Even the king is swaying to Sting's tune...
King Willem-Alexander was back in his grandparents' garden on Saturday, where he once played hide-and-seek. Together with Maxima, now as a spectator at the Sting and Shaggy concert.
Soestdijk Palace was a glorious location for a summer concert on Saturday evening. White and sleekly painted, with the stage practically on the balcony, three stands, and a wide selection of food and drink stalls.
With the sun setting late, everyone was in a kind of holiday mood, and the reggae-based music of Sting and Shaggy fit perfectly.
The album released this spring, 44/876, the country numbers of Great Britain (Sting) and Jamaica (Shaggy), was quite corny and certainly not among the best work of the former frontman of The Police.
There were fears that many of the new songs would be performed, since the joint tour was named after the album. But in this setting it didn't really matter, because live, with a beer in hand on this sultry summer evening, the six songs from 44/876 that were performed were easy to digest.
Sting generally surrounds himself with high-quality musicians, and this time, too, with excellent supporting roles for his regular guitarists Dominic and Rufus Miller, drummer Josh Freese, and backup vocalist Melissa Musique from Shaggy's crew.
And the Police classics are so unstoppable that the audience quickly went wild. Opening night was "Englishman in New York," quickly followed by "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic."
Willem-Alexander and Maxima swayed along just as vigorously as the rest of the audience, and the king, like many others, used his smartphone to take photos and videos. Talk about being close to the people! At the royal couple's entrance, just before the concert began, enthusiastic cheers erupted. Their popularity is undeniable.
The only dissonance in an otherwise wonderful evening was Roxanne's performance. How Sting even thought to intertwine Roxanne with Shaggy's hit "Boombastic" remains a mystery.
No offense to the duo, who divided the responsibilities fairly, with Shaggy more in the clown role and Sting, apparently enjoying being less in the spotlight.
The Gooi and Eemland regions have been deprived of meaningful performances for decades, so it's a huge asset that Agents After All launched the concert series under the name Royal Park Live a few years ago.
Following Van Morrison last year, this year's line-up, featuring Elvis Costello, Sting & Shaggy, and Sunday's closing act Jack Johnson, was unprecedented for this area.
The audience, mostly from the surrounding area, can now see top musicians without having to travel to the Gelredome, Ziggodome, or Ahoy. Hopefully, there will be another edition in 2019.
(c) DeGooi-en Eemlander by Bert-Jan van Oel
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