The Police - August 3, 2007

I only had the opportunity to see The Police once in my life, and it happened to be on their recent reunion tour. I was a tad too young when the band split in 1984, but my cousin was able to see them at Shea Stadium for one of their final concerts before what everyone thought was a permanent retirement. I had heard the stories of their performances and really enjoyed their music in my teenage years. I just never believed that I would see them in concert because I never believed that this band would be able to get back together. They hated each other and hadn’t talked to one another in almost 20 years.

Then one magical day the announcement was made. The Police were reuniting and going on a world tour. There would be no new music, only the classics being performed live. Wow! I had to get tickets for this one. I had to see The Police live.

Surprisingly, my wife was not interested in seeing them in concert. I was shocked about that. I thought everyone was a Police fan, but not her. She told me to have a good time, but she was taking a pass. I immediately talked to my friend Alicia, (who attended the night of the Lesbians Billy Joel concert with me) and she definitely wanted to see The Police live. It was set; we would try to get tickets for their Friday night performance at Madison Square Garden.

We ended up with seats behind the stage, but as this was an open stage, that was all right. We would be seeing the backs of the three band members all night long, but that didn’t matter to me. We were four rows away from Stewart Copeland’s drum kit (which was quite impressive). Alicia and I were very excited; it was going to be an amazing night.

We took the path in from Hoboken and got to the Garden well before show time. After a few drinks, we headed into the arena and found our seats. Excellent. There was an opening act, Fiction Plane, but I honestly can’t remember if we sat through them or not. If we did, they obviously weren’t that memorable.

When the houselights went dark, the sold out crowd roared, and The Police walked to the stage. We could see them come up from the side and we watched Copeland settle in behind the drum kit before kicking off the opening song off the night, Message In A Bottle. I’ll send an SOS to the world. It was fantastic.

The band sounded impeccable. Father Time had not hurt these legends at all. They sounded as great that night as they did on their studio albums some 20 years earlier. They were all trim and fit, and Alicia commented on how good-looking Sting was. At 50-some-odd years old, he still impressed the ladies.

The set list was one that fans dream of. Hit after hit after hit were performed by the band and consumed by the fans. Walking On The Moon, When The World Is Running Down…, Don’t Stand So Close To Me, Wrapped Around Your Finger, and more were all performed to perfection. Even if the band was only back together for the money and had no intention of speaking to each other ever again after this tour was over, you’d never know it in their performance.

Sting, as the band leader, showed the most energy, but his band mates were not that far behind him. Running around the stage, jumping off the drum riser, and standing atop the amplifiers, Sting made it seem like it was the early 80s all over again with his youthful energy and playfulness. This got the crowd into the spirit and they were on their feet for the entire evening.

The 4-song encore was where they saved the best for last. It was an incredible selection of what happens to be some of my favorite Police songs and to close out the night with the lead track of their first album, Next To You, was an enjoyable way to end the evening.

In a word, The Police were excellent. They played a memorable performance and definitely gave us our money’s worth. Impressive in their ability to still rock out like it was 1982, it’s a shame that The Police split up so many years ago. Now they’ve gone back to whatever they were doing prior to the reunion and the chances that we will see them again are very slim, but in 2007, The Police had a brief moment to rule the world one more time. And I was able to fulfill the dream of seeing them in concert.




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
This 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
Roxanne
Encore
King Of Pain
So Lonely
Every Breath You Take
Next To You

New Music Releases - Fall 2009

As much as it pains me to say this, summer is winding down, slowly paving the way for the autumn season. While the warm days of beautiful sunshine and the endless nights of baseball will soon be a fading memory for another year, there is a silver lining to fall’s arrival – new music. There are some great albums scheduled for release this fall. None have my mouth drooling in anticipation more than the new Kiss album (of course), but there are other highly anticipated recordings slated to arrive when the leaves change colors. Below is a list of notable key releases this fall. Be sure to mark your music calendar.

September 8, 2009
Dave Matthews Band – Live Trax Volume 16
DMB is set to release another live masterpiece in their never ending series of recorded concerts. Live Trax Volume 16 is taken from the band’s June 26, 2000 performance from the Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Highlights from this set include Digging A Ditch, Sweet Up and Down, Say Goodbye, and the rarely performed Little Thing. The 2-disc set is currently available for pre-order on the band’s website: http://www.davematthewsband.com/

Phish – Joy
With their reunion a smashing success and “Phish-heads” loving the new material in its live format, Phish is set to release Joy on September 8th. The new songs sound great live, so this studio effort should be an excellent package of new material. The time away from one another did the band well as they were able to capture the magic of what drove them when they first started the band. Joy should be a return to all their former glory and a trumpeted show of their resurgence.

