Coburg Celebrates Sting - A Midsummer Night's Rock Dream...
A perfect start to the HUK Open Air season: 10,000 fans celebrate the reunion with world star Sting after 22 years in the castle square. A special guest also makes an appearance.
Does he even know where he is? And that he's already stood here before, gazing over 10,000 cheering fans at this neo-Gothic castle, which somehow reminds him of his hometown? Sting doesn't tell us. He's not in the mood for chatting; he wants to make music. And without any fuss, he delivers what's expected of a world star like him: those songs that were already classics when he first performed here in 2001 and dutifully signed the city's Golden Book. The tome stays in the town hall this time, but Sting's playlist is similar to what it was back then, and presumably not even the waist of his white jeans has changed since then. The 71-year-old bounces onto the stage with an astonishing youthful energy, fit and tanned, as resilient as his hits, the oldest of which have already survived for over 40 years with remarkable freshness. On his "My Songs" tour, he's once again travelling the world with them, to Rome and Los Angeles, Toronto and Vienna. And this Wednesday, from Kassel to Coburg.
Only slightly older than the Police evergreens, which are as much a part of the show as the bass guitar in front of a six-pack, is the singer who opens the evening at precisely eight o'clock and proves the good old saying about the apple not falling far from the tree: Sting's son, Joe Sumner, not only resembles his father physically, but has also inherited his vocal range, timbre, and musicality. But this also reveals the ambivalent fate of the star's child, who benefits from the father's fame while simultaneously being overshadowed by it.
The 45-year-old makes the best of it, having decided to pursue music after studying environmental engineering, and isn't too proud to warm up his father's fans for 30 minutes as a one-man opening act. They listen attentively and applaud enthusiastically to the catchy songs with hit potential, which the artist performs in a simple singer-songwriter style with just a guitar and backing tracks.
Shortly before the end of the show, Joe will return to the stage for a father-son duet of the Police hit "Roxanne." In between, there are 90 minutes of pure summer night rock bliss against a stunning backdrop, featuring everything that still resonates with the ears and soul, from "Message In A Bottle" to "Englishman In New York" to "Every Breath You Take." The mega-ballads "Fields of Gold" and "Shape of My Heart" are perfect sundowners, while in power numbers like "So Lonely," the excellent band unleashes its full potential. The two backing vocalists earn enthusiastic applause for their magnificent soul solos, and the young harmonica player Shane Sager confidently follows in Stevie Wonder's footsteps.
Sting himself is in good voice and seems completely relaxed, a seasoned performer who delivers his setlist with enjoyment and precision, yet without excess. He judiciously sprinkles in new material; the current album "The Bridge" is represented by the playful "If It's Love," which prompts Sting to make one of his rare announcements: "And now a song with whistling." As a grand finale, the singing bassist picks up an acoustic guitar and plucks the distinctive chords of "Fragile," the tender closing number. As the last note fades, the two tour buses next to the stage are already ready to depart. At 10:37 p.m., Sting says goodbye with a kiss on the hand. At 10:38 p.m., he's gone.
(c) Neue Presse Coburg by Dieter Ungelenk
You must have a display name to comment.
Follow the button below to create your display name.
CREATE A DISPLAY NAME