Sting, Annie Lennox, Dominic Miller Sacred Love Tour – Smirnoff Music Centre, Dallas, 09/19/2004Sep 23 '04 (Updated Mar 25 '05) Write an essay on this topic. The Bottom Line Annie Lennox and Sting in concert are a match made in Heaven, Nirvana, Valhalla, Utopia, Paradise, Shangri-La, Olympus… A note to epinions readers: Though epinions is a terrific place to read a review, it's not such a great place to experience a concert… As epinions doesn't allow off-site links, throughout this review I've scattered some links to various sites that contain concert photos. Open up another browser window to paste these addresses into, so you can view the photos as you read my review of the Sacred Love tour. WARNING - this review reveals major (and nearly endless) details about this concert tour TOUR UPDATE February 8, 2005 New concert dates have been added for May! Updated information is available at the end of the review -------------------- A capacity crowd filled Smirnoff Music Centre on a hot Dallas evening to witness a very special concert, a double-bill featuring two icons of the eighties music decade, two early MTV pioneers that have only enhanced and expanded their stellar careers since those days, still retaining their popularity twenty years later. Sting and Annie Lennox are the hottest touring duo of the year. 2004 has been the year where I've visited the past, paying homage to the music I listened to in high school. While plans to see Madonna fell through, I've been privileged to see Prince, Huey Lewis and the News, and now Sting and Annie Lennox – a mid-eighties musical hall of fame to be sure. The opening act for the evening has been around nearly as long, an accomplished studio musician and a nice addition to the evening's lineup… The Mastery of Miller Guitarist Dominic Miller is a long-standing veteran of Sting's company, having played primarily for Sting's solo albums and tours since 1990. Described by Sting as "my right hand and my left hand", Miller is a versatile and skilled musician, a pre-requisite for anyone playing Sting's musically demanding arrangements. To date, Miller has four solo albums to his credit, and in addition to working with Sting, he has played for many other artist's projects, including The Pretenders, Paul Young, Level 42, Steve Winwood, Sheryl Crow, Peter Gabriel, Rick Wright, Rod Stewart, and Luciano Pavarotti. Dominic got his first opportunity to open for Sting a few years ago at a show where the scheduled opener, Jill Scott, fell ill – Miller stepped in and played some of his own solo guitar works and was well received by the crowd. For the Sacred Love tour, Miller does a short acoustic guitar set, comprised of a couple of his own compositions, a quietly moving rendition of The Star Spangled Banner, Bach's Air on a G String, and Shape of My Heart, a song he co-wrote with Sting. Much to the crowd's delight, Sting stepped out from backstage to join Miller in this duet to close out this portion of the show. All in all, Miller's performance was refreshing, a simple yet delicious appetizer for the show yet to come. He plays the guitar in a very fluid manner, with a unique hybrid style that comes from years of playing rock music on top of his abandoned classical training. After the set, Miller made his way out to a table to meet with fans and sign autographs (of course, I found out about this after the show – oh well…) Dominic Miller Sacred Love Tour in pictures Publicity shots - www.dominicmiller.com/phot-pub.html On stage - www.dominicmiller.com/photos127.html -------------------- It is rare to see a headlining performer do this, but as MC for the show, Sting returned briefly to the stage just a few minutes later to introduce the second portion of the evening's entertainment… The Luxury of Lennox How is it that I could possibly have relegated my love for Annie Lennox' music to her career with the Eurythmics? How could I have paid such scant attention to the gorgeous melodies and richly satisfying lyrics of her recent solo efforts? Only a few seconds into the first song of Annie's too-short set, I found myself regretting that I was not more intimately familiar with her music. She is no post-punk songstress desperately fanning the embers of a once-glowing career – in fact, the clarity of hindsight shows that she may be at the very height of her musical prowess right now. She is confidently self-assured, full of feminine strength and matured passions, a charismatic diva with a seductive voice. Annie and her band (two keyboard setups, bass, guitar, drums and two backing vocalists) wound their way through eleven classic Eurythmics/Lennox songs, a journey made silky smooth by slick instrumentation and Annie's powerfully versatile voice. The band had a wonderfully blended sound, interpreting the eighties synthesizer sounds through a thoroughly modern vibe, glitzy but grounded, much like Annie's wardrobe choice for the evening – a sparkled beige tank top over tight jeans with rips in the knees and glitter on the seams. At times, Annie slowly danced in half-time to the music, adorning