Sound lost in the Coliseum...
It was a case of economics over art at the Coliseum Concert Bowl Monday night.
The double bill couldn't have been better, featuring two fine bands, the Police and XTC. But the vast, chilly Coliseum - even half the Coliseum - is definitely not the venue for these bands.
Even though there was an audience of 8,000, one still got the feeling that both bands were using most of their energies trying to overcome the sheer size of the hall, giving a forced, desperate feel to the proceedings.
XTC's set also suffered from poor sound quality, but the band still did a fairly creditable job. They are blessed with two excellent vocalists, Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding, and with strong, appealing material.
The hour-long set high- lighted material from the band's fourth album, 'Black Sea'. But there was also a healthy dose of the older material, including 'Life Begins at the Hop', 'This Is Pop', and the hit single 'Making Plans for Nigel'.
The Police have obviously had more experience than XTC in playing large halls; they displayed great control and presence. But the sound system again caused problems. Lead vocalist Sting's voice was constant, as were Stewart Copeland's drums, but Sting's bass wavered in and out of the sound mix and Andy Summers' guitar was unreasonably harsh.
Nevertheless, the band's 80-minute set was solid and well-paced, with the only slow moments occurring during the stretched-out versions of 'The Bed's Too Big Without You' and 'Roxanne'.
The opening was particularly effective, with a spotlit Sting spinning the tale of schoolroom lust, 'Don't Stand So Close to Me'. (Sting, incidentally, used to be a teacher at a girls' school).
Considering that the band's latest album, 'Zenyatta Mondatta', has only been out a short while, the audience was surprisingly familiar with the new numbers like 'Driven to Tears', 'Man in a Suitcase', and 'De Do Do Do De Da Da Da'.
The enthusiastic crowd called the band back for two encores. The first imaginatively combined 'Can't Stand Losing You' with the instrumental 'Regatta de Blanc'; the second was a powerhouse version of 'Just Wanna Be Next to You'.
Final note: Considering that it's "firecracker season," there was a particularly thoughtless half-time announcement from the stage: "Do what you like, because the Police are on your side." Sure they are - they don't have to duck the Roman candles, flying sparklers and firecrackers.
(c) The Vancouver Sun by Fiona McQuarrie
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