Summer: 2015

Sting - Skovdalen, Aalborg...

The blue sky and the long-awaited pleasant summer weather lifted Sting and the audience up in the almost two-hour long outdoor concert in Aalborg. Together with a very well-playing band, Sting took the over 5000 guests in Skovdalen on a walk down the memorial avenue.

The summer party started to the tune of "If I Ever Lose My Faith", when the band had found a place on the stage. Shortly afterwards, the 23-year-old... no... 63-year-old Sting enters, stands in front of the microphone wearing a tight T-shirt, hipster beard and his bass, where he takes the audience in the palm of his hand with his welcoming attitude and a "Thank you".

You immediately notice that he too is enjoying the concert under the beautiful, clear sky on a stage surrounded by large, beautiful trees. He lifts everything to an even higher level when he and the band give us the Police classic "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic".

The voice is also not bad despite his age and busy tour schedule. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite come into its own in the first 20 minutes, as the soundstage is a bit muddy, and the high frequencies sometimes cut into the ears. But you forget that when you feel the unbeatable atmosphere in Skovdalen, and the sound is also corrected as the concert progresses.

I have rarely experienced the Skovrock guests so fired up. There is singing and rhythmic clapping from top to bottom in the scenic audience arena. The good weather certainly helps the mood. It is only during the ballads that people relax with a little too much chatter.

And Sting has to comment on the good weather as he introduces his band. He also spots two young men with hipster beards, whom he refers to as his "Danish cousins", before launching into "So Lonely".

"When The World is Running Down..." contains a longer jazzy piano solo that eventually brings the band together in a delicious jam. Even the band's violinist got time in the spotlight with a shorter solo. As I said - a well-playing band, where the drummer in particular is tight.

The first ballad of the evening will be the seasonally appropriate "Fields of Gold". However, the tempo never slows down for more than one song at a time. "Driven to Tears" follows, where the violinist is once again allowed to fill the speakers with a solo. And so the concert continues. In good style. Groovy reggae-emphasized pop-rock, beautiful ballads, big hits, smaller hits, but all classics spiced with jazzy jams. 

The highlight is "Message In A Bottle" with a very sympathetic audience and a light show that plays along with the intensity of the song. There are no notable low points. The otherwise talented choir singer makes a few mistakes during "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da", where she doesn't quite harmonize with Sting during the chorus. And during "Roxanne" she's crazy with the sound in her microphone. Practice, but never mind.

The main set also offers a couple of cover numbers, including Simon and Garfunkel's "America". During "Roxanne", Sting also weaves in Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" during a funky intermission that the audience doesn't quite get. They just want to hear the whole original version about the woman with the red light.

"Desert Rose" kicks off the first round with extras, while the deviant and often misinterpreted "Every Breath You Take" closes the round.

After a short exit from the stage, we get the energetic "Next To You", before Sting and the band, after another short exit, return to close the party with a ballad. When the maestro himself sends out the first notes of "Fragile", a collective "aaaahhhh" sounds from the grateful audience.

It is truly a thoroughly good concert with a strong set list, an excellent band, an excited audience and a warm summer evening. And I think we can thank Sting for it all. 

(c) GAFFA by Jan Lambæk Hansen