Summer: 2012

Sting's second Prague concert this year attracted 13,000 people...

Only four months have passed since Sting's last concert in Prague, but the British musician and singer attracted 13,000 spectators to his performance today. The concert took place at the O2 Arena in Vysočany, and Sting offered fans two dozen songs from both his solo career and his previous work in the band The Police.

Sting skipped the mannerisms of rock stars, took the stage at exactly 8:00 PM, and prepared a two-hour show packed with his greatest hits for the audience, who mostly remember his entire career. The audience on the area under the stage didn't dance much, but rather focused on recording their favourite on their mobile phones. However, they sang along to the choruses of Sting's hits.

In February, Sting stopped in Prague as part of his almost six-month-long Back To Bass tour, which commemorated a quarter of a century since he embarked on a solo career. Tickets to the Congress Centre sold out quickly, and the organizers agreed on today's date. Now the singer has come to Prague during his summer tour, which, in addition to the anniversary, also commemorates the recently released set recapitulating Sting's entire solo career in the form of three CDs and one DVD.

The song composition on the current tour is almost identical to the previous one. 'Englishman in New York', which the audience missed in February and was welcomed with enthusiasm today, has been added as the third in the series. However, the introductions were all classic hits 'All This Time' and 'Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic'. They have been newly arranged, and Sting also performs with a bass guitar (Back to Bass), the instrument that made him famous as a member of The Police. The songs of his former band make up half of the concert.

Sting's summer tour features a small band - alongside his bass, the drums of the famous Vinnie Colaiuta, who has recorded with artists from Frank Zappa to Andrea Bocelli. The guitar duo Dominic Miller and David Sancious are on hand, with the distinctive backing vocalist Jo Lawry and violinist Peter Tickell also getting a chance.

This year, 61-year-old Sting, whose name is Gordon Matthew Sumner, uses a nickname from his student days playing in various bands in his career - he performed in a black and yellow sweater, hence the "sting". During his 35-year musical career, he has gone through many musical styles, his older work was influenced by jazz, and on later albums he also played with elements of world music.

In 1977, he co-founded the group The Police and the band, playing a mixture of rock and reggae at the time, soon rose to the top of the charts. In 1986, it broke up at the peak of its fame. Among the British new wave bands, it stood out for its quality lyrics and the instrumental prowess of all the trio members.

As a soloist, Sting has achieved the greatest success of all three. In addition to the guitar, he plays the piano, harmonica, flute, saxophone and lute, has released two dozen albums, as well as a few acting roles and film soundtracks. Sting has officially sung for Czech fans eight times, including today's concert.

(c) České Noviny