Synchronicity: 1983/84

Police capture audience with every breath, move...

Has it really been only five or six years since the Police were just another struggling rock and roll band? It seems like only yesterday they were playing club dates instead of selling out concert halls, and one of those club dates was right here in Memphis.

Last night the Police returned to Memphis as the No. 1 rock and roll band in the world, with sell-out concerts at $15 a ticket, platinum records and round-the-clock radio airplay as proof, and it looks as though the Police are doing a good job keeping their act and their heads intact.

Since the crowd was in a frenzy long before the concert started, the Police could have gone through the motions, junked up their show and split with the money and nobody would have cared, but they chose not to do that. Even though the Police are now as much an industry as they are a musical act, they performed for more than 90 minutes, with amazing energy and precision providing one of those rare con- certs that seem to please virtually everyone in attendance.

The Police were formed in 1977 but it was in 1981 that they be vent of MTV and music videos, the came a supergroup. With the ad the group's fame has continued to grow and one of the reasons has been clever and skilfully produced videos. Although they're only a trio, there's a special chemistry within the band. Sting, the bass player and singer, is also an accomplished actor whose stage presence is rivalled only by his outstanding singing voice. Drummer Stewart Copeland, the band's founder, is furiously efficient and guitarist Andy Summers gives the band its uniquely ethereal sound.

All of those gears were meshing chose to concentrate on the music perfectly last night as the Police instead of tiresome and contrived stage theatrics. Beginning with 'Synchronicity Pts. One and Two,' they went steadily through each of their hits (virtually all of the Police's songs are hits).

The light show and staging was relatively sparse but effective, and the only real minus of the show was the band's three backup singers, who often distracted from Sting's singing, especially on 'Invisible Sun'. Sting was at his best on 'King Of Pain', the highlight of the concert. Of course there was also 'Every Breath You Take', which drew the most applause.

After the encore, the Police were off to another city and an- other SRO audience, keeping the rock and roll work ethic alive and well. But after this tour is over the Police will take an indefinite break from touring.

(c) The Commercial Appeal by Brown Burnett