Record 31,653 see Police in action...
Sound the sirens, flash the lights - The Police held a rock'n'roll convention last night at Aloha Stadium, and a historic crowd of 31,653 showed up.
Some fainted, some only sat and thousands boogied; but many fans stood through about five hours of rock music, gyrating on the tarp-covered artificial turf on the stadium's main floor.
By evening's end, a new rock'n'roll concert attendance record was set other attraction has pulled in 31,000-plus fans here as well as a box office bonanza, with a gross of approximately just under $500,000 for promoter Ken Rosene, of Ken Rosene Presents.
That's a lot of roll in the rock.
The Police is an ordinary rock band - basically a trio, augmented by backup voices and musicians with an extraordinary following. The "extra" factor is, unequivocally, in the group's music, an arresting and contemporary hybrid that's fostered in the primitive roots of jazz and rock, but schooled and permed in new wave, with tints of reggae and blues.
Last night's performance by the Britons a co-presentation of 98 Rock-marked the final U.S. appearance of the A&M Records stars, at least for a while. Currently on an international tour, The Police - pausing in Honolulu en-route to engagements Down Under - apparently will dis band temporarily, following this series of shows.
Thus, the "Grand Finale" was a special moment in American rock history.
The Police are Gordon Sumner, who goes by the simple moniker, Sting, the marvel who sings lead vocals and plays bass; Stewart Copeland, the drummer; and Andy Summers, the guitarist.
In a live performance, this combo is a deadly powerful unit, with a no-frills, no-fuss approach to expanding what they've recorded on vinyl. They are rock 'n' roll. They don't merely go through the motions and the moods they elaborate on their product. And they program everything you'd expect to hear: 'Every Breath You Take', the simple love ballad that even Police haters love; 'Da Doo Doo Doo, Da Da Da Da', the hypnotic anthem that got them initial international recognition; and 'Wrapped Around Your Finger', the latest hit with its trance-like imagery.
On the latter, the stage bathed in an array of changing lights, from red to blues to gold also was awash in a smoke- screen, replacing the glowing candles as seen on The Police's current MTV video. Indeed, the concert resembled a full-on MTV session.
Two huge screens, on either side of the stage, constantly showed closeups and visual asides of Sting, Copeland and Summers. Because of the distance from the stands, the video looked like moving Polaroids while the music swept the fans into ecstasy.
Several things become quite obvious about The Police:
Sting is a perceptive and precise observer - he sets the pace with his vocals, sometimes with, other times without, his bass. He also is master of communications - directing the audience on a sing-along, such as during 'Da Doo Doo Doo'.
Summers, on drums, is the backbone of the high-energy output. He doesn't get much glory but the backbeat's there: consistent, constant, contagious.
Copeland provides the guitar riffs fast, furious, fun - which give The Police's music its karma and chameleon colours.
There were some nice touches - the ditty about Belfast, with special video, segued into Sting's borrowed lyric (from 'Wouldn't It Be Loverly', from 'My Fair Lady'), and it was the evening's bit of poli- tics: "All I want is a room somewhere, far away from the cold, cold air". And 'Don't Stand So Close To Me', a hit from the 'Zenyatta Mondatta' era, had a stinging irony as thousands wrestled on the main floor.
When the band was doing 'Roxanne' toward the end of the show, the historical message about the box office record was flashed to the fans.
The day was long- the event began a 4 p.m. with performances by Stevie Ra Vaughan & Double Trouble, and Bryan Adams but the main event was worth all.
(c) Honolulu Advertiser by Wayne Harada
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