The Police World Tour: Dallas June 26, 2007
Jun 27 '07
The Bottom Line The Police play the songs the fans want to hear - the way the band members want to play them. Just enjoy it already...
“Don’t ruin it for me…”
My wife was not happy with me as we left the American Airlines Center in Dallas last night. No sooner had we stepped out onto the rain-soaked plaza when I began verbally deconstructing the two hour concert we had just witnessed – the first and, quite possibly, the last show by The Police we will ever see.
“You always do this.”
I have to admit it – I had started writing this review in my head the instant Stewart Copeland jumped up onto his percussion platform and sounded the massive gong hanging behind his drum kit. I had begun trying to think of neat turns of phrase, new and different ways to describe this show even as it was unfolding in front of me.
“Just let me enjoy it for a while, OK?”
I quickly recognized that I was threatening to ruin her good mood. She was in high spirits that had not been dampened by the downpour that pelted us earlier that evening as we crossed the plaza from the railway station to the venue, that had not faltered even faced with vertigo induced by our eagle eye view from the top row of section 308, that had never wavered even against the onslaught of the overly friendly drunk couple who insisted on dancing badly and playing grabass in her face all night long – my wife had been looking forward to this concert for months, and she thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it.
She was not to be deterred from her mood by her idiot, analytical husband. So, I did the right thing and shut up.
Her immediate opinion of the concert was, of course, more accurate than mine – what matters most when going to see The Police during this world tour is to simply enjoy the fact that the trio has come back to play their hits for their fans. The bonus is that the band is playing the songs with new enthusiasm and new interpretations; why critics and some fans have decided that The Police (version 2007) is somehow inferior to The Police (version 1980) escapes me.
The band is playing the songs the fans want to hear, and they are re-inventing the songs a bit because they feel like it.
Got a problem with that?
I nearly did, but thankfully, my wife talked me out of it.
No, the show last night wasn’t the best concert I’ve ever seen (Prince wins that award), but it was definitely a terrifically fun evening of music and memories. And that’s the whole point – The Police have returned to play for the fans and for themselves, not to impress anyone or win over any critics or prove anything about their music.
Forget the critics. They don’t understand the heart of the longtime Police fan.
Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland played a concert of many of their greatest hits last night. They didn’t suck, they weren’t perfect, and they didn’t do much but play their songs for a couple hours. And it was wonderful…
“I think we’ve got a good mix now where the fans get the song they remember, and most of it will sound the way the remember it. Just when they are enjoying that, they get a new twist. I think all three of us are pretty happy with the balance there.” (Stewart Copeland, from the concert program)
Sting is in fine voice for a man who has been doing a lot of singing for nearly thirty years. He can still hit some of the high notes, he is still a great bass player, and he still enjoys extended instrumental sections where the band can mess around with the song. Sure, he drops out entire phrases here and there, letting the audience fill in for him, but that’s OK.
Stewart and Andy are perfect foils for Sting – they excel at experimentation, wandering with Sting through once familiar territory, pulling the audience along for the ride. Andy slashes his way through the song with his wild guitar licks, and Stewart pounds away at his drums with polyrhythmic fervor.
”The solo’s in E, there’s eight bars in A, then we’re in E all the way to the end,” says Sting.
“I know how that brain works,” declares Stewart. “You’re going to start asking me for a flat backbeat throughout the entire song.”
“I’m saying nothing”.
“Write it down. A deal has been struck.” (from the concert program)
Not every new tempo or chord change worked, but I think there were more successes than misses. I loved the slower, heavier tempo of When the World is Running Down…; I wasn’t thrilled with the different key for Don’t Stand So Close to Me, but I LOVED hearing both songs no matter how they were played.
I thought the best songs of the night were Walking on the Moon (they should record this one with the new tempo), the show’s closer Next to You (during which the band displayed the most energy and came closest to recreating The Police circa 1980), and King of Pain. Stewart made great use of his diverse percussion kit, playing chimes, tuned cymbals and timpani over the top of the classic hit from the Synchronicity album, and certainly a very different arrangement than the one Sting has played during his solo tours.
Opening with Message in a Bottle worked really well, and was a welcome change from Sting’s solo career tradition of using it during his closing encores. It was good to hear the song played with some energy again, rather than in the subdued mood Sting’s favored over the years.
”I don’t think any of us are really bothered about our egos anymore. If we were, we wouldn’t be able to do this at all. We’re all very happy with ourselves. Working with The Police originally was an extraordinary life experience, learning how to be the absolute best you could possibly be as an artist and as a human being. But when it finished, it all seemed a bit incomplete. Even though we’ve all had great success in one way or another since then, this tour is completing the cycle.” (Andy Summers, from the concert program)
The Police 2007/2008 tour is a tour for the fans and for the band. It’s about the band finding a way to finally come together again after nearly a quarter century and manage to work together doing what they do best – play their hits the way they want to play them.
There’s no need to overthink this tour – just go and enjoy it.
The Setlist
Message In A Bottle
Synchronicity II
Walking On The Moon
Voices Inside My Head
When The World Is Running Down
Don't Stand So Close To Me
Driven To Tears
The Bed's Too Big Without You
Truth Hits Everybody
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
Wrapped Around Your Finger
De Do Do Do De Da Da Da
Invisible Sun
Walking In Your Footsteps
Can't Stand Losing You
Encore 1
Roxanne
Encore 2
King of Pain
So Lonely
Every Breath You Take
Encore 3
Next To You
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Member: Andrew
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