Synchronicity: 1983/84

The Police take concert seriously...

Since the Milwaukee Arena is bordered by State Street, I suppose that would technically qualify events there as part of State Street Beat. With the Police making its only Wisconsin appearance there Monday, a visit to Brewtown was an absolute must.

All 17,000 tickets were sold well in advance, so there's no doubting the fans were serious about this show. But I was also well aware of the serious business approach the band's management takes when the twoheaded trio is on tour.

Milwaukee's X-Cleavers filled the opening slot when Reflex was forced to bow out at the last minute. Unfortunately, haggling with the Police's road manager over what was supposed to be an arranged photo pass gobbled up that whole time period. From backstage, however, the support act sounded great.

After signing two documents assuring the group that I wouldn't use my photos outside of this newspaper under penalty of a $5,000 fine, I was led into the pit in front of the stage for the first four songs. All this seriousness also seemed to extend to the band as Sting, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers strolled on to the opening strains of 'Syncronicity' on tape, joined in and got the affair rolling with not so much as a "Hello Milwaukee."

Backed by three female singers, Sting was in top vocal form. 'Many Miles Away' and 'Message In A Bottle' followed in quick succession. He switched to string bass for 'Walking On The Moon' but stayed with the electric model thereafter. The band appeared a bit self-conscious during 'Do Do Do, etc.,' actually playing down the sing-song title.

"Wrapped Around Your Finger," on' the other hand, became a massive sing-along. Aside from a couple of selections that haven't received megadose airplay, the Police offered all its best tunes. The audience had obviously been listening well because thousands sang along with nearly every word of 'Invisible Sun' (with a roadie on bass so Sting could handle keyboards), 'King of Pain', 'Don't Stand So Close' and the lilting 'Every Breath You Take'.

'Roxanne' brought the strongest of all crowd responses with practically the entire assembly calling out the name on cue. After 90 hit-filled minutes, an extended 'I Can't Stand Losing' served as the sole encore. Throughout the concert, guitarist Summers was oddly quiet, and at some points, barely audible. Copeland was typically the work horse behind his percussion equipment and with Sting's firm bass support, the music never lagged. It was also a joy to be able to understand virtually every word Sting uttered.

Still, the Police sound is rather roomy compared to most and I would have expected at least Summers to stretch the arrangements a bit. But solos were spare and the live renditions rarely strayed from the recorded versions.

The crowd was so boisterous, the band could just stand and deliver most of the time. With the high-quality package the Police had to deliver, that was just fine.

(c) Wisconsin State Journal by Michael St. John

Energy-packed show great as expected...

The Police did what everybody expected them to do at the Milwaukee Arena Monday night.

They put on a great show, energy-packed from the start. The Police opened with 'Synchronicity I' and 'Synchronicity II', two of their most powerful songs, back-to-back.

The audience was energetic, too, joining on the first opportunity lead singer Sting in a patented "ee-yo" chant. The crowd was in really good voice later in the show, relieving Sting almost entirely during 'King of Pain', one of the group's biggest hits.

The Police played all of their hits, from 'Roxanne' to the current 'Wrapped Around Your Finger'.

The hits got the loudest applause, but the show's real treat was that 10 of the 19 songs never will be seen on Top 40 charts.

The non-hits gave the show a cohesiveness and excitement that is missing when a successful group strings together a bunch of hits and a few songs from its latest LP, and calls the result a concert. The Police obviously had put in a little more work than that.

Not that they appeared to be working too hard. Sting pranced around the stage, playing the sex symbol role so convincingly he would have made Adam Ant look like a soulless mannequin. Stewart Copeland looked like a kid banging on his first drum set. And guitarist Andy Summers avoided the standard rock'n'roll star grimaces and bodily contortions without resorting to that bored look so popular these days.

The Police didn't overdo anything, which may be one reason for their recent success.

Another reason is their polished musicianship. The trio filled the arena with their distinct sound using only guitar, bass and drums, even on songs that, on record, use synthesizers and other instruments.

Still another reason is their broad appeal. A lot of the people in the audience looked like they had to arrange rides to and from the show. But a lot of those people also brought mom and dad right on inside.

And along with the kids, moms and dad were dancing in the aisles even during 'e Do Do Do De Da Da Da'.

(c) The Journal Times by David Thome