Sting & Shaggy: The 44/876 Tour

Sting and Shaggy in Fulda – 8,500 people at the Cathedral Square – "Here we go"...

A little bit of reggae, a little bit of rock, and above all, a whole lot of good cheer – Fulda's Cathedral Square was practically bursting at the seams on Thursday evening. Rock and pop star Sting and reggae musician Shaggy thrilled the approximately 8,500 visitors. The atmosphere was fantastic, the weather couldn't have been better, and the attendees experienced an unforgettable evening in the cathedral city.

Mild temperatures and sunshine – the conditions were perfect. Fortunately, there was no rain, so the open-air concert went off without a hitch. In front of Fulda Cathedral, which offered an incomparable backdrop, there was a true festival atmosphere. Attendees dressed casually in jeans, shirts, and leather jackets, a mug of beer in one hand and a quick bite to eat in the other. Most were in small groups. Guests got into the mood for the evening to the music of singer and songwriter James Walsh. With only a guitar in hand, Walsh enchanted the audience. Many may not have known the musician before, but they were captivated by the sonorous melodies.

As the sun slowly set behind the cathedral and the technicians quickly set up the stage, many waited anxiously for the evening's main act. At 8:20 p.m., five minutes late, Sting and Shaggy finally made their entrance and took the stage. Suddenly, the audience's hands went up in the air, Sting started singing, and everyone sang along to one of his biggest hits, "Englishman in New York," with the lyrics memorized – the ice between the audience and the musicians was immediately broken, and the sparks were ignited. What followed in the first half hour was new for many Sting fans from the very beginning, but varied. A Jamaican feeling prevailed on the cathedral square. Pop musician Shaggy took the lead and performed a few songs. "We're getting some reggae in the house. Here we go," Shaggy called out to the audience, and immediately, hands went up in the air, bouncing along to the rhythm of the music. He brought hits like "Mr. Bombastic" and "Angel" with him to Fulda.

But Sting fans didn't miss out either. Songs like "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" and "Message in a Bottle" certainly got the fans' hearts racing. While some songs had a truly rocking vibe and the audience really went wild, "Fields of Gold" suddenly created an almost calm, reverent atmosphere. Many gazed up at the blue sky, reveled in old memories, dreamed of old love, and remembered days gone by – there were some goosebump-inducing moments.

New this time was the barrier in front of the Cathedral Square – security officers had cordoned off the area between Pauluspromenade and the Havanna Bar. This meant that attendees first had to take a detour toward the City Palace and then pass through the barriers. During the course of the concert, the area was then reopened, so many Fulda residents gathered in front of the City Palace and listened to the sounds of the music from there.

(c) Focus by Svenja Müller

Sting and Shaggy on the Cathedral Square: Back to the roots with a Caribbean sound...

A joint concert by Sting and Shaggy? One has enjoyed four decades of success as a pop-rocker, the other is known as a patois-rapping one-hit wonder of the 90s. On Thursday evening at Fulda's Cathedral Square, both demonstrated why even reggae doesn't lead to unity.

It takes a bit of patience for the ears to adjust to the unusual duet on the Cathedral Square: Sting's melancholic, drizzly tenor voice and Shaggy's powerful rapping go together as well as the symphony orchestra and the metal band playing together for the anniversary album. But yes, the roots of these unlikely musical partners are the same, sort of: Reggae, rocksteady, and ska have strongly influenced British rock music; the post-punk band "The Police," whose frontman was once Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, aka "Sting," owes its success in no small part to reggae elements. Jamaican Orville Richard Burrell, aka "Shaggy," made a name for himself with offbeat chart hits in the 1990s.

Sting has previously experimented with musicals, world music, and jazz pop, and lived in Kingston for an extended period. But how do the thoughtful, environmental and human rights-minded global citizen Sting and "Mister Lover Lover," Shaggy, harmonize? A quick poll on the cathedral square: Did you know Shaggy is performing tonight? A restrained smile – "No, who is that, anyway?", "I didn't think there would be so much rapping," "I was actually looking forward to 'Roxanne' and 'Englishman In New York'."

After passages of well-known Sting songs like "Message in a Bottle," Shaggy's heavy rapping seems out of place and almost comical; some listeners instinctively laugh. The contrast between the two characters, the two mentalities and worldviews that appear together on stage, is too great. Sting's legendary voice, still effortlessly high and clear at 66, never drifting into falsetto, is counteracted by Shaggy's Jamaican Creole, as well as the nostalgic soundscapes of the classics. Their target audiences could hardly be more different: "King of Pain" describes emotional pain with dense imagery, while "Oh Carolina," the pop adaptation of Shaggy, depicts the physical attributes of the beloved with a macho attitude. But the reggae is supposed to do the trick: On their joint album "44/876," whose songs are prominently featured in the evening, the occasionally highly political and religious style becomes a chart-compatible feel-good factor.

(c) Osthessen-News