Sting: My Songs Tour: 2021 - 2023

Sting in Oslo Spektrum -Sting without booze...

He stood there for the first time in 1991, and once again he returned. Ever-young Sting, now 71 years old, in Oslo Spektrum.

This time under the "My Songs" poster, although he has also released a new album, the upbeat "The Bridge", in the relatively recent past. He is the fittest veteran out there, and a tight t-shirt reveals that he is in a completely different class than his peers from the UK; Elton John, Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel included. The keys are also the same, and although his crystal-clear vocals have taken a slight hoarse turn at times, it is impressive what he still manages to do.

"My Songs" contains both his time as a solo artist and not least his time in The Police, and of the 20 songs in Oslo this time, eight of them were taken from The Police catalogue between 1978-1983. In Oslo he started just as well in 1979, with "Message In A Bottle". Just to put the cupboard in place with a ragged and youthful start. Then he ensured a good opening with "Englishman In New York" and The Police classic "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic".

The new songs "If It's Love", "For Her Love" and "Rushing Water" came in succession before the quarter had passed. The first with whistling, something that should have gone to the grave after Roger Whittaker's heyday (do you hear Scorpions, and Kent..?). But in all its banality both in terms of lyrics and composition, it is a catchy song. "For Her Love" is more of a pale copy of "Shape Of My Heart" (which also came later).

Then “Rushing Water” was again the winner of the fresh produce department this time, driving and airy in the verses with Dominic Miller laying down terses and new drummer Zach Jones’ tight and simple structures (Josh Freese has left the band, and rumours are rife that he will be announced as the new Foo Fighters drummer soon).

After having residencies in both Las Vegas and London, there is something “performance”-like about Sting in 2022. The songs rush a bit, go into each other, Sting talks over intros and seems more “directed” than usual. He explains that a song can emerge from something you whistle, and then the band cues straight into “If It’s Love”. The introduction by Shane Sager on harmonica was also somewhat stiff (“Do your parents know you’re here? How old are you?”). Previously he has been more easygoing and free and created a playroom when he has worked in the quartet format like here, when people like Dominic Miller (guitar), David Sancious (keyboards) and Vinnie Colaiuta (drums) have oozed excess, in-the-moment spontaneity and a different drive than what was shown in Oslo Spektrum this time. Did the new keyboardist Kevon Webster have a single solo? Boring stuff..!

Only Dominic Miller is from the old gang, and he has his spots. But beyond that he was invisible and a small shadow of himself on the left wing in Oslo Spektrum. It was almost as if he thought "I'll never get the fuck out of that band here after over 30 years, so I'll just chill out a bit over here...". There were more interesting fills from Shane Sager's harmonica than from Dominic Miller's guitar. And that being said, it was nice to have Sager in Branford Marsalis' sax role in "Englishman In New York" as well as the harmonica intro on "If I Ever Lose My Faith In You", nice improvised fills on "Shape Of My Heart" and of course Stevie Wonder's signature on "Brand New Day".

Sting is also more mobile than before on stage, and that of course contributes to a more moving show than a bassist and vocalist standing in front of a microphone for 90 minutes. But even though we're writing in 2022, there are no head-mounted microphones that can match a handheld in sound quality. When you also get the microphone too close, you get s's and f's through the system that can be reminiscent of an old FM radio that is close to having perfect reception, but certainly not quite. You also hear a lot more breathing and panting, and it wasn't pretty when Sting ended with beautiful and delicate "Fragile" while his nose was breathing and panting right into the microphone during the intro.

Song-wise, it was a review of a long career that felt like a "best of" album. There were few surprises, perhaps with the exception of the somewhat forgotten Sacred Love single "Whenever I Say Your Name" where Melissa Musique took on the role of Mary J. Blige. On "Shape Of My Heart" they also brought in the Juice WRLD elements from "Lucid Dreams" for which vocalist Gene Noble got his minutes at the front of the stage. We also got "What Could Have Been" from the animation spinoff Arcane from League Of Legends. Three features that made an otherwise standard Sting show a bit out of the spotlight.

In addition to that, there were "If I Ever Lose My Faith In You", "Fields Of Gold" and "Desert Rose" from the Sting catalogue and "Walking On The Moon", "So Lonely", "Every Breath You Take" and the still vibrant "Roxanne" from The Police catalogue which were some of the nostalgic highlights in the more than 90 minutes of the concert.

He's been better, but he's still good. But get the microphone stand back, fill the band members with some 98 Super again and loosen up a bit more.

(c) Music News by Odd Inge Rand

A packed Oslo Spektrum welcomes a very popular Englishman in Norway on his "My Songs" tour. He also has songs from last year's "The Bridge"...

