Summer: 2013

Sting Goes Back To Bass - Sting Personifies Precision on “Back to Bass” Tour...

Impeccable. That’s Sting the musician, still. The degree of difficulty in his tunes is high, but the cat never misses a note on his instrument or with his voice, both tones are flawless, and he’s in better shape than most a third his age. It’s enough to make anybody envious, or simply piss you off. It can also be a bit lackluster because there never seems to be any real danger that Sting’s going to slip and fall. He’s almost too good for his own good - so comfortable.
 
Sting could never be quite so cozy with the Police because he had Stewart Copeland riding up his ass every night pounding his drum kit hard enough to make ears bleed. That’s never the case with Vinnie Colaiuta. His playing was as impeccable as Sting’s at San Francisco's America's Cup Pavilion. His drums were a bit low in the mix, and he served Sting and his songs so well as to practically go unnoticed at times, even as he’s pulling off some of the hairiest arrangements in pop music.
 
Sting drew from his entire catalogue, happily hopping from Police classics including “Driven to Tears,” “King of Pain,” “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da,” “Roxanne,” and “Message in a Bottle,” to solo gems such as “Fragile,” “All This Time,” “Englishman in New York,” “If I Ever Lose my Faith,” and “Desert Rose.” Sting alternated between what appeared to be production models of his signature Fender, and the ’53 P-Bass upon which it’s modeled. Sting executed the main “Demolition Man” riff up around the 12th fret on the vintage, but the tone was deep, so an octave pedal was probably in effect. The production model was in play for “I Hung My Head” with its beautifully idiosyncratic 9/8 country feel. Sting proudly announced that Johnny Cash’s cover reached the top of the country charts. “Here’s a song about a little house I have in the country. Well, it’s more of a castle, really, surrounded by barley fields,” Sting announced as he launched into “Fields of Gold.” It was pompous and funny - so very Stingy. He plucked way back by the bridge and employed a brighter, more compressed tone for “Heavy Cloud (No Rain).” He used his thumb and forefinger out of claw-like plucking grip throughout the night. He played a cool little bass lick near the 12th fret in between choruses on a haunting rendition of “The Hounds of Winter” from Mercury Falling.

Since the Police Reunion Tour in 2007, Sting has done a lute tour supporting Songs from the Labyrinth (lute-based interpretation of the music of 16th century composer John Dowland), concerts for his winter album, If on a Winter’s Night…,and an orchestral tour supporting Symphonicities. These days he’s “back to bass” with a seven-piece band that doesn’t rock nearly as hard as the Police or his ’90s rock band, and doesn’t swing nearly as relentlessly as the famous Bring on the Night ensemble featuring Branford Marsalis and Kenny Kirkland. Sting’s current place is somewhere in the middle, and he seems very content there. It will  be interesting to see what his forthcoming release, The Last Ship, will hold. Sting didn’t play any material from the album inspired by his forthcoming play of the same name. The audience at America’s Cup Pavilion was quite happy to hear the hits, and stoked to be on the waterfront in the brand new venue with striking views of the City including Coit Tower and the Transamerica Pyramid. It’s a highly recommended hit for anyone planning to be in the Bay Area this summer. As for Gordon Sumner, he’s still one of the most impressive musicians on the planet in his 61st year walking under its moon.

(c) Bass Player by Jimmy Leslie

Wrapped around his finger...

No one can ruin 'Roxanne' quite like Sting. On Sunday night, the 61-year-old former Police front man brought his long-running 'Back to Bass' solo tour to the new America's Cup Pavilion on the San Francisco waterfront, along with some 20 career-spanning hits he just couldn't resist tweaking: whether embellishing that particular 1978 single with an extended round of scat singing, wedging a thoroughly unnecessary fiddle solo into 'Driven to Tears', or using 'De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da' as an excuse to slap his bass like the theme from 'Seinfeld'. 

Time has stripped much of the momentum from his live show, but Sting's song craft is indisputable, so even deflated versions of 'Message in a Bottle' and 'Wrapped Around Your Finger' sent ripples through the capacity crowd of 9,000. He remains a natural charmer, too, who can still elicit shrieks by simply removing his jacket or tempering some of his more austere material with a dose of self-depreciation. "This is a song about my house in England - it's more of a castle, really," he said, introducing the dismal 'Fields of Gold'.

