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Show I v ' 7 J V V t Iff f, iiT p ? The ex-Police-man kept in contact with the band as he moved around the stage. IBranford Marsalis added his soulful saxophone to Sting's songs. V x , 1 $t:J ..11 f:fi Vl :d '1 iimni mil i iiMiiittj H? '-':k: i J V ' ifr'tiTimf flffi i milifii Vn i t-' ?flIT 1 y kn.J it i' J Sting:. A rocker leaves I the Police beat behind by DON RUFFATO Record contributing writer The voice that gave the Police its J distinctive sound was in prime form Monday night as Sting, former lead i singer and bassist for the British I group, performed at ParkWest s Resort. I Overcast skies threatened rain f most of the evening, but that didn't j dampen the enthusiasm of the large f crowd, J With no opening act to get things rolling, Sting wasted no time I bringing the audience to its feet. I "Shadows in the Rain," the first , song of the evening, gave Sting and i --tf - '.-nJa&. bandaTii nre, lt1i(uiTii?eastl they could flow through the complex J rhythms and chord changes that distinguish his songwriting. I The variety of musical styles they I displayed was a surprise even to I diehard Police and Sting fans, as I throughout the night the tempo f changed from rock and roll to blues ' to an occasional haunting ballad. I "Consider Me Gone" and "Child- t ren's Crusade" slowed things down j . in the middle of the evening, but the j excellent saxophone playing of Branford Marsalis brought the crowd back to its feet. ! ; Sting then swung into the reggae mode with "One World is Enough," followed by "The Black Seam," a beautiful story about the perils of mining. Sting energetically worked his way up and down the steps of the stage and rocked out the remainder of his set. Finishing with "Set Them Free," his first solo hit since leaving the Police, he pulled out all the stops and the crowd responded by calling the band back for the first of three encores. What did they want to hear? The audience's answer was unanimous: "Roxanne," an early Police hit, ting. began to. perform it .solo,, hut,, !"the rest of the band soon joined in for some heavy blues. The second encore featured the surprise of the night as Stewart Copland, former drummer for the Police, made an appearance and helped out on "Every Breath You Take," "Need Your Love So Bad" and "Demolition Man." The great evening of music was topped off when Sting took the stage one last time for "Message in a Bottle," proving that by himself, with his own band or with the Police, he is a creative musician. He may be around for a long time. photos by Jell Jensen Sting proved himself successful as a solo after breaking from the Police. |
