Sting: My Songs Tour: 2021 - 2023

Sting in Halle: Every little thing he does...

The global superstar captivated his audience with a surprisingly diverse concert, even though he "only" played his old hits.

This performance will likely be remembered in Halle for some time. Sting's appearance on Peißnitz Island on Saturday was, without a doubt, the highlight of the concert season. Indeed, it was the highlight of recent years on the concert stage in Halle's green oasis, a venue that had been underutilised for so long. Not because the Newcastle musician's later work showcased an impressively new repertoire. Nor was the stage show in any way spectacular or dazzling. Sting, now 67, which he doesn't look, doesn't need any of that. With his My Song tour, he didn't reinvent himself as a musician, but rather his old hits. And you could say: In most cases, they've gotten even better. 

Because a Sting song, once pressed on vinyl or released into the Spotify ether, isn't finished. He likes to refine the pieces again and again, as Sting recently said in a concert report by the broadcaster Arte. He doesn't complete a song; he merely leaves it when it's released. On tour, he then changes the songs a little bit each night. To keep the mind and the curiosity alive. "Just to keep your mind and your curiosity alive."

This mental alertness is also evident on Saturday evening. There's no artist here who's been past his prime for decades. This summer, ZZ Top has already graced the Peißnitz stage, and the Beach Boys are also scheduled to perform. For his My Songs tour – the accompanying album is currently in the Top 30 of the album charts – Sting revisited his greatest songs and refined them further, including in Halle. The impression is clear that Sting is still at peace with his work because it's alive.

And that's evident from the very beginning. Sting opens the show with "Message in a Bottle," the old Police hit. Only then does he greet the Halle audience. Briefly and succinctly: "Hello Halle." The concert's opening act concludes with what is arguably Sting's second biggest hit: "Englishman in New York." Here, Halle can finally sing along at the top of their lungs. "Every little thing she does is magic," is the refrain of the next song, and – exactly – it's all the little details that make the Sting night in Halle magical. Whether it's the Halle mug, from which Sting presumably drinks sage tea to strengthen his voice, or the almost antique patina of his bass guitar. “I’m very happy to be in Halle tonight,” he says in German.

The middle section of the concert then reveals the humble Sting. Here is a star who doesn’t take himself too seriously in any way. A star who also gives his fellow musicians space. Melissa Musique and Gene Noble, the background vocalists, impress with their superbly sung parts and are repeatedly rewarded with enthusiastic applause from the audience. Sting, sporting a three-day tour beard, smiles with amusement.

But the musical revelations are yet to come. The band plays “Wrapped Around Your Finger” in a smooth dub version. Funky. “Walking On The Moon” segues seamlessly into a Bob Marley cover of “Get Up, Stand Up.” Party atmosphere on the Peißnitz. To “So Lonely,” Sting adds the naturally captivating line, “Here in Halle, with my voice.” After "Desert Rose," the bass is swapped, and a completely unexpected acoustic version of "Roxanne" follows. Suddenly, it feels like an unplugged concert, only to be followed immediately by a hard-hitting "Demolition Man."

When the first note of "Every Breath You Take" rings out, a loud murmur ripples through the entire Peißnitz area. "Ah." And the way Sting plays this song, heard a hundred times, seemingly worn out, makes it clear that even he himself has become curious about his global hit once again. He delivers it with incredible dynamism and a drive rarely heard before. Anyone who hadn't thought it possible to hear this song again with such pure enjoyment had the opportunity on Saturday in Halle.

It was a fitting end to the concert, which concluded after almost 90 minutes. The star, who was apparently slightly under the weather – “My voice is a bit sick, sorry” – gave one encore: “Fragile.” It was fitting, just as everything else about this Sting evening in Halle was perfect. The ten thousand paying guests and the countless, but surely also thousands, of onlookers gathered on the Peißnitz meadows around the stage will certainly remember this evening for a long time to come.

(c) Städtische Zeitung by Felix Knothe