Summer: 2016

Sting triumphs in Florence and enchants 7,000 people...

A superlative Sting, a setlist that barely transcends the '90s, and a tribute to Peter Gabriel and Genesis. All this at the Florence stop of the Back to the Bass tour.

Sixty-four years old and looking his best. With his hippie beard gone, Sting appeared on stage looking better than ever, a sign that the American vibe of touring with his lifelong friend Peter Gabriel has truly rejuvenated him.

A sellout with 7,000 people for what was the most attended concert of this Florentine summer, concluding the series of great concerts with a rock legend. Gordon Summer, better known as Sting, has a career that is always at the top.

With the Police, Sting managed to tone down that punk sound, transporting the group into a rock-reggea mix that allowed him to create masterpieces like Regatta de Blanc and Synchronicity. Since 1985, Sting has embarked on his solo career, adding to his personal success with 10 Grammy Awards, 2 Brit Awards, 3 Oscar nominations and approximately 100 million records sold both as a solo artist and with the Police.

But back to the Visarno Arena, his son takes the stage before him. Same style and same voice, a shame the songs are all a bit the same.

At 9:30 PM sharp, the spotlights come on and the show begins. Usually, the first song isn't the one that gets the crowd fired up; many are still eating their sandwiches or even looking for seats, but Sting doesn't want to wait; he wants to get the party started right away.

He enters the stage to the tune of the most famous ballad by the "late" Police, that bass riff you'd recognize among a thousand, the one you learn to play even on the flute at school: "Every breath you take," perhaps the most romantic song he ever wrote.

We're on the fourth or fifth song when Sting treats the Florentine audience to one of the most beautiful and exciting moments of the entire concert. "We just finished the tour with my friend Peter Gabriel, I miss him already. That's why I want to play one of his songs."

The former Genesis leader's interpretation of Shock the Monkey is fantastic, but this isn't enough for Sting and he once again pays homage to his friend Peter with the introduction of a Genesis milestone, "Dancing with the Moonlit Knight", sung strictly a cappella, which then transforms into "Message in a Bottle" surrounded by the applause of the audience.

The concert concludes with the spectacular "Roxane," arranged in a jazzy style and blended with Bill Withers' iconic "Ain't No Sunshine," concluding with a top-notch performance.

The encore is a must, with the entire arena pouring out onto the stage as if to embrace Sting as he performs the stunning "Desert Rose." He then takes up his guitar and concludes with the delicate "Fragile," which speaks of how fragile we can be in the face of violence and terrorism - themes that are as relevant and real today as ever.

(c) Seidifirenzese by Davide Bisconti

Back to Bass Tour: 5,500 Fans for Sting's Concert at the Visarno in Florence...

"We are happy to be here tonight," with these words, spoken in Italian, Sting opened his concert at the Visarno in Florence last night, in front of over 5,500 fans.

Sting's concert in Florence was part of the Back to Bass Tour 2016, the tour that was supposed to celebrate Sting's 25-year solo career but which, instead, has been ongoing since 2011, racking up hundreds of dates.

A tribute to the former Police bassist's immense repertoire, accompanied on stage by great musicians: guitarist Dominic Miller, drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, the wonderful keyboards of David Sancious, the fantastic electric violin of Peter Tickel, and the incredible voice of Jo Lawry.

The Florence leg also featured a contribution from Joe Sumner, Sting's son, who accompanied some of his father's songs. It was he who opened the evening, just before 9:00 PM, performing some of his own songs: Joe Sumner, in fact, began his musical career several years ago with the band Fiction Plane.

But the show itself began around 9:30 PM when Sting and the band took the stage to the sound of the immortal "Every Breath You Take," followed immediately by "My Faith in You." The Visarno stadium greeted them with cheers and applause, a cross-generational mix that brought together former Police fans and new generations of teenagers.

Sting spoke in Italian to greet his audience, and did so several more times throughout the evening, thanking them and introducing his songs.

The concert continued with "Mad About You," "Message in a Bottle," "Englishman in New York," "So Lonely," and the stunning "Roxane."

Sting was the star of the show, but always accompanied by his musicians, particularly Tickel on electric violin and Sancious on keyboards, with whom he performed beautiful musical duets.

The tribute to Peter Gabriel, with whom Sting recently completed another tour, and to Genesis was also beautiful, with the performance of "Shock the Monkey" and "Selling England by the Pound."

A concert to listen to but also to dance to, so much so that at times the seating in the stands was cramped, and some in the audience took advantage of the free spaces to let loose.

The encore was a resounding success: upon returning to the stage, the entire audience stood up to rush under the barriers.

Sting and the band rewarded them with three more songs: Fragile, Next to You, and the beautiful King of Pain, which closed the nearly two-hour show.

"Alla successiva volta" (See you next time) was Sting's farewell in Italian, closing the Visarno concert. Hopefully, it will be soon, perhaps with the tour for his new album, due out in November!

(c) Obiettivotre.com