fall," a hot-air balloon peeks through the cathedral towers at a respectful height – do the gently and imperceptibly gliding balloonists catch any of the magnificent atmosphere in front of the cathedral? For a brief moment, you feel envious, but quickly realize: ballooning is always possible, and the charismatic icon Sting live is virtually unique. Sting is much more than "just" a musical legend: a meddler, a caregiver, and a warning voice, who cares about the peaceful and socially just coexistence of people on an earth that is precious and vulnerable, and whose resources are finite. Like few other stars and starlets, Sting has been involved for decades – a multiplier who sees his popularity as a responsibility.

Back to the cathedral square: the choral singing, to which Sting leads his fans standing at his feet, is remarkable, often in a canon. And in addition to the singing, it's striking that the mature audience, for the most part, is somehow constantly in motion: dancing, swinging, clapping rhythmically. Hats off to Sting's sometimes insane tempo changes, be it in "So Lonely" or later in the first encore: an XXL "Roxanne," which at times comes across as mystical and ethereal, but then fires up such a turbo that direct current becomes alternating current. "Every Breath You Take" - an absolute must-have from the former Police repertoire. The Police: what a shame that they will definitely no longer exist - as Sting himself reiterated a few years ago.

After 90 minutes, "My Songs" ends, and after 105 minutes, the encores are also history. Sting, his guitarist, and drummer have delivered, and the three of them are leaving the stage – remember: all good things come in threes… The Cathedral Square is standing and celebrating – and is already looking forward to Sting's third visit – hopefully under such fantastic conditions as this time.

(c) Osthessen News