Impressions from the Police Concert

sting
(Photo courtesy of kk+, found on flickr)

  • Yay!  They opened with an AWESOME rendition of Message in a Bottle.  That ROCKED. 
  • How is it that Sting still looks pretty good these days?  Andy’s looking kind of old, but Sting really doesn’t, and he’s 55years old!  Could it be that tantric sex thing? Or the yoga?
  • Hmmm.  Andy kind of acts like he would rather be playing a bit harder, what with all of the fancy fast fingerwork.  Ted tells me when the Police were first forming, they were told that they played too well, and if they wanted to be accepted as ‘punk’ they needed to grind it out a bit more and make mistakes.  He was playing pretty well the other night, let me tell you.  I was reminded of Marty McFly’s playing Johnny B. Goode ala Jimi Hendrix/Van Halen, and his mom saying to him, “That was very interesting music, Marty”.
  • There’s a couple over here on my left, and she’s all grinding into his groin, and he’s all lifting up his shirt, and this would be bad enough if they were young and hot, but they’re SO NOT, and OMG, are they actually going to DO IT right here?  Totally gross.  Thankfully, it never quite came to that.
  • When did Sting turn into such a bland* guy?   Could it be the tantric sex and yoga?  I mean, this guy can seriously ROCK when he puts his mind to it, but I’m pretty convinced his heart is more smooth jazz.
    *I had some other adjectives all ready, like pansy and pussy, but they’re both somewhat offensive, one to gays, and one to women, and well, I backed off from them.  But feel free to use them if they don’t offend you.
  • Wow, Mr. Konocti Harbor* over there sure has some interesting dance moves.  People watching can be a very entertaining aspect to live music.
    * Full credit to Py, this was his joke, and pretty funny at that.  At least, to those of us who know what Konocti Harbor is, which is a place where good bands go to die. Maybe just before they’re reduced to the county fair circuit, though.
  • I wish I were taller.  The guy in front of me has an easy 8 inches on me, and while I can mostly see, it’s always with his head right there in my way.  And he KEEPS TALKING to his wife, which blocks my view completely.  And the way he dances? Gives white men a very bad name.

Overall, we all came away very glad that we went to the show, and at the same time, a little bit disappointed.  When they rocked, which was about 1/2 of the time, I thought, it was AWESOME, and it totally reminded you of what a great band they once were.  But when they misfired, or got too artsy fartsy, or disjointed, or god forbid, their hearts just weren’t in a song, it reminded you how past tense that verb was.  They WERE a great band.  Now?  I’d give them a B.  Maybe a B+, for old time’s sake.  And yeah, a few of their songs really were AWESOME.

And, by the way, just in time for Friday, Py Korry as put together a sweet Mix Six for us, all Police, all the time.  Very nice.  Pop on over, download, and enjoy!

p.s., you’re probably not interested, but if you are, here are two reviews to the show…one from the SF Chronicle, and one from the Contra Costa Times.  They were both much harder on the show than I was.  Makes me feel better in a way, because during the concert, when I got bored in the middle of Roxanne, I wondered if it were me, and I was just being an ass or something. 

p.p.s., I was there to see them at the show 24 years ago, and MAN, was that an AWESOME concert.  Oingo Boingo, Madness, Thompson Twins, the Fixx, and the Police.  All on one yummy September day.  Sadly, I think I’m too old to stand that long now, and I would probably not make it. 😉

16 Comments

  • Py Korry

    Those were some great and funny impressions from the concert. It’s sad when we start looking at the other audience members for entertainment, but there was plenty right around us.

    🙂

  • Gina

    I know exactly what you mean by dancing to live music. There is a guy Hubba-hubba and I remember to this day at a Stan Ridgeway concert, who was literally acting out every lyric of the song, while drunk. Hilarious!

    Bummer that you would only rate them a B! I agree with you that Sting is no longer really a rocker, if he ever really was?

    That daylong concert sounds aweseome. I love all of those bands!

  • Ml

    Ok, high expectations and they didn’t deliver, right? I think that happens to bands that have been around a long time. I’m glad you had some fun though. Thank goodness that horny couple didn’t do the horzontal bone dance right in front of everyone – blech!

  • Wanderlust Scarlett

    You went? AH!!! They are in Denver this weekend… along with Cyndi Lauper, Debbie Harry and Erasure.

    WHERE am I going to find the time?

    Glad you enjoyed.

    Scarlett & Viaggiatore

  • Literary Feline

    I’ve come to appreciate studio recorded music much more than live performances when it comes to quality of music, but there is something about being right there in person to see a favorite (or old favorite) perform. Although I’m a little too young for the Police (although I do enjoy their music), Sting drew me in as a fan during the eighties and I’ve been a fan ever since. I love all the different types of musics he takes on. I would love to see him in concert. It would be so much fun!

    Thanks for sharing your experience at the concert – I’ll just have to live vicariously through you. 🙂

  • kookiejar

    I’m glad you posted this. You are not the first person to give their concert a lukewarm review, and I, as a Police fan, would prefer to keep my money and remember them the way they were. Thank you.

  • Cherry

    I heard the concert was WAY LOUD!

    I’m glad you guys had a good time, minus the artsy fartsy and the guy with the head (SO RUDE!).

  • JMC

    The Police were my absolute favorite band when I was a kid. I had ALL their albums on cassette tape. 🙂 And a poster of them over my bed with Sting front and center. I was in love with him.

  • wanderlust scarlett

    Hi Jules!

    I got tagged with a meme of eights… and I knew you could come up with a great list, so you are tagged next!

    When you get a chance, please come by my page to get details. I will link to your list when you are done.

    Thanks!

    Scarlett & Viaggiatore

  • Heidi B

    Ouch! I will need to warn my friend, I think she is going to the concert here in Orange County or LA tomorrow. This is the main reason I am not big on going to concerts…it is usually somewhat a let down plus the traffic is always a headache. However, prime audience entertainment is always a plus no matter how good, bad or ugly it may be.