her songs with fluid hand gestures; at other times, she paced the stage energetically, voice on fire with deeply soulful conviction. And what a voice! Lennox has never shied away from belting out a song with power, and she has shown time and again that she can make one weep for the sadness and regret displayed in her most plaintive songs, but to hear these qualities live is to experience them at a truly transcendent level - Annie can SING. Whatever a song requires, Annie delivers it and more – she rocked the house with Legend In My Living Room and I Need A Man, and she laid a seductive enchantment on the audience with No More I Love You's. Seated at a piano, she delivered a marvelously understated solo version of Here Comes The Rain Again, and the audience roared in appreciation for the encores Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) and Why. Noticeably missing from the set was Missionary Man - she has performed it during the tour, but not on this night – this was my only disappointment in Annie's song choices. The inclusion of Annie Lennox on the bill for this concert was something very special – it's not often that a supporting act elicits as much excitement and anticipation as the headliner. Sting and Lennox are a wonderful pairing for a concert tour, and they proved it together, sharing the stage during Sting's set…oh, but I am getting ahead of myself. Annie Lennox Setlist Legend In My Living Room Little Bird No More I Love You's Pavement Cracks Cold Here Comes The Rain Again (short solo at piano) Waiting In Vain Walking On Broken Glass I Need A Man Encore Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) Why Annie Lennox Sacred Love Tour in pictures The band backstage - de.click2music.co.uk/3rd/Prezence/alennox/band.jpg Miss Lennox sings - de.click2music.co.uk/3rd/Prezence/alennox/annie1.jpg -------------------- After Annie's set finished, it took about half an hour for the crew to break Lennox' set down, and ready the stage for Sting's band. Before we get to the songs themselves, let me take a moment or three to describe the setup of the stage, the lights and the multimedia presentation – these things turned out to be very key elements to the show… Message in a Stage Set Sting has never relied on an elaborate set in past tours – the most recent tour, Brand New Day, used simple lighting effects contained in some abstract set pieces – a large ball to project still pictures upon, faux flames for Desert Rose, a backdrop of pinpoint lights to resemble stars. He has always had good lighting – using many colors, spots and strobes to create the mood for each song. Using a set designed by Tribe Ventures, Inc., the Sacred Love tour goes far beyond anything Sting has ever attempted, and is on the cutting edge of the use of interactive video and lighting techniques. Viewing the elements themselves when not in use, you would not notice any difference in the lighting of this set from typical lighting schemes, though the four "small" video screens (6'w by 4' 6"h) separated by three tall vertical screens (8' 6"w by 16'h) is a new look. These elements are striking against the industrial mesh rigging behind them – the mesh is also integral to the show. Here's a look at the basic configuration - www.dominicmiller.com/photos218.html The twist is that the lighting rigs and the four small screens move. The small screens move up and down the entire length of the three tall screens, and the lighting rig above all the screens breaks up into seven parts to move independently up and down with these screens. They can also tilt into various angles, and all the lights rotate through 360 degrees to provide completely flexible coverage of the entire stage. When viewed with smoke effects against the mesh rigging, there is a strong sense of depth to the stage. Here's how it looks in use – these photos show the configuration during Every Breath You Take - www.dominicmiller.com/photos219.html www.dominicmiller.com/photos220.html The screens are made up of high-resolution LED panels provided by Performance A/V, synchronized together via three computer controllers to provide seamless high-quality video. Hollywood production video team Graying & Balding combined live-image video of dancers in various natural environments and sets, or contained within animated computer graphics much like the opening of a James Bond film. Deriving their inspiration from the Sacred Love theme, the entire show makes use of iconic religious graphics, psychedelic animations, sensual dance choreography, and abstract use of colors and textures to set the mood at any moment of any song. The overall effect is powerful – sometimes too powerful…as I describe Sting's portion of the show, I'll give some thoughts on the effectiveness of the media presentation for some songs. -------------------- The Sacrament of Sting As the lights went down signaling the start of Sting's set, lyric phrases found in the Sacred Love album were projected on a black scrim in front of the set as an intro of the song Inside played over the speakers. The scrim dropped