Sting: My Songs Tour: International

Sting: Ljubljana, it's great to be here again...

67-year-old Gordon Sumner, known as Sting, has had a career spanning almost fifty years, which he started in the seventies with the band The Police, and this time he visited us with a new tour, My Songs. He presented his greatest hits in a new guise, and the well-filled Stožice sang along with him.

A top singer, interpreter, author, bassist, guitarist and whatever else Sting is, he's still "smokin' hot", we can say without a doubt. The man, who will turn 68 on October 2, looks (at least) about two decades younger. Strongly built, muscular, trained and youthful. Whether his excellent physical form is the result of hours of tantric sessions with his long-time wife Trudie Styler or the fact that he lives an extremely healthy life in the heart of Tuscany, Italy, has remained a matter of speculation for decades.

The fact is that Sting has created a lot in his life. Even his former bandmates in The Police agree that thanks to his fame and the hits he wrote, they had a nice and comfortable life, while he reaped the most stardom, but also earned the most. We have also heard that the multimillionaire does not want to share his wealth with his six children excessively, saying that they must earn and create their own life and happiness. However, over the decades, he has dedicated many millions to preserving the rainforest through a foundation that he and his wife have, which operates in many countries around the world.

"Ljubljana, it's great to be back again," breathed Sting at the beginning of this performance, who returned to Stožice after 2011, when the hall didn't exactly shine in terms of sound, as we had a hard time getting used to all the symphonic sounds, which this time, at least in the parterre, was really no problem at all and the sound was absolutely excellent, both in terms of quality and volume.

After numerous online comments about why Sting is releasing his old songs in a new guise, that the album is unnecessary, and the like, it must be said that the musician certainly knows what he is doing. He is accompanied on stage by an excellent team of rejuvenated musicians, and he ensures a relaxed atmosphere both on stage and among the audience, who find themselves on their couches during the greatest hits.

Sting's voice certainly has a deeper sound now than it did decades ago, but at the same time it sounds experienced and harmonious. He even recently stated that his voice has "improved" and that it is "like wine", as he takes good care to ensure that his vocals remain in top shape despite his years, and maintains its vitality with regular practice. "I take my voice seriously, because I take great care of myself. It is a muscle, if you let it become loose, everything will only go downhill, but I can still hit high Cs," he recently boasted.

He divided the repertoire into two parts, half of which were songs from The Police catalogue, and half were his solo hits from the last 35 years. On one side was Message in a bottle, Every little thing she does is magic, Wrapped around your finger, So lonely, Roxanne, and on the other side was If I ever lose my faith in you, An Englishman in New York, Brand new day, Fields of gold, Shape of my heart, Fragile and so on.

Sting is probably one of the few who has actually achieved more in his solo career than with a band, although this certainly also applies to Phil Collins, who himself surpassed the success he had with the Genesis band. But it is also true that the songs of both are of the same quality, whether they are solo hits or songs with a band. In fact, it is difficult to make a comparison, since it is almost impossible to "weigh" whether Desert Rose or Every breath you take is better, which in fact does not matter at all. Tastes are just different and rightly so. After enthusiastically singing and repeating his rocker mantras, which sometimes turned into reggae (Marley's Get up, stand up) or tribal chanting, we Slovenians are also clearly big fans of his work, since we practically know most of his songs by heart.

The almost two-hour treat that Sting prepares will certainly remain in the memory of most, especially if they saw him for the first time. Of course, some say that "he was better 25 or 30 years ago", but there's no denying that Sting is in the form he's shown this time. His songs, performance and heart are absolutely flawless and are a real balm for the ears and soul, so we can only wish that we could experience him again sometime. Considering that he's not quite in Jagger's years yet, we can, for now, not worry that he won't make it happen...

(c) 24hr by Boštjan Tušek