Zenyatta Mondatta: 1980/81

Police captivate Civic Center fans...

The Police had to bribe the police to play Mexico City.

"We just played Mexico City," Police drummer Stewart Copeland explained in a recent phone interview. "The place held 2,000 people and 1,000 were "guests" - the police, the mayor's kids; it's bribery. When you go into some countries, you don't know what you're going to find."

The Police didn't have to bribe anyone to play Madison last night.

The English-American trio and opening act XTC put the Civic Center's Oscar Mayer Theatre through the best sound check its had since it was still the Capitol Theater and Lou Reed played there in 1975.

Ironically, everyone stood for 'Don't Stand', The Police's opening number, which was immediately followed by 'Walking On The Moon', and the first dose of the killer flood- lights the band turned on the audience all night.

Ever wanted to know what it feels like up there? Hot and bright is right!

Sting stood with his bodyless up-right bass for the frantic, frenetic 'Walking'. before admitting, "I haven't a clue what this next one's about." This next one being. 'Man In A Suitcase', I haven't a clue what it's about either but it hardly matters.

The Police provide a rhythm and a beat so infectious, the words, which are always informed with intelligence, sometimes lose out. The audience was up and moving at the start and still up and moving for the encore, 'Can't Stand Losing You', which might have been the way they felt about The Police, a truly great band without the usual superstar pretentions.

In short, The Police turned the Civic Center into Merlyn's last night - the best use anyone's found for it yet. The last time The Police were in Madison, roughly 18 months ago, things were a bit different. They were a fairly new act then with only one LP and a limited number of songs under their belts. Since then they've recorded two more LPs, had numerous hits in England, Europe and America and toured places like Greece and India where rock groups seldom venture. Yet, Copeland remembered their last Madison gig clearly and for a definite reason.

"That Madison gig last time," he recalled, "exemplifies what has happened to The Police in America. Everything's three minutes in England. We had a 45-minute set worked out when we first came over here and when we got to clubs we had to play for two hours. Stretching our songs out forced us into jamming. That was the best thing in the world for us and our musical identity. We're a million miles different now."

The Police proved Copeland's claim more than an idle boast last night with drastically rearranged renditions of 'Truth Hits Everybody' from their first LP, 'Message In a Bottle' from the second and 'Roxanne', their first stateside hit, of course. And they sealed that proof with stretched out versions of the new LP's 'When The World Is Going Down, You Make The Best of What's Still Around', 'This Bed's Too Big Without You', and my 18-month-old son's favourite song (and mine too), 'De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da'.

You might just say their jam has jelled.

XTC did not also play.

XTC is so good they should be headlining in their own right.

The four-man English band, Andy Partridge, guitar; Colin Moulding, bass; Dave Gregory, guitar; and Terry Chambers, drums; are purveyors of some of the most intricate, interesting and amazingly alive music in the world today.

XTC is techno-rock with hooks. XTC's music has intelligence, humour (English spelling please!), variety, tightness; all the superlatives plus the lyrical talents of Mr. Partridge and Mr. Moulding.

Mr. Partridge, the eccentric one in the baggy pants, is definitely the standout in a band that suffers from all around excellence. He's the Sigmund Snopek of the guitar hopping about the stage like a madman while leading XTC's memorable montage of musical madness in a polyrhythmic, non-stop barrage. If you can force tunes like Moulding's 'At The Hop', and 'Generals and Majors', or Partridge's 'No Language In Our Lungs' out of your head, you'd better pinch yourself.

You're probably dead.

(c) The Capital Times by Gary Peterson

Police zap the audience with Sting...

Just one look at the crowd's attire told you what they were after. That rainbow of heads dyed in the latest punk colors - fuschia, orange, bright blue, those wearers of lycra and leather wanted to rock their spandex socks off.

The Police gave them what they came for Thursday night at the Madison Civic Center. The dynamic trio drew about 2,000 persons to the Oscar Mayer Theater, which seats 2,200. While punks of every persuasion comprised a majority of the audience, The Police provided something for everyone. The band handled rock, reggae and new wave numbers with equal aplomb. They also did a few hard rock tunes, but it is a shade The Police do not wear well. They do much better at the reggae end of the spectrum.

Madison was one stop in a string of concerts promoting the group's new album, 'Zenyatta Mondatta'. They opened with a song from that album, 'Don't Stand So Close To Me'. The song has received enough airplay to make it familiar, and its pulsating beat brought the audience to its feet, into the aisles, and up close to the stage.

The band is made up of lead guitarist, Andy Summers, bass guitarist and lead singer Sting, and drummer, Stewart Copeland. Although Summers played a brilliant lead guitar, and Copeland drummed his little heart out, it was Sting who wooed the audience. Sting (a name more piercing than his real moniker, Gorden Sumner) delivered fine vocals that ranged from sensitive to savage, an effect that won the hearts and libidos - judging from the phrases they were shouting - of many young women in the audience. His ability as a bassist is only surpassed by the sincerity and quality of his voice.

'When the World is Running Down You Make the Best of What's Still Around', also from ZM, was, musically, one of the best songs of the evening. It began with futuristic tones, took on the pulsating texture of hard rock, and evolved into new wave. The lyrics were followed by a mood-setting musical interlude of fused rock and reggae.

The song was introduced as "a song about the future." I had to take The Police at their word about the song's subject matter because I could not understand their lyrics. It sounded nice, though.

XTC opened the show, and the group's eccentric lead singer, Andy Partridge, stole it. Partridge's zany facial expressions and bizarre choreography prevented the four-member group from being upstaged by songs with titles like, 'This Is Punk', 'Nuclear Devices' and 'Generals and Majors Everywhere'. The visuals that accompanied XTC's throbbing new wave music was interesting, but Partridge was more fun to watch than squiggly lines on a screen.

XTC is a group of four talented musicians, but their music reminds me of that of a local band, Spooner. Spooner was to have been the third band at this concert, but was dropped about a month ago because The Police did not want a third band. Too bad. At the concert, Partridge told the audience several times to "dance if you need to; understand?" and "make noise if you want to; are you receivin' me?" Most of the crowd, though, stayed seated.

Of the Spooner performances I have gone to - and I have gone to quite a few - Spooner's music has always managed to get an almost unanimous show of feet on the dance floor. Are you receiving me?

(c) Wisconsin State Journal by Victoria McGlothren