away revealing Sting and company who launched straight into the techno-dance vibes of Send Your Love - a loud welcoming shout arose from the crowd, but the eyes of all in the audience were immediately drawn to the video screens and the massive images of beautifully costumed dancers from many different cultures, sinuously undulating to the music against a psychedelic backdrop. It was obvious from the start that Sting was yet again presenting something new… This is key to understanding Sting's concert tours – he always provides something new and interesting for the faithful like myself, only in past tours it had been new musical arrangements of familiar songs, and the occasional resurrection of material not played since his days in The Police. For me, I have grown to love the development of his songs over time, hearing him play with their structure and meaning as they changed for him on a personal level. While some songs are concert staples, in past tours, several of them have evolved over time into new entities – I suggest you watch ...All This Time, the concert Sting performed in the backyard of his Tuscany home the evening of September 11, 2001 – this will show you what I am talking about. Prior to attending this show, I was looking forward to hearing the new arrangements he might use in this tour – and as I have pointed out, the things that turned out to be new in the show were the visuals accompanying the music. For most of the set, the songs were presented close to their original album arrangements, though extended in some places for an instrumental solo from the piano or guitar, or for an extended jazz breakdown in Roxanne. As the band wound it's way through these songs, I initially found myself regretting that Sting had not given us any really new arrangements, and had actually gone back to the original sounds of some of the evolved songs, as in the case of Fragile and Fields of Gold. About a third of the way into the show, it finally occurred to me that what was new about this tour was the fact Sting was presenting a cohesive theme - the concept of Sacred Love. The elements that inspired the visuals were found in the lyrics of the first song played, Send Your Love… There's no religion but sex and music There's no religion but sound and dancing There's no religion but line and color There's no religion but sacred trance… As the band cranked out the beginning of The Police classic Synchronicity II, the media screens and the lighting rigs came alive, moving up and down, creating dazzling effects of line and color… Sting has trotted out this classic song in a couple tours gone by, but it has lost none of it's energy since it first appeared over twenty years ago. Older still and just as welcome was Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic, another gem from Sting's early days as a Police-man. At this point, Sting stopped briefly to talk with the crowd and run through the band lineup, from left to right: Dominic Miller, guitar Jason Rebello, piano Rhani Krija, percussion Keith Carlock, drums Joy Rose, vocals Donna Gardier, vocals Kipper, keyboards Sting, bass, lead vocals The second new song of the evening, the hauntingly gorgeous Dead Man's Rope was played against a backdrop of natural scenery – an eclipse hanging over a golden field, a canopy of trees filtering white sunlight. As Sting reached the bridge, singing The shadows fall / Around my bed / When the hand of an angel / The hand of an angel is reaching down above my head a woman appeared in the visuals, now filtered to a bluish tint – I supposed she represented the angel, though this was certainly a different interpretation if an angel she was. Her hair was caught up in an elaborate headdress, her bare torso painted with various symbols, and her hands held what could only be described as a hula hoop. The image was oddly intriguing but puzzling – what could this apparition have to do with the song? It was at this point that I discovered what would turn out to be the problem I had with the show as a whole. The images projected onto the screens were intended to complement and enhance the songs they accompanied, but in places they simply overwhelmed the music, grabbing too much attention away from the performance. These visuals were stunning to look at, visually arresting, full of intricate detail and symbolism, but I am certain that the sight of a semi-nude woman, no matter how artistically displayed, will tend to distract most American audiences. Annie Lennox and her backing vocalists returned to the stage to join Sting and company in a rousing rendition of We'll Be Together, one of the more popular songs from Sting's best recording Nothing Like The Sun. The two played off each other very well, trading sections of the verses and phrases in the chorus, and they seemed to be enjoying themselves as they sang together… Here's a sequence of photos of their performance of We'll Be Together de.click2music.co.uk/3rd/Prezence/alennox/anniesting2.jpg de.click2music.co.uk/3rd/Prezence/alennox/anniesting3.jpg de.click2music.co.uk/3rd/Prezence/alennox/anniesting4.jpg