Summer

Jul

2016

Rome, IT

Auditorium Cavea Parco Della Musica

Sting enchants the Auditorium, but the past doesn't return...

Live. The first summer date for the former Police frontman's "Back to Bass Tour," a show featuring his solo successes and some of the band's hits. The surprise performance was a medley dedicated to Peter Gabriel and Genesis.

There are some artists who are difficult to question without risking criticism, if not insults, from fans. Among them is Sting, a former post-punk icon in his early days with the Police and then a pop guru after embarking on a solo career. Last Wednesday, the English musician opened his summer tour in Rome for the Luglio Suona Bene festival, a tour whose title alone leaves no room for ambiguity: Back to Bass Tour, meaning a return to the instrument that, along with his unmistakable vocal timbre, created his legend. The reports and expectations were therefore clear: a show focused primarily on the early years of his long career, on songs written for the band and his solo work.

And indeed, it was, and before a cheering audience, at 9:30 PM - after a brief performance by his son Joe Sumner (a beautiful voice, very similar to his father's, but somewhat lacking in compositional verve) - Sting took the stage in the Auditorium's Cavea, belting out one of the "late" Police classics, "Every Breath You Take." He was joined by a band that included a rhythm master, Vinnie Colaiuta, a precise keyboardist in David Sancious, a brilliant young violinist, Peter Tickell (perhaps the best surprise of the evening), percussionist Rhani Krija, vocalist Jo Lawry, and seasoned guitarist Dominic Miller, who ultimately proved to be the weak link in the chain.

It's been said that questioning an artist like Sting can backfire on this writer, but it's impossible not to notice how the whole thing, while almost perfect and flawless from a technical standpoint, lacks some crucial elements. It is undeniable that the years pass and that certain expressive urges gradually wane, but the problem, in our opinion, remains.

While this writer has always been critical of Sting's artistic choices as a solo artist, with the exception of his first album, The Dream of the Blue Turtles, our hopes were cast on how many and which Police songs he would play, and how they would be approached. And this is where our judgment is pointed, because "toning down" songs like "So Lonely" or "Next to You," or choosing songs that are certainly more "catchy" but not quite masterpieces, like "When the World Is Coming Down" or "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic," leaves us perplexed and with a certain regret, only slightly mitigated by more "faithful" versions of "Invisible Sun" and "Wrapped Around Your Finger."

Among his solo hits, Sting performed "Mad About You," "Shape of My Heart," "Fields of Gold," "Englishman in New York," and, closing the encore, "Fragile," to the enthusiastic approval of the audience. But the best moment of the concert, the only one that made us gasp, was when, to make up for the loss of his friend Peter Gabriel, with whom he recently finished a tour, he paid tribute with a beautiful version of "Shock the Monkey," followed by "Invisible Sun," and an unorthodox mix of Genesis's "Dancing with the Moonlit Knight" and the classic of classics, "Message in a Bottle." But it's not enough to change our minds.

Sting, the rock energy of his greatest hits, also in the name of The Police...

Sting in concert in Rome (sold out): he opened the show with "Every Breath You Take." His son Joe preceded him on stage (though he prefers Nirvana).

"Back to Bass." But more than just the bass, Sting returns to the songs that made him a rock icon. Impeccable at 64, with a lean and muscular physique, he arrives accompanied by his five-piece band in the auditorium of the Parco della Musica for a two-hour review of his career (with or without The Police). The Newcastle bassist's rock 'n' roll soul is embodied in the energy, raw sounds, and powerful bass lines that pour out onto the 3,500-seat audience at the Auditorium (tickets sold out).

