Police commands audience appeal with basic sound...
With their near capacity audience packing the Omni to the rafters and singing along on numerous favourite songs, The Police gave as arresting a performance Wednesday night as an Atlanta concert crowd is likely to see this year.
Even the folks who paid to sit behind the stage at this first of a two-night stand got their money's worth as the popular trio of two Britishers and one American - bassist/vocalist Sting, guitarist Andy Summers and drummer Stewart Copeland showed onstage every bit of the appeal that has kept their latest album, 'Synchronicity', atop the charts for the last several months.
Actor/songwriter Sting, the group's front man, didn't talk that much during the 90-plus minutes of the show, but even so he proved to be an incredibly charismatic performer as he tip-toed about the stage in a colourful fringed jacket that brought to mind a court jester. That magnetism combined with the simple, catchy nature of the band's danceable, reggae-tinged music probably was responsible for the mostly teen and college aged crowd constantly joining in on the numbers even when they weren't prompted to do so.
One of the most refreshing things about The Police's sound is its uncomplicated structure - the basic bass/guitar/percussion alignment is supplemented only occasionally by Sting on woodwinds or synthesizer. But the addition of three female backing vocalists (as opposed to a horn section last time they played here) filled the sound out nicely without altering that spare approach.
The show which was being videotaped, making cameramen a disconcerting addition onstage - included a cross section of the band's five albums over the last five years, ranging from their current single, 'Synchronicity II' to their first hit, 'Roxanne', which closed out the regular set.
In between the bottle blonds showed their musical roots with the more pronounced West Indies rhythms of 'Walking on the Moon' and played a variety of tunes such as 'Walking in Your Footsteps', 'O My God', 'Hole in My Life', 'Message in A Bottle', 'Spirits in the Material World', 'Invisible Sun' and 'One World (Not Three)'.
(c) The Atlanta Constitution by Bill King
Audience surrenders to arresting Police sound...
With their near capacity audience packing the Omni to the rafters and singing along on numerous favourite songs, The Police gave as arresting a performance Wednesday night as an Atlanta concert crowd is likely to see this year.
Even the folks who paid to sit behind the stage at this first of a two-night stand got their money's worth as the popular trio of two Britishers and one American - bassist/vocalist Sting, guitarist Andy Summers and drummer Stewart Copeland - showed onstage every bit of the appeal that has kept their latest album, 'Synchronicity', atop the charts for the last several months.
Actor/songwriter Sting, the group's front man, didn't talk that much during the 90-plus minutes of the show, but even so he proved to be an incredibly charismatic performer as he tiptoed about the stage in a colourful fringed jacket that brought to mind a court jester. That magnetism combined with the simple, catchy nature of the band's danceable, reggae-tinged music probably was responsible for the mostly teen and college aged crowd constantly joining in on the numbers even when they weren't prompted to do so.
One of the most refreshing things about The Police's sound is its uncomplicated structure - the basic bass/guitar/ percussion alignment is supplemented only occasionally by Sting on woodwinds or synthesizer. But the addition of three female backing vocalists (as opposed to a horn section last time they played here) filled the sound out nicely without altering that spare approach.
The show which was being videotaped, making cameramen a disconcerting addition onstage - included a cross-section of the band's five albums over the last five years, ranging from their current single, 'Synchronicity II' to their first hit, 'Roxanne', which closed out the regular set. In between the bottle blonds showed their musical roots with the more pronounced West Indies rhythms of 'Walking on the Moon' and played a variety of tunes such as 'Walking in Your Footsteps', 'O My God', 'Hole in My Life', 'Message in A Bottle', Spirits in the Material World', 'Invisible Sun' and 'One World (Not Three)'.
They also played the hits, of course: 'De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da' (a particularly outstanding rendition), 'King of Pain', 'Don't Stand So Close To Me' and 'Every Breath You Take'.
Having heard that line-up, you have to be convinced The Police are fast closing in on the coveted position of world's top band.
(c) Atlanta Journal by Bill King
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