Hey we're famous

[Kalypso]

Brilliantly said!
It has been like that (oh yeah, what about those two guys?) until, I think, Mercury Rising, that really sucked and made the myth started to crumble, then the Audi or Mercedes ad with Desert Rose really showed where the selling out had gotten him to.The truth is that Stingsolo was running out of ideas and was going to the Beduins to copy their music, like Page and Plant had done before. I don't think he would have ever suggested to reformed the Police if he didn't feel that his own star was declining.

I am sure there won't be money issues there as long as all his grandchildren die, but even golden gods get terribly bored drinking wine in the Palagio, while the revamped Green Day shatter the world.

..and, right when Stu was ready to become a symphony composer and take his kids to school and Andy was writing his memories...

I am grateful he had the idea, though, because he brought back what we loved. As usual, I am suspicious of his motives, but WTF, they served us SC fans well this time.

[Pdaitabird]

That's all true...to some extent, though (and this is just my opinion, obviously), this SEEMS to me to be the first tour that it's been a true 3-man show, that ALL of the talent really shines. I sat there thinking, Oh my God, who knew Andy Summers could play like that? I didn't follow everything he did after the Police, and frankly, it just didn't come through that much years ago live (or I was young and stupid and wasn't listening!), and i really don't think it came through that much on the studio releases. Maybe it's just because it's live, I don't know. but honestly, it really seems to be about everybody this time. And it was AMAZING.

As for Sting...i love the Bring on the Night cd, the others not so much, and much prefer him as a THIRD of the Police!

[sockii]

> I sat there thinking, Oh my God, who knew Andy Summers could play
> like that?

Anyone, I think, who had seen him on any of his solo shows in recent years, quite honestly.

I don't know, but I've seen Andy live at least 5-6 times from The Golden Wire tour through Carnegie Hall in '05 (or was that '06? Senility's kicking in...) Hearing what he's doing now is not a surprise to me except to the extent that, within the Police framework, he's being allowed to solo and really shine the way he does. The only surprise is actually seeing the extent to which people seem to have undervalued his playing for so long.

[Kalypso]

Rightly so. BOTN is one of my favorite live records ever!

We are mostly all mature and in our 30s or 40s, with some possible exceptional kids that have discovered the band now. When we were teens, the depth and the hugeness of the musicianship of these three escaped us because of the image, of the cute pictures, the fan club, the Beatle-like hysteria and the kooky videos. We were teens, and the Veejay era was just starting. The Police were beautiful, cool, and magic.

Now that we have listened to a quartercentury other music in between, we can REALLY appreciate how f*****ing well they play. Until now, the only band that had really taken me live had been the Peppers (the later, more mature version), because Flea and Frusciante are two great musicians.

[Pdaitabird]

[quote="sockii] Anyone, I think, who had seen him on any of his solo shows in recent years, quite honestly.

I don't know, but I've seen Andy live at least 5-6 times from The Golden Wire tour through Carnegie Hall in '05. Hearing what he's doing now is not a surprise to me except to the extent that, within the Police framework, he's being allowed to solo and really shine the way he does. The only surprise is actually seeing the extent to which people seem to have undervalued his playing for so long.[/quote]

Here's hoping it'll be me getting to hear him play solo one of these days...
that's why I'm here, frankly, to soak it all up, learn as much as I can...

and ditto Kalypso!

[policerule]

story:

today i was talking to a friend about going to the concert and he said "yeah, i'd really like to see him"

HIM??????????

this is what sockii was talking about... it's not just sting in the band. the other guys never got enough credit.

[Three over Four]

I'm also glad as hell that Stingo decided to do the Police again, but I have to call 'bullshit' on all the articles I've read where he talks about his 'instinct'. I mean seriously, how much of a no brainer was it that the Police would sell out stadiums all over the globe! Also, Andy and Stewart have been wanting to do this for the longest time....it just hasn't happened until now because as Stewart has said 'Sting don't wanna'.

Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled that this is happening, but it's only happening because Stingo has finally decided that it was something *he* wanted to do....

[empty]

Sting (and Andy) fans always welcome, and too true that it wouldn't be the Police without that particular combination.

As I said somewhere else, grateful for it all. But sockii pretty much nailed it on the head.There is a perception that 'the other two guys" were living off royalties and waiting for Sting to throw them a bone. That's not even Sting's fault (or his ego's), rather the media who figure if you aren't on the Billboard top 100, you aren't producing anything of substance.

Can we turn this into a journo bashing thread instead of the sting fan bashing thread?

[lisaspear]

[quote="mtobinjones"]Sting (and Andy) fans always welcome, and too true that it wouldn't be the Police without that particular combination.