On Wednesday in Rome, Sting kicked off a new leg of his five-year-long "Back to Bass Tour" European tour, albeit on and off. On Thursday, he'll be at the Visarno Arena in Florence, and on Friday, in Assago (Milan). Before him, his son, Joe Sumner, took the stage for an acoustic set: the 41-year-old singer-songwriter grew up and inspired by Nirvana's "Nevermind," certainly not by his famous father's songs. In these concerts—celebrating an artistic career spanning one hundred million records sold—the former Police member delights in drawing from a rich repertoire. The Roman set opened with "Every Breath You Take," followed by "If I Ever Lose My Faith In You," "Mad About You" (introduced with the words, "We're happy to be here in Rome. It's been a long time"), the metallic "Driven to Tears," and the Police again, for another leap back in time. He recalls having just finished a tour with his friend Peter Gabriel. "I miss him," Sting says, "I want to sing one of his songs." And he launches into "Shock the Monkey." There's also time for Genesis's "Selling England by the Pound," which introduces "Message in a Bottle," the song greeted by the crowd's chants. Classics like "Roxanne," "Englishman in New York," and "Fields of Gold" are heard again.

Lute lessons, John Dowland's baroque music, traditional winter carols, a concept album for a musical that ran for less than three months on Broadway: Sting had more than one musical slip-up to forget. He thus announced his "sensational" return to rock, which will be crowned this fall with the release of the album "57th and 9th." The search, the journey, the road: these are the threads that connect all the songs on the album. And among the new tracks is "50,000," composed after Prince's death. "A reflection," Sting said, "on the shock of losing a cultural icon."

Sting enchants Rome with his greatest classics: show at the Auditorium...

Message in a Bottle, Fields of Gold, Every Breath You Take. A piece of rock music history stopped in Rome tonight. Sting brought his Back to Bass Tour to the Auditorium Parco della Musica for the first of three Italian dates (tomorrow he'll be in Florence, Friday in Assago). "I'm happy to be here. It's been a long time," the English artist said in perfect Italian, greeting the audience that filled the Cavea (after all, he owned a house and farm in Tuscany years ago) and singing "an old song," Mad About You.

While waiting to hear the songs from his new album of unreleased songs, which Sting himself announced on social media will be released in November under the title "57th & 9th" (named after the streets he drives through every day to get to the recording studio), the show featured many of his masterpieces: a journey into the past, from old Police hits to more recent songs penned by Sting alone, plus a tribute to Genesis and Peter Gabriel, with whom he recently wrapped up the Rock Paper Scissors world tour. "We've only just finished, but I already miss him, so I'm going to sing one of his songs," he explained before launching into "Shock the Monkey" and shortly afterward into "Dancing with the Moonlit Knight," a medley of the Police classic "Message in a Bottle."

But from the album of memories, there are many songs that ignite the audience, in a concert that is already several years old and has played several dozen dates, yet still maintains its brilliance. Thanks to Sting, who at 66—and who, in addition to being a musician, has enjoyed acting, writing, and winemaking—still allows himself to skip to the end of almost every song, and thanks to his band. And so, here and there, pop up "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic," "Englishman in New York," "So Lonely," "Desert Rose," and "Shape My Heart," which have made the Police's fortune and that of Sting as a solo artist since 1989. It's his story, but it's the story of each of us. Each of the songs that slips by is the soundtrack to a moment or a life. "Roma goodbye," Sting bids farewell at the end, after having given us encores with "Desert Rose," "Next to You," and "Fragile," and almost two more songs of music. The concert was opened by Joe Sumner, singer-songwriter, band leader, and son of the musician.

Sting enchants the Auditorium in Rome - The setlist also includes a song by Peter Gabriel, with whom he recently concluded his triumphant joint tour in America...

Sting is about to return to rock with his new album "57th & 9th," out November 11th.

One of the most powerful moments of Sting's concert at the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome, the first date of his Back to Bass Italian tour, which will stop in Florence on July 28th and Milan on July 29th, was the chorus, sung at the top of his voice by the audience and repeated almost like a mantra, "Be yourself, no matter what they say," from that reggae-jazz gem, "Englishman in New York."

Indeed, Gordon Sumner, better known as Sting, has always been himself, pursuing his own personal artistic vision that has led him to explore less travelled paths, ignoring the iron laws of marketing and the recording industry, the first of which is that only what sells well is good.