The venue itself, located on Piers 27/29, is a gem. The promised views of the bay may only be available to those in the nosebleed seats, but for everyone else there is a breathtaking panorama that spans the Transamerica building to Coit Tower (with a lot of irate neighbours dotting the hill in between).

The setup is minimal, with festival-style bleachers and portable toilets, but the sound what really matters - is great for an outdoor amphitheater.

Parking was predictably difficult, as was the process of getting people into the venue. The biggest insult, however, was the $12 beer.

Sting was only the second act at America's Cup Pavilion. Between now and October (when the venue comes down), Live Nation has booked more than a dozen other headliners from the San Francisco Symphony to the Jonas Brothers.

Yet Sting offered some valuable lessons for those who will follow. "It's cold," he pointed out many times. So Sammy Hagar may consider ditching the board shorts for real pants when he comes around. Also, Train and the Steve Miller Band may want to start thinking of ways to trim their set lists. As Sting tried to cram in his full two-hour show, he came up against the venue's strict curfew, forcing him to do away with the formality of leaving the stage before encores and powering through the last few songs in a messy whirr of post-punk and smooth jazz that claimed 'King of Pain' and 'Every Breath You Take'.

(c) San Francisco Chronicle by Aidin Vaziri

Rocker Sting helps christen promising new site for music...

Despite the drama and controversy sailing around America's Cup in San Francisco, one aspect is already paying off-and local music fans are the beneficiaries.

They began to reap the rewards over the weekend as the newly constructed America's Cup Pavilion made its debut with two sold-out shows. The 9,000-seat temporary outdoor venue, located on Piers 27 and 29 in San Francisco, hosted Las Vegas pop act Imagine Dragons on Friday and then followed up with rock icon Sting on Sunday.

I caught the Sting show and enjoyed his performance. Yet, I was even more impressed by the venue it- self. It's a lovely spot to see a concert, providing some glorious views of downtown San Francisco - especially once the lights go up in the city.

While the venue will be a focal point for sailing enthusiasts during the America's Cup and as- sociated races, Bay Area residents are more likely Scheduled to operate into to associate it with music.

the fall, it will host a number of acts over the next few months, including the Steve Miller Band and the Doobie Brothers (June 21), Counting Crows and The Wallflowers (July 18), the San Francisco Symphony (July 20) and Weezer (July 25). Don't be surprised if it has a sizable impact on the Bay Area's summer concert scene, which has typically revolved around such outdoor venues as the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, Sleep Train Pavilion in Concord and the Greek Theatre in Berkeley. In other words, this summer fans have another excellent option for live music.

Sunday night, as Sting opened with 'If I Ever Lose My Faith in You', and continued through 'Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic' and 'Englishman in New York', it became clear that not only is the setting stellar, but the acoustics are solid. The overall mix was crisp and clean, allowing Sting's lyrics to be clearly understood. Such was the case not only at my seat, located in the center section on the floor, but at other spots in the pavilion. I spent much of the concert walking about the venue, climbing all the way up to the last row of the bleachers, where I could find nary a trace of echo.

What I did find, however, was that some spots offer better views of such landmarks as Coit Tower and the Transamerica Pyramid. In general, the best views can be found to the right of the stage-in sections 101, 102 and 201- 203. If your goal is to see the water, try sitting up high to the left of the stage especially in sections 208-212. Yet the views of the water aren't as im- pressive as the views of the cityscape. And seemingly every seat provides a good look at the stage.

That said, promoters still have a few kinks to work out. In particular, they need to deal with the sizable logjam that occurs as people enter. I heard several complaints from fans that it took them too long to get inside the venue.

Traffic, which has been a big concern of neighbourhood groups, seemed quite manageable with many folks taking heed of the promoter's pleas to use public transportation. I also walked outside the venue during the concert to check on the noise level, which had been another neighbourhood concern. From where I stood, the volume seemed mild although I have no idea how it might have sounded in other parts of the area.

The lines for the bathrooms were basically non-existent and the wait at the concession stands were reasonable.

The food even looked pretty good, although I didn't try any. It's definitely an upscale menu for a major music venue, ranging from chipotle cheddar sausages ($9) to chicken salad sandwiches on rosemary bread ($11) to vegan sloppy "Jane" sandwiches ($10).

In all, it's a nice place to see a show - even on one of those famously chilly San Francisco summer nights. Sting was the first act I got to see there, but he probably won't be the last.

(c) Oakland Tribune by Jim Harrington