Sting & Shaggy: The 44/876 Tour

Reeling in roots - Sting and Shaggy make up postponed concert, becoming the Bowl season finale...

One of the stranger collaborative match-ups this season concerns two stars, in their own rights, in the one- name wonder category, being the Sting & Shaggy road show. Their Santa Barbara Bowl concert Oct. 29 accidentally turned out to be the Bowl concert season's grand finale after an earlier postponement due to Sting's temporarily waylaid voice during the current tour.

The tour comes on the heels of a new album, "44/876," so named for their separate country codes, between Sting's British roots (although he's now an "Englishman in New York," to quote his song) and Shaggy native Jamaica (although he has been a "Jamaican in New York" for many years).

On one hand, the pairing (can we call is Staggy?) makes perfect sense, considering Sting's strong love for and skill at retooling reggae music-mainly during his tenure in the Police, though not so much in his solo career. This project seems a roots- retracing gesture on Sting's part.

From another angle, though, the odd coupling doesn't entirely work, given the artists' divergent ways and degrees of depth. That split decision factor kept the Bowl show from reaching its creative cruising altitude.

Monday's show offered up an "all in the family" vibe when Joe Sumner-son of Sting (born Gordon Sumner)-came out and gave a short set with only his voice and acoustic guitar. Mr. Sumner Jr. was in the area to perform at the Friday's Lobero's Cancer Research Benefit and he was up for an impromptu visit to the Bowl Stage, revealing his starling similarity to Mr. Sumner, the elder, in physical form and broad vocal range - if lacking in dad's songwriting prowess.

Sting's part of the show, the strongest part, framed the generous set list, from the kicking opening version of 'Englishman in New York' to the sombre ode to/ quest for peace of the final encore, 'Fragile'. Alluding to the recent Pittsburgh synagogue attack, Sting introduced the lamenting song by noting that its original intent, as a response to tragic violence, continues to be renewably relevant.

Sting's reggae roots percolated in new forms in this aggregation, giving a new spin and spank to 'Everything She Does is Magic', 'Message in a Bottle', and 'So Lonely'. Shaggy's contributions to the mix, as singer and rapper, included 'Angel' and 'Habibi (I Need Your Love)'.

Underscoring the evening, and the project at large, is the power and malleable legacy of reggae (and ska), such a seminal influence on Sting and putty for a new, personal hybrid in Shaggy's career. The Bowl itself is something of a sacred ground in terms of its reggae cred, as the site of a legendary Bob Marley concert (and resulting album and DVD) in 1979, which made this band's take on 'Get Up, Stand Up' (segueing out of 'Walking on the Moon') a memorable moment.

In the Sting & Shaggy world, the artists have found ways of working together and intermingling in various ways, even if not always seamlessly. Members of Shaggy's band and Sting's bands, including his long-time right-hand guitarist Dominic Miller, were part of the large band, and the punk-fuelled "white reggae" of the Police-era Sting gained a new shambling Jamaican-tinged authenticity from Shaggy and his gang.

From the new album, Sting/Shaggy played up their commonalities on catchy tunes such as the title track '44/876' and the émigré's American dream-themed 'Dreaming in the U.S.A.', while their musical paths as when the career-launching (and reggae-pumped) Police hit 'Roxanne' (one of the greatest pop hits about a beloved prostitute) morphed in and out of Shaggy's similarly sexualized hit 'Boombastic'.

After a three-song encore segment from the Sting side of things-his entrancing North African-sounding 'Desert Rose' and the Police mega-hit 'Every Breath You Take' - and Shaggy's 'It Wasn't Me', the core duo returned in stripped-down form to intone the sweet melody of the old Harry Belafonte hit 'Jamaica Farewell'.

Finally, closing this concert and this Bowl season, came the mournful but also compassionate sounds of 'Fragile', a melancholy and humane end piece.

(c) The Santa Barbara News Press by Josef Woodard

Sting and Shaggy Bring Their 44/876 Tour to Santa Barbara Bowl...