With the Police, Sting managed to soften the harshness of punk into a unique rock-reggae, creating masterpieces such as Outlandos d'amour, Reggatta de blanc, and Synchronicity.

Since 1985, the English artist, who lives a few months a year in his splendid home in Figline Valadarno (Florence), has continued to reap success as a solo artist, gradually enriching his pop-rock with a wide range of influences. He has won 10 Grammys, 2 Brits, 1 Golden Globe, 1 Emmy, and 3 Oscar nominations, selling nearly 100 million albums, including those released with The Police and his solo albums.

After experimenting with pop and classical music in Songs from the Labyrinth and Symphonicities, reinterpreting traditional English and Irish Christmas carols in If on a Winter's Night, and the album/musical The Last Ship, an intense work inspired by his memories of the Wallsend shipyards in Northeast England, Sting is about to return to rock with his new album, 57th & 9th, due out November 11th. The title is inspired by an intersection the English artist passes every day on his way to the studio. The album's setlist features a standout track, "50,000," written the week of Prince's death, "a reflection on the shock of losing a cultural icon."

Rock sounds that also characterize the Back to Bass tour currently in Italy, in which Sting's vintage bass, a true trademark of his music, takes centre stage, as does his unmistakable voice rich in harmonics that is still imitated today by young pop talents such as Bruno Mars (Locked out of heaven) and Cris Cab (Liar liar).

The concert begins at 9:30 pm with one of the most beloved songs from his rich repertoire, the romantic "Every Breath You Take" by The Police, punctuated by the rounded sound of his faithful bass, followed by "If Ever Lose My Faith in You" from his 1993 solo album Ten Summoner's Tales. Both songs end with the singer's signature "jump," and at 64, he still has a sculpted physique that many twenty-year-olds would envy.

"Good evening everyone," Sting greets in perfect Italian. "We're happy to be in Rome; it's been a long time since we last saw him. Now I want to sing an old song, 'I'm Crazy About You.'" After Mad About You, it's the turn of the adrenaline-fueled "Driven to Tears," which highlights the extraordinary talents of his band, which features three outstanding players: guitarist Dominic Miller, keyboardist David Sancious, and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, a true rock all-star. Seeing artists of this calibre in action is a feast for both the eyes and the ears.

"We just finished the tour with my friend Peter Gabriel, and I miss him already. That's why I want to play one of his songs." His rendition of "Shock the Monkey" by the former Genesis member is splendid, and he is also honoured shortly thereafter with the introduction of "Dancing with the Moonlit Knight," which morphs into "Message in a Bottle," a true adrenaline rush thanks to Colaiuta's powerful drumming.

The delicate and dreamy rendition of "Fields of Gold" is spine-tingling, while "So Lonely," embellished with a torrential keyboard solo by David Sancious, confirms itself as one of the most exhilarating live songs in the Police's repertoire.

"When the World Is Running Down," "You Make the Best of What's Still Around," "Something the Boy Said," and "Wrapped Around Your Finger" are not trivial choices, even if not all audience members are familiar with them. From "Shape of My Heart," rich in pathos thanks to Miller's colourful guitar, the concert continues with hits, culminating in a crescendo. A truly sensational Roxanne, expansive and jazzy, transforms into Bill Withers' iconic "Ain't No Sunshine," concluding a top-notch concert in style.

An encore was a must, and what an encore it was: the sensual Desert Rose, which transformed the Auditorium's Cavea into a vast open-air ballroom, the incredibly tense "Next to You," and the pure beauty of "Fragile," a song more relevant than ever in these uncertain and painful times.

A long standing ovation greeted nearly two hours of great music, without the aid of stage sets or videos, but above all without the technological gimmicks and pre-recorded backing tracks that too often "support" today's pop star concerts.

Indeed, special effects aren't necessary when you have an artist like Sting on stage.