by thedaner on 27 Jun 2007 14:16
Dallas show #1 was fantastic! From all the You Tube footage I've seen so far, the tour is truly improving! The set list is posted on thepolice.com--no surprises or songs put back in (i.e. no "Murder"...) but I will say that some songs have changed a bit.
"Walking On The Moon": I've heard people say it changed a lot, but last night it was a hybrid of old and new. Good jamming in the middle, great groove change-ups.
Although I love "Voices" I don't really see the need for it as an opening to "When The World"...Speaking of the latter, it's a bit like the Sting arrangement when the tempo picks up.
"Don't Stand So Close To Me" is a lot better than what I heard a month ago. It's getting closer to the original, although in a lower key. People have said it's probably the version they would have come up with in '86 had Stewart not broken his collarbone. I would agree somewhat. I'm glad it doesn't resemble the Sting "All This Time" version like it did at first. I believe Sting sang the second verse twice in a row. When he got to the third verse he sang every other word--one of the things he's started doing over the years: letting verses and phrases drift off.
"Every Little Thing..." is more like the original. In the original key, too--I don't know if they lowered it earlier in the tour. I liked the calypso thing I was catching on YouTube, but there was a lot of energy to this version.
I liked "Truth Hits.." but I feel it needs to be faster.
"Invisible Sun" to me was the downer. I've heard them do it so much better. The '86 Amnesty Concert comes to mind.
For some reason Andy was already on stage when the gong hit (for "Message..."). Sting walked on by himself. Either a miscue, or they want to avoid another Stewart forum post. BTW, the first two songs were amazing. Stewart keeps coming up with outstanding fills and polyrhythms all the time. Endlessly inventive.
A lot of people started leaving after "Roxanne" which was disappointing, but we did get heavily pissed on with rain. Driving to the show was a bit harrowing.
Overall, they sounded great, played great; Stewart played his ass off; Andy ripped solo after solo and Sting's voice was in top form--with the occasional ragged edges, but after several shows that's going to happen. I'm completely amazed at how he can hold up at his age and belt out what he did. Experience (a bit of yoga) and the mark of a true professional. They are definitely back and I hope they carry on beyond the tour. I also hope the Tele comes back because Andy played the red Strat the whole night.
Fiction Plane was (were?) surprisingly good. They have the Police formula down--three piece, sparse arrangements, middle section jamming, high range vocalist/bassist, guitar textures/effects. But, I can hear Coldplay and Radiohead among the influences. They're in Dallas through Thursday when they play at the House of Blues.
My biggest complaint is that the sound was not so great. I was told that concerts at the AA Center were awesome and no matter where you sat, it was a good experience. Well, this was my first concert there (I've seen Mavs and Stars games there before) and I was disappointed. I couldn't understand a thing Joe Sumner was saying when he talked to the crowd (except for the House of Blues plug) and I could make out every other word of Sting's when he spoke. I'll wait to hear from someone who might've been closer (I was in the upper tier on Sting's side, fairly far back).