September 15, 2009
Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson – Break Up
It’s been a busy year for Pete Yorn. His fourth album, aptly titled Back and Fourth, came out earlier this summer, he’s been touring in support ever since, and now he has to prepare to promote a second album. Break Up is a disc of 9 duets with actress turned singer Scarlett Johansson. This concept album walks through to the tale of a tempestuous relationship as written and developed by Pete Yorn. He recruited Johansson to sing the duets with him and the rest is history. I’m interested in hearing how the final piece turned out and if this is a project worthy of my time and money. I guess we’ll know this September. You can sample the lead single Relator right here: http://www.thebreakupalbum.com/.

Lynch Mob – Smoke & Mirrors
That’s right, the Lynch Mob is back! Oni Logan has teamed up with George Lynch and together with a new rhythm section, they’ve recorded one of the greatest rock albums to come along in years, Smoke and Mirrors. I had the opportunity to review this one for Hard Rock Hideout. Smoke and Mirrors in one word? Amazing. Be sure to pick up your copy on September 15th.

Ace Frehley – Anomaly
The Ace is back! Anomaly, Frehley’s first solo album in years, is set to be released this September, just ahead of the new Kiss CD. Word from the Frehley camp is that this solo record is as good as it gets from Ace, comparing it to the first solo CD (while still with Kiss). I doubt it’s that good, but if it’s even as good as Trouble Walkin’, I’ll be a happy Ace fan!

September 20, 2009
Pearl Jam – Backspacer
If September 20th seems like an odd day for a new release, that’s because it is. Pearl Jam are breaking the traditional Tuesday release date and making their new album available on a Sunday. Backspacer is a Target exclusive, which means I’ll be at my local Target right after church that day. I am salivating for this disc and hope that it comes close to matching the power of their last album (Pearl Jam).

September 22, 2009
Three Days Grace – Life Starts Now
It’s been three years since Three Days Grace released their sophomore effort, One X. In that time, Three Days Grace has built a strong following through constant touring and opening for some choice bands. Their single, Pain, helped to push album sales for One X and make many a Three Days Grace fan, myself included. Their third effort, Life Starts Now, is due to hit stores in September, but the big question remains…can the follow up to One X live up to all the expectations and pressure?

September 29, 2009
Alice In Chains – Black Gives Way To Blue
I’ll be honest, I have no clue how this record is going to sound. I have not heard Alice In Chains with their not-so-new lead singer William DuVall, I have not sampled any available online leaks from this record, and I haven’t listened to Alice in Chains much since the 90s. That having been said, the band still holds a lot of merit in the music world, and if they’ve created something new, it’s worth checking out. I know a couple of close friends that are going to be hitting the record store the moment it opens on September 29th. It could be that good.

Foreigner – Can’t Slow Down
With lead singer Kelly Hansen, Foreigner is returning to the world of rock with a new CD, Can’t Slow Down. This will be a WalMart exclusive, which seemed to serve AC/DC and The Eagles well, so hopefully it will do the same for Foreigner. While their former great lead singer Lou Gramm is releasing Christian rock type discs, Foreigner is putting out the rock and roll. I don’t know what Hansen sounds like, and I don’t know if this album will be incredible or just average, but it will be interesting to see what they’ve been up to. I’m also curious to see how WalMart sets up their exclusive displays for this disc.

Breaking Benjamin – Dear Agony
This CD was certainly given the proper title. It was agony to see how often this album kept getting delayed. This was originally due for release last year, then it was moved to the spring, then they were hopeful for a summer release, and now it’s September 29th (provided the date doesn’t change again). Coming off their biggest disc to date (Phobia), Breaking Benjamin has a lot of hype to live up to. I personally think they can pull it off, but they’ve been out of the public eye for a while, so it will be interesting to see how well this sells.

October 6, 2009
Kiss – Sonic Boom
Just in case a new Ace Frehley CD isn’t enough Kiss for ya, the band of Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Eric Singer, and Tommy Thayer are putting out a full length CD (the first with this line up). And in the vein of AC/DC and the Eagles, this is a WalMart exclusive. If the album is as cool as the artwork, then we’re in for a real treat. Word from the Kiss camp is that Sonic Boom has the feel and sound of 70s Kiss. If that means Detroit Rock City era, that’s awesome. If that means Dynasty era, then I’m going to be very disappointed. We’ll find out this October.

October 27, 2009
Sting – If On A Winter’s Night
After a successful reunion tour with The Police and some much deserved time off following that, Sting is returning with a new album, If On A Winter’s Night. This winter themed disc will include two new original Sting compositions, traditional Christmas carols, and some songs about winter. While not exactly a “Christmas” album, If On A Winter’s Night certainly sounds like a holiday record. Hopefully it’s not as bad as the lute experiment from a few years ago.

Know about other new releases that weren’t covered here? Some of the dates mentioned above change? Send me an e-mail and let me know.

Comments are open. Feel free to post some.