Synchronicity: 1983/84

Rock: The Police...

These days, The Police have things their own way. They've often been referred to as the Band of the '80s, and that lofty, seemingly hype-filled assessment is pretty hard to argue with.

There's good reason for their popularity, several of them, in fact. They have managed to make their individualistic blend of music (a reggae-based form of rock) palatable to a mass audience. They write well-crafted and occasionally great songs. They make extremely good records that sound fine over the radio. They play equally well visually, on MTV.

And, finally, they simply have The Look - three blond guys sure to set young female hearts a-thumping. And, in front man Sting, they have the true Ace Face all rock and roll bands dream about.

Fortunately, the band also comes across well in live performance, too, as they reaffirmed Wednesday night at The Summit (the first of two consecutive evening concerts), playing for a sold-out house filled with fanatical fans. And I'm not overstating the case when I say "fanatical" - I've seen every Police show in Houston, and this one was the most uproarious. The young girls were literally squealing at this one, making sounds I haven't heard in a concert hall since Elvis was alive.

They had plenty to cheer and/or squeal about. The entire show was a Police fan's dream - a nonstop selection of old favourites and new that managed to sound as good live as in their recorded versions, with the added spice of live-show excitement.

They opened with a sizzling bit of 'Synchronicity I', amid screams and yells and the shuffle of young bodies straining and scuffling for a better view (or, better yet, for your seat!). Sting, dressed like some new wave hobo in an outlandish jacket with long strips of cloth flowing from it, was the visual focal point, of course. These are mostly his songs, and he is still lead singer and lead face of this group.

The show seemed tight, well co-ordinated, even seamless, but the truth was that, despite the way it all seemed to flow together, The Police were throwing in everything from their best songs to their worst, from their most serious tunes to their most fluffy. One minute, Sting was passionately singing 'O My God', and the next, was burbling 'De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da'.

All Police songs sound good on first listen, of course, even if they don't hold up to repeated scrutiny. However, even some of the lesser things - for me, songs like 'Walking In Your Footsteps' and 'Walking On the Moon' - seemed exciting in concert.

The best moments, though, came during 'Spirits In the Material World', a scintillating 'Invisible Sun', a version of 'King of Pain' that had the crowd roaring, and, of course, 'Every Breath You Take', one of the few mainstream rock hits of 1983 that's truly earned every dime it has taken in.

The group was energetic and in good playing form throughout - in addition to Sting's antics, Andy Summers contributed some hot guitar solos and Stewart Copeland proved he's the kind of all-purpose drummer necessary to drive a rock trio. The band also benefited from the services of three female backup singers and a temporary bassist who strolled on and played while Sting noodled on keyboards during 'Invisible Sun'. All were uncredited.

Incidentally, ticketholders for Thursday's show should plan to arrive early. The opening band, reggae group UB40, did a standout set themselves, and they began some 10 minutes before the scheduled 8 p.m. start time. Talk about miracles!

(c) The Houston Post by Bob Claypool

Pause to ponder Police concert: Who's No. 2?

So this is it, eh?

The Police, the planet's No. 1 rock trio, bewildered a sell-out crowd of 17,000 at The Summit Wednesday night in the first of two consecutive shows. If this was the top of the line, then who is No. 2?

It was, to be truthful, a boring concert. We heard the hits 'Synchronicity', 'Message In A Bottle' - but beyond replicating their records, the Police stood up there as three blond idols able to do anything they please. The crowd went for any action that threatened boundaries, but everything stopped just short of promise.

Technically, the drums were miked too loud, the vocals were obscured. Eighteen months following their last Summit appearance, this band got it in their heads to overwhelm their own popularity by blowing an over-amped show. Oh wow, man, isn't this the goods? No, I'm sorry.

It was a case of duplicating their records to the max. The Police have written some fine tunes, but in concert the songs were cold as ice. We don't need a wild stage show, nor great pyrotechnics, but if this is the latest dance then let's hear the rhythm. Fact is, bassist "Sting," guitarist Andy Summers and drummer Stewart Copeland have more important matters in hand, such as movies, photography and solo musical projects. At The Summit, it was if they were fulfilling a tour obligation. These guys are simply too cool to carry off a show beyond premeditated excitement.

This is the latest in rock. The Police, born in England and raised in America, are the respectable edge of so-called new wave. They're cute, they're clever, and they're responsible to the business of rock'n'roll. Unlike the lame musicians of the past, they will not end up punch-drunk. Grafting inspired choruses onto reggae rhythms, they splashed onto the pop charts with 'Roxanne' before going international with their third album, 'Zenyatta Mondatta' in 1980.

'Ghost In The Machine' was a holding action, before 'Synchronicity' containing the hit, 'Every Breath You Take' stirred a national consensus. With nothing else happening - beyond the dinosaur rock of AOR radio - the Police stepped into a void, capturing the impressionable young and the dissatisfied old.

And so they deserve the accolades. But concerts are a different story. Concerts require more than a reputation's glance. Concerts are to be a sense of community. The Police, for all their songs, will take the money and run. Rock'n'roll call it "pop" these days will lay in the wings, waiting for the next No. 1.

(c) The Houston Chronicle by Marty Racine