After his son Joe Sumner has warmed up, Sting comes on and starts right off with a hit. "Message In A Bottle" is a nice song that is popular in the hall. Chorus member Mella Musique encourages the audience to clap along, and people are willing to join in. The choir members dance strangely, and we get a bass-driven, funky interlude. We can already hear here that Sting is in a good mood and in a good mood. A slow "Englishman In New York" follows. The song is introduced with harmonica. It also continues. The band is playful, and the guitarist plays beautifully. The audience joins in. Singing all together on the second song is not a bad start to the concert.

It becomes more from the time in The Police, when they go on with "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic". It has a good drive, but they don't make much of the song. The ending is calm and guitar-driven. Sting says that some songs start with a simple whistle chord, such as "If It's Love" from last year's The Bridge. It's a catchy and slightly funky rock song. A pleasant soundscape is spiced up with whistling and hand clapping. The next two songs are also from the last album. "For Her Love" is a ballad with a good and pretty sound, but it's perhaps a little stuck and slow. "Rushing Water" has a slightly stagnant verse, but a typical Sting chorus lifts the song. There's a chorus and more punch in the chorus. The melody, which is built around a bass riff, also develops most in the chorus.

Sting is back in the hit streak with "If I Ever Loose My Faith In You", which must be one of the finest declarations of love out there. A fun song that gets people clapping along to it. It transitions into "Fields Of Gold". Tonight's version is stripped down and a bit staccato, especially at the beginning. A strumming guitar riff lifts it up a bit, but here it lacks a bit of the lovely flow that is in the original. "Spirits In A Material World" has a good punch, and here the band gets a little more. They are pulled up in intensity by a soaring and intense vocal from Sting.

Sting says that Stevie Wonder originally plays harmonica on "Brand New Day". The harmonica player in the band is now 18 years old, but does well. The song is catchy, funky and great with a good punch. People stand up and clap. To create good dynamics in the set, they follow with the calm "Shape Of My Heart". One of the backing vocalists is on the song, and has a sizzling r'n'b-inspired rap that I seem to be the only one who doesn't like. The guitar playing is nice, then. The very calm ballad "What Could Have Been" is taken from the animated series Arcane. With a guitar solo, good sound and quite intense vocals, it becomes a dynamic and nice song.

On "Whenever I Say Your Name" one of the choristers gets to shine once again. Melissa Musique sings along on the duet. With a vocal masturbation style, she tries to show off her voice by going over as many octaves as possible in a short time. She is reminiscent of Mary J. Blige and has a good voice that is used in a fussy and restless way. It is tiring to listen to and she puts Sting in the shade. The band behind is pale and tame. For me, this is the definite low point of the concert. Fortunately, it gets better with "Walking On The Moon". A funky The Police song where Sting drags the audience along on a howling yelp. It almost gets a little Fleksnes about it, but is catchy and atmospheric.

"So Lonely" is a The Police song that I've heard live by a jazz band in Bergen about every Sunday for a year, so it's great to hear the original artist sing on this The Police song. There's a dash of funk, a solid dose of rock and a good dash of reggae, especially when they weave "No Woman, No Cry" into the song. This song is quickly the highlight of the evening. It becomes more pop with "Desert Rose", which is perhaps his biggest hit in the last 20 years. A good afrobeat and a good melody make this one stand out. Unfortunately, Sting's voice doesn't sound like it's doing well with the song, as he struggles with the peaks. Here he could have had help from his son Joe, who sings along on "King Of Pain". They have quite similar voices in the duet. A light funky rock song that is lifted by a guitar solo towards the end.

Sting ends the main set with the world's most famous stalking song. The catchy "Every Breath You Take" is frighteningly relevant because the government has now opened up for extensive surveillance in Norway. There is a lot of bang and splash in the song. People get up from their seats to clap and sing along. After a very short time, a big red light comes on on the stage and everyone realises that it's ready for the song that warms his pool. "Roxanne" is played out to the point of extremes, and at the beginning of the song the band doesn't do anything special with it. Gradually, the chorus, a repeated Roxanne to get the audience involved and jazzing from a playful band give the song a new lease of life. Almost.

Sting always ends with a calm song. He dedicates "Fragile" to the people of Ukraine and women in Iran who are fighting for their freedom. He and the guitar riff on the acoustic guitar are the centre of this beautiful song. The synth has a nice, harp-like sound that builds to the nice, melodious and melodious ending. At times, Sting is absolutely brilliant tonight. At times, it's a hopeless attempt to keep up with today's music trends. He should stick to what he knows.

(c) Disharmoni by Tommy Lund-Pettersen