Summer: 2012

Sting Rejuvenates the Crowd - Nearly 10,000 people applauded Sting yesterday at the Vélodrome...

It's 9:41 PM this Sunday evening in Arcachon. The sun has just sunk further west, casting shadow on the building overlooking the Vélodrome. A muffled, increasingly high-pitched roar rises from the enormous crowd that has invaded the pitch and the stands.

There are almost 10,000 of them tonight, and they're all waiting for Sting. And while here and there, a couple or two have gotten lost, like these two young people in Iron Maiden and Motorhead T-shirts, tonight is the night for the fifty-somethings who haven't given up on age...

Previously, the Californian bluesman TD Lind, rather talented and rather funny ("French is difficult, listen, stupid, I enjoy the piano!"), tried to keep the audience waiting, but to no avail. It was Sting they wanted, and so, at exactly 9:41 p.m., his distinctive voice began "If I Ever Lose My Faith." And no need to question the crowd; they shouted back without being asked! "Do you think he'll sing 'Roxanne?'" hoped a girl who had reached forty without losing sight of her twenties. "But yeah, of course," her boyfriend reassured her.

"Thank you so much, everyone! Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! I'm very happy to be here tonight, Arcachon, my first time, great!" declared Sting. And if he's happy, he's probably less happy than the audience. Wearing a blue T-shirt, black pants, a super-flat stomach, and (somewhat) deserted temples, Sting belts out hits like surfer Kelly Slater rocks them out in Hawaii. On "Englishman in New York," he no longer needs to sing since the crowd knows the repertoire by heart.

As night falls gently over the Bassin at the Arcachon Velodrome, everyone slowly returns to their youth, firmly believing that this night, no, it's not over for good. What more could you ask for?

(c) Sud Ouest by David Patsouris