Sting and Shaggy brought positive vibes to close out the 2018 concert season at the Santa Barbara Bowl.

The show was rescheduled after Sting had to cancel because of a throat illness. The doctors ordered him to cancel several shows, and luckily for Santa Barbara they were able to secure Monday's closing date. The warm evening created a perfect setting for the crowd to boogie down to the upbeat stylings of Sting and Shaggy and their 44/876 Tour.

The show opened with Sting’s “Englishman in New York,” and immediately the audience was pumped up. Sting looked fit wearing a black 44/876 Tour T-shirt and tight black jeans.

The night was filled with reggae vibes that Shaggy brings from his Jamaican heritage, and next up it was Shaggy’s turn singing “44/876,” which is the title track to Sting and Shaggy’s collaborative 2018 effort that was released on A&M/Interscope Records in April and is holding the 40th spot on the U.S. Billboard Top 200.

The title is a reference to the area codes of the United Kingdom (44) and Jamaica (876). It was the night’s first taste of Shaggy’s stage prowess and gifted lyrical talent. The show would reveal a well-paced trend of a Sting song followed by a Shaggy song.

The assembled congregation was very appreciative that Sting was able to rest and recover his voice and to perform his music. His voice sounded excellent live. He used his trademark silky smooth melodies with wispy and almost raspy undertones to deliver some of the most iconic lyrics in rock music history. Sting sang many of his greatest hits, including “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” “Love Is the Seventh Wave,” “Message in a Bottle,” “Fields of Gold,” “If You Love Somebody Set Them Free” and “Shape of My Heart.”

He joyfully dodged and burned vocal harmonies back and forth with Shaggy and their backup singers, Melissa Musique and Gene Noble. Sting provided the backbone bass riffs, and Shaggy was vibrant as he raised the energy of the crowd, repeatedly hyping them up shouting “Santa Barbara” with his native Jamaican accent.

The performance also was filled with well-conceived mash-ups, including “So Lonely/Strength of a Woman,” where Shaggy highlighted the power of the independent woman. The show closer had everyone singing along to “Roxanne,” which mashed into Shaggy’s 1995 monster dance hall hit “Boombastic.”

My personal favorite mash-up of the night was "Walking on the Moon,” which effortlessly flowed into Bob Marley’s “Get Up, Stand Up.” Knowing that the legendary reggae superstar Marley had performed on that stage made it that much more special. It is always a gift when the songs of Marley can fill the air at the Santa Barbara Bowl.

The show featured a sweet double encore. The first encore was Sting’s “Desert Rose” followed by the fun and catchy “It Wasn’t Me,” where Shaggy had everyone laughing at his excessive hip gyrations. The first encore was capped off with Sting’s “Every Breath You Take,” Sting’s son, Joe Summer, who opened the show with four acoustic songs, joined the band to help sing it home. The second encore included a Harry Belafonte cover song, “Jamaica Farewell.”

The show closed on a softer note when Sting used his acoustic guitar to accompany his and Shaggy’s vocals to sing “Fragile.” Sting and Shaggy exchanged verses between the chorus, “Rain will fall, the rain will fall, the rain will say how fragile we are.”

It was clear that Sting and Shaggy have a chemistry that bonds them. With ska, reggae, rock and rap, the packed house could feel the energy between the performers, and they fed on it all night long. Sting and Shaggy along with the high acumen of the talented musicians in their band served as catalysts to fulfill the end of another great concert season at the Santa Barbara Bowl.

The 2018 staff and volunteers of the Bowl and Goldenvoice need to be credited for working so hard to provide a venue to bring people together to experience so many magical nights. This concert season started with charity shows by Jack Johnson, Katy Perry and Brad Paisley to help benefit victims of the Thomas Fire and Montecito debris flows. The concert season ended with Sting reminding us all of how fragile life is.

(c) Noozhawk by Steve Kennedy