de.click2music.co.uk/3rd/Prezence/alennox/anniesting5.jpg de.click2music.co.uk/3rd/Prezence/alennox/anniesting6.jpg Sting next graced the audience with one of my personal favorites, counting off "1 2 3 4 5 / 1 2 3 4 5" to start Seven Days. Then, in a departure from recent tours, Sting moved the once traditional closing encore Fragile into the middle of the set, and returned once again to the original arrangement. The screens showed pictures of oil refineries and then the silhouettes of falling bombs against abstract reds and yellows, finishing with WWII propaganda style visuals of a bomber armada advancing across a blackened sky. Having read descriptions of the visuals in previous concerts, I wondered if these were originally the visuals used for This War (dropped from the set for this and other recent shows in the U.S.). I also wonder if the omission of This War was intentional as the tour found itself in the heart of Bush Country… A straight-forward version of Fields of Gold followed, and then the real fireworks began (no, nothing like the Milwaukee concert's fireworks accompaniment happened on this night…) When the band finished Fields of Gold, the visual faded into what appeared to be the well-lit interior of a strip-club, and Sting introduced Sacred Love, calling it "a song about religion and Victoria's Secret". The visual was continuous across the three vertical screens, shown from the perspective of a customer sitting at eye level with the catwalk in the center. Though there was no movement on the screen during the first verse, the picture had a live quality to it, as if the audience had a voyeuristic view into an actual club, waiting for a performer to step on stage – as if on cue, a woman clad in racy lingerie appeared with the advent of the second verse, dancing provocatively for the benefit of the club's denizens. Three dancers appeared throughout the video, dancing in time with the music, dancing off stage as phrases ended, coming back on with key instrumental entrances – from a technical viewpoint, this was a highly synchronized production. From my own critical perspective, I found my original interpretation of the song at odds with the sexually charged imagery. I had translated the religiously laced lyrics into a passionate description of utter devotion and wonder for one's lover, but had not really taken this further step that Sting described. At the concert, I felt that the meaning of the song had been cheapened somewhat by the visuals, and I was put off by the blatant sexuality. I'm still not convinced that these images needed to be shown as a backdrop for the song, but after pondering the whole concept for a few days now, I believe I better understand what Sting meant by "religion and Victoria's Secret". The entire evening was an exploration of love's many aspects – love for a dying planet and it's inhabitants (Fragile, Send Your Love) romantic love (We'll Be Together, Fields of Gold, Whenever I Say Your Name - a fabulous duet with vocalist Joy Rose who broke loose with the best vocals of the entire night) complicated love (Every Breath You Take, Seven Days, Roxanne, Never Coming Home - featuring an incredible piano solo by Jason Rebello) lost loves (Dead Man's Rope, If I Ever Lose My Faith in You) sexual love (Sacred Love, Desert Rose - Sting provided the Arabic call at the front of the song this night) Sting celebrated each and every one of these aspects of our most powerful emotion, embracing them fully. While the video for some songs was provocative, even shocking to some, the power of these images worked to elicit a deeper response from the audience, to provide a vivid palette of line and color to blend with the sound and dancing evoked by the sacred trance of the music. Sacred Love the album came alive with Sacred Love the concert. In a profuse blending of religious and sexual imagery, passion and devotion came together as a universal power for healing and as unifying thread that ties us all together. The evening ended with A Thousand Years, the opening song from Brand New Day. Abstract images evoked burning embers as Sting closed the show with a song of re-birth and the endless search for that one, perfect sacred love… …if there was a single truth, a single light A single thought, a singular touch of grace Then following this single point , this single flame, The single haunted memory of your face… On and on the mysteries unwind themselves Eternities still unsaid, Until you love me Sting Setlist Send Your Love Synchronicity II Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic Dead Man’s Rope We’ll Be Together (with Annie Lennox) Seven Days Fragile Fields of Gold Sacred Love Englishman in New York Whenever I Say Your Name (featuring Joy Rose) Never Coming Home (snippet of When the World is Running Down…) Roxanne (snippet of King of Pain) Encore 1 Desert Rose If I Ever Lose My Faith In You Every Breath You Take Encore 2 A Thousand Years -------------------- Final Thoughts Many reviewers of the Sacred Love tour have declared Annie Lennox the winner