Sting: My Songs Tour: International

Three careers in 90 minutes: Sting's Live Arena date is a triumph...

In the hour and a half concert, he covers his entire career, from his time with the Police to his solo career and his many collaborations. The Live Arena, with its 8,000 seats, was packed for the Padua leg of his "My Songs Tour 2019."

He began and ended acoustically, with just a guitar, Sting, who made his fortune playing a bass. It was one of those nights where it's hard to find someone in the audience who doesn't know every song on the setlist. It's just after 9:30 PM, and the Live Arena is packed with all 8,000 seats. It all starts, and it's Roxanne. The Police sang "Love for a Prostitute," a 1979 song that didn't really make the cut at the time, as they would say today, but has since become one of the fundamental songs in rock history. And how could it not be? “Message in a bottle” follows immediately after, and some in the audience say, with satisfaction, that’s enough.

A show that's never overdone, with no special effects to distract from what's happening on stage, but always intense, with no let-ups. The music, the songs, is the star. Sting inevitably takes the lion's share, but he puts everyone at ease, treating everyone equally, from the musicians to the audience. To whom he gives everything he can. In the hour and a half concert, he covers his entire career, from his time with the Police to his solo career and his collaborations. It goes without saying that for those of a certain age—just over 45—there's no need to exaggerate. It's a thrill to hear songs from albums like "Ghost in the Machine" or "Zeniatta Mondatta" performed live, which for those younger might seem a bit naive.

That sound, that blend of punk and reggae vibes, so typical of the Police, sounded like a revolution at the time. Musically, of course. The one they draw from the most is "Syncronicity," however, and while the choice of "Wrapped Around Your Finger" may be surprising, it's still a great song, but like so many others in their repertoire, "Every Breath You Take" is a must. And that's how the first part of the concert ends. And it's a triumph.

In a red T-shirt and dark pants, he's as we'd expect. Always charming, elegant, confident, and handsome, to be honest. At 69, he presents himself with a lean build, silver hair slicked back, and a light white beard.

His solo repertoire is also well-regarded. When he performed for the first time in 1985 without Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland, the two with whom he formed The Police, audiences were introduced to him with songs that were very different from what they were used to, but he immediately hit the mark. So songs like "If You Love Somebody (Set Them Free)" and "Russians" are bound to be familiar to everyone. The latter, in particular, highlighted how much has changed in recent years: the political landscape, the cultural and aesthetic references. But that's all, because not a single song was perceived as "old." There was never a sense of hearing something out of place or out of place in these times. The finale is just as it began, with him alone and an acoustic guitar. And while many things have changed, while time has passed for everyone - indeed, for many, because there were many young people in the audience, even very young ones, to be clear - with the performance of "Fragile," he reminds us of what remains the same.

(c) PadovaOggi by Ivan Grozny Compasso