Can we turn this into a journo bashing thread instead of the sting fan bashing thread?
[/quote]


YES!!! I am all for that! DAMN THEM!!

I absolutely know what you mean about the "Oh I'd love to see HIM live." Even the guy I am taking next weekend has been guilty of this but I love him to death so what can I do except correct him constantly. He actually left a message "Really can't wait for the Sting show!!!" UGH!

And I realize that it is people like my friend that don't have a clue that Stewart and Andy even had a career after The Police. It is frustrating as hell! Even though I am a Sting fan I know better than that. The Police are not Stewart, Andy or Sting. They are all 3. Simple.

Oh and the "instinct" comment. I'm not sure Sting was referring to the selling out of stadiums as much as he meant a "feeling" it would be right for all of them. That they would get along, be happy, sound great and stuff like that.

[sockii]

[quote="mtobinjones"]
Can we turn this into a journo bashing thread instead of the sting fan bashing thread?
[/quote]

Well, except it's not _just_ the journalists perpetrating those ideas, there _are_ certain Sting fans who feel that way as well (and aren't afraid to say it loudly and repeatedly.)

It's why I never found stingus.net a messageboard I could hang out on frequently because I had to stop myself far too often from getting into some major fanwank over the Sting vs. Stewart & Andy stuff.

And I don't know, maybe we can be just as bad sometimes here, but I certainly wouldn't go to the extent of saying something like, "The Police would have been just as good/better off without Sting" the way I've seen comments like "Sting was the only member of the Police that mattered".

[Divemistress of the Dark]

Well said, sockii.

[quote]That's all true...to some extent, though (and this is just my opinion, obviously), this SEEMS to me to be the first tour that it's been a true 3-man show, that ALL of the talent really shines.[/quote]

Except for the fact that there are no songs by Stewart or Andy in the setlist; the fact that the arrangements and setlist don't change, despite wishes for same by Stewart in the press; and the fact that neither Stewart or Andy says anything onstage (which REALLY, REALLY bugs me. I feel like they've been put under some clause of omerta or something...)

[Pdaitabird]

^ that's true...I'd love to have heard some of the older songs written by Stuart; the older ones are my favorites, anyway. And there just wasn't much talk at all, at least at the show I saw. Just that kid/horse connection antecdote...I don't remember; was there anything else? The banter/chatter was pretty sparse. Yeah, would have been nice to hear Stewart and Andy.

Love your socks, btw!

[Jennythenipper]

[quote="Kalypso"]Rightly so. BOTN is one of my favorite live records ever!

.[/quote]

Mine too. NiNa played large chunks of it on her stint on the marathon. She did cut off Omar's awesome solo in I Burn For You, which is the best part of the song. And she played The World is Running Down which has the cringe-worthy Branford Rap in it...

It's not a up to the perfection of his live recordings with the police.

And as for the Drowned at birth thing I thought it was hilarious and definitely meant in jest. The wtory was completely complimentary to Sting and was done in way which reveals Stewart's friendly frustration at things coming so easily to Sting. I guess my point was that you can see where some of that friendly ribbing wears off onto the fans as we follow Stewarts cue.

I completely agree about feeling isolated as a fan of one of the other guys. Even last week when I told my hairdresser that I went to see the Police she said, "Oh I love him!" meaning Sting. As if the band is one guy. Had to bite my tongue cause she's a lovely woman and she was cutting my hair at that moment. Still it was painful. It's been like that for years.

[Jennythenipper]

[quote="Divemistress of the Dark"]Well said, sockii.

[quote]That's all true...to some extent, though (and this is just my opinion, obviously), this SEEMS to me to be the first tour that it's been a true 3-man show, that ALL of the talent really shines.[/quote]

Except for the fact that there are no songs by Stewart or Andy in the setlist; the fact that the arrangements and setlist don't change, despite wishes for same by Stewart in the press; and the fact that neither Stewart or Andy says anything onstage (which REALLY, REALLY bugs me. I feel like they've been put under some clause of omerta or something...)[/quote]

Hmm did they say much back in the day? I long for some non-Sting compositions in the setlist. Maybe next tour, eh?

[Jennythenipper]

[quote="mtobinjones"]

Can we turn this into a journo bashing thread instead of the sting fan bashing thread?
[/quote]

I would never start a Sting fan bashing thread. I am a Sting fan. It's just become a thread about the complex relationship between Stewart, Sting and the fans of those. Also about how cool we are with our socks and all. It's a given that journos need a good bashing

Also Kalypso, it was a Jaguar commercial. If Sting drove an Audi, I would die happy. If two of my loves: all wheel drive sport motoring and Sting come together, it would be great.