of a supposed matchup between her set and Sting's. I don't wish to make this sort of comparison, though I do understand it's impetus – Annie's set was fabulous and I found myself wishing for more, while I felt that Sting's set, though very cohesive thematically, was not as strong musically as some of his previous tours. The media presentation tended to overwhelm the music in some places, but the band was tight, the songs were well-played, and Sting was in fine voice the entire night. I didn't come away with the feeling that either artist had proven themselves somehow better than the other in their set – I felt that they had both done a good job of presenting a very satisfying evening of music together. All in all, the entire show was highly entertaining, and I felt like I had really received excellent value for the ticket price. Anyone interested in a wonderful evening of entertaining, intelligent music should consider getting tickets for any of the remaining shows on the tour. (New note 01/08/2005) The tour with Annie Lennox is now over for the U.S. and the remaining dates are winding down. Sting has scheduled the month of April to give concerts on some U.S. college campuses and in some cities he has never visited before. Dates and details can be found at the end of the article -------------------- Sting / Annie Lennox / Dominic Miller - Sacred Love Tour 09/19/2004 - Smirnoff Music Centre – Dallas, TX, USA Related Links and Photo/Quote Sources Sting's Official Website www.sting.com Annie Lennox's Official Website www.alennox.net Dominic Miller's Official Website www.dominicmiller.com Technical details on Sting's multimedia presentation can be found at 1. www.infocomm.org/index.cfm?objectID=FECE35E2-8D54-4B80-B3906000DE746289 2. entertainmentdesignmag.com/ar/show_business_every_stop/ All quoted lyrics are the copyrighted property of Sting ________________________________________ NEW TOUR INFORMATION Updated February 8, 2005 from sting.com 'Broken Music Tour' announced for April 2005... In April 2005, Sting will return to North America for a tour of dozens of college campuses, as well as in cities and venues not previously played on the 'Sacred Love' Tour. The 'Broken Music' Tour will see a new, stripped down show with a four-piece band; Sting on bass with longtime band mate, Dominic Miller on guitar joined by Shane Fontayne (Lone Justice, Bruce Springsteen) on guitar and Josh Freese (currently a member of A Perfect Circle) on drums. The tour will beging on Friday, April 1st, 2005 at the Event Center at San Jose State. Students will have access to a special ticket presale for all college campus shows. Those ticket prices will start as low as $30.50 for general admission on the floor. (note - sting.com presales are now closed for all venues) LA-based rock band, Phantom Planet will open. Formed over 10 years ago, when the members were in high school, Phantom Planet has become a recent pop culture phenomenon with the release of 'California' the current theme song for the hit television series, 'The OC'. The band is currently writing new material for their next album, slated for a spring, 2005 release. 'Broken Music' is presented by Clear Channel Touring and produced by RZO Entertainment, Inc. The itinerary is: 4/1/2005 San Jose CA San Jose Event Center 4/3/2005 Eugene OR McArthur Court 4/4/2005 Spokane WA Star Theatre 4/5/2005 Kelowna BC Prospera Place 4/7/2005 Missoula MT Adams Event Center 4/9/2005 Boise ID Idaho Center 4/11/2005 Salt Lake City UT Nuskin Theater at Delta Center 4/12/2005 Denver CO Magness Arena 4/14/2005 Columbia MO Mizzou Arena 4/15/2005 Madison WI Kohl Center 4/17/2005 Champaign IL Assembly Hall 4/18/2005 Chicago IL UIC Pavillion 4/20/2005 Oxford OH Millett Hall 4/22/2005 Cleveland OH Convocation Center @ CSU 4/23/2005 London ON Labatt Centre 4/24/2005 Grand Rapids MI Van Andel Arena 4/26/2005 University Park PA Bryce Jordan Center 4/27/2005 Fairfax VA Patriot Center 4/29/2005 Atlantic City NJ Borgata 4/30/2005 Atlantic City NJ Borgata 5/2/2005 Reading PA Sovereign Bank Center 5/3/2005 Wilkes Barre PA Wachovia Arena 5/5/2005 Boston MA Agganis Arena 5/6/2005 Uncasville CT Mohegan Sun 5/7/2005 Manchester NH Verizon Wireless Arena 5/10/2005 Portland ME Cumberland Cnty Civic Ctr 5/11/2005 Providence RI Dunkin' Donuts Center 5/13/2005 Wantagh NY Jones Beach Support artist to be confirmed. Itinerary subject to change. ________________________________________ My Sting Reviews Concert Reviews Sting and Annie Lennox - The 2004 Sacred Love Tour The Solo Albums The Dream of the Blue Turtles Bring on the Night Nothing Like the Sun The Soul Cages Ten Summoner's Tales Fields of Gold Mercury Falling Brand New Day Sacred Love Singles Nada Como El Sol All This Time You Still Touch Me I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot Demolition Man Concert Films The Soul Cages Tour (VHS) All This Time...(DVD) Inside Sacred Love (DVD) Books Broken Music - A Memoir The Police Outlandos D'Amour Regatta de Blanc Zenyatta Mondatta Synchronicity  |
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