STEWART COPELAND

I went to the Miami show tonight and enjoyed it. Having been to the 1983 show at the Orange Bowl when I was 14, I have something to compare it to. At that time The Police were the world's biggest band at the top of their game. Now they play fine. The years apart are apparent. Some of the songs were a little uneven. The new arrangements of some of the songs were unnecessary. For example there's an extended instrumental interlude in Roxanne, which not only did a disservice to the masterpiece of the band, but also created moments in which you could actually hear the crowd talking amongst themselves. Singing good, talking bad.

I know I'm being tough but for $90 a pop (nosebleeds), I expected a tighter show. U2 (whose members are younger but have been around only a few years less than The Police put on the best shows around. Near religious experiences.

Like I said, I had fun and it was good but perhaps a couple of months of rehearsal would have done them good.

On another note, my group of Cuban-American bloggers flew a banner over the opening act that said: S.O.S. they dance alone in Cuba too.

Some news clips of our activities and the concert are available at:

http://bucl.org

Your opinion loses quite a bit of value when you cite an extended instrumental interlude in "Roxanne" as an example of a new arrangement.

The song has always been played like that live, and it's a big part of what The Police are all about.

I thought the boys did exceptional, save for "Don't Stand So Close"...

Can't figure out why they have not taken Don't stand off the setlist already!

What I do to gain perspective on this is:

I go back on these forums and read our conversations BEFORE the tour was announced.

It reminds you of how so many longed for this moment...and now it's here.

That's why I don't care what they do as long as it's them doing it. I know some don't agree but Hey!.....That's me!

I would feel stupid complaining about an event that is so super-duper-amazing-thoughtitwouldneverbe-yahoo-unbelievable...well, y'know.

It's all good.

Cheers.

Well said, BongoBoy!!! I agree 110%...

I have wished every year since 1986 that these guys would get together and play. My wish has FINALLY come true and I am loving it. I don't care if they de-range/redo/change keys/stingify/etc... I would pay to see the three of them have a conversation over a cup of coffee!

I don;t understand the criticism and I hope the boys aren't taking it to heart (I'm sure they have learned not to listen to the naysayers)!

I'm going to see them in Hershey and I feel so complete about it!

THANK YOU Police for doing this!!!

Well I guess if you don't mind 40,000 people talking during a 3 minute interlude in the middle of Roxanne, then my opinion doesn't matter.

No, your opinion doesn't matter much to me because you come off like you don't quite know what you're talking about.

In any case, it doesn't surprise me that the Miami show would draw a lot of folks who were more interested in being seen than in actually seeing, and this would draw more random chat throughout the show as those folks inevitably lose interest in the spectacle.

Find a bootleg somewhere and I bet it will grow on you.

I've always wondered about people who could chat during shows like the Police. I wonder why they are there. When I saw them in Las Vegas, I was with one of my closest friends that I can not seen face to face in about nine years and certainly had tons to say to him. And he is certainly well versed in all things Police. But honestly, I really was far too consumed with soaking up every last drop of the magic flowing from Stewart and Andy to really say anything to my friend other than the occasional WoW!

I see the point about wanting a tight show when the tickets cost so bloody much - you want the closest thing to perfection possible.... but this is a live event, not an album, and so mistakes, missteps, and misgivings will occur.... especially since they haven't really played together for so many years (which makes them incomparable to the long-standing always-together U2). We're paying for the experience over the music I suppose. As a spontaneous erruption (though strategically planned) reunion tour it is as good as it can be given the short rehearsal time. In a sense they're still rehearsing as they tour.
During the 4 shows I attended there were always people talking over the music, and this got worse the more they drank. The slower interludes in most of the songs just allow us to hear the chatter more clearly - but it's always there, unfortunately. Not everybody is a die-hard, obsessed, fanatic like myself...

Yeah just blame the fans. Much easier than to admit that when people hear the first chords of Roxanne they want to rock and that slowing the song down to a crawl before picking it up again might be a bad idea.

I think your opinion blows.