by jedsoon on 12 Feb 2007 02:27
Sting's big opening remark was kind of a surprise, since they were in a wide shot of the venue at the moment. No details of the stage are even visible.
Sting immediately goes into a count as the shot zooms in. Then the familiar opening riffs of Roxanne begin to pierce thru the chorus of screaming fans as we begin a slow zoom toward the stage. Sting lets out a "Whooo-oooo!"
We switch to a shot that looks at though we are walking up the proverbial red-carpeted aisle between the seats. There's a guy walking to the camera bobbing his head and snapping his fingers as the crowd rises to their feet. The Police are now visible on the stage!
Cut to a shot of Stewart and his final crash ending the instrumental intro. He raises his hands up high as if to celebrate a massive victory, and he his smile is a mile long. Awesome!!
A final quick overhead shot of the stage and we go to a familiar view that looks very similar to some of the pics posted just yesterday i think, with Sting in the foreground on the left and Stew peeking over the top of his massive kit on the right. People are still screaming! Finally a shot of Andy driving those riffs home as he looks quickly at the guys.
Tight shot of Sting as he goes into "Those days are over..." NOT!! He tries to keep that intense Sting stare going, but his smile is showing thru too... It stays on a tight shot of Sting for most of the first verse, with quick inserts of Stew and then Andy.
It goes to another overhead tracking shot that gets to eye level with the band by the time the chorus kicks in. At this point i notice the song seems slightly slowed down from how i'm used to hearing it. Sting can't fight that smile anymore...
We get an insert of Stew as the backup vocals start, then back to the tracking shot, which is now Sting in the left foreground and Andy on the right. Yes, the backing vocals are dubbed. It becomes a little more obvious when we get a new shot of Stewart, a tight shot from in front. He has a mic on a stand as well as a headset mic, but his mouth isn't moving to the vocal. Not the best time for that cutaway, but i dont think any of us are gonna be too critical!
Finally after one more tight shot of Sting we get one of the whole band from front center. It's a perfect moment as the Police play one of their best-loved songs to a completely enthralled audience and watched by millions of people around the world! The final insert of Stew on the first chorus shows him singing right in time with the tape. I'm totally impressed with anybody that can even utter a syllable at the same time they are playing drums!
Heres where it gets interesting. It's a new live arrangement as Stewart slows things down considerably as Andy paints the canvas with new shades of harmonic coloring. Sting warbles "Roxanne" repeatedly into a fadeout. He then goes into the second verse over the same spacious arrangement. Did somebody compare it to Driven To Tears? It sounds in the ballpark.
It isn't long before they fire things backup for the chorus. At this point, i've decided the vocal tapes are from the actual studio version. The tracking camera is now pulling away from the stage, suggesting this performance is just about over. This version is much shorter than the live performances i'm used to.
For the final "Roxaaaaaaaannne-oooooo" Sting draws it out-- and UP-- for as long as he appears able. It's a classic style finish, with mountains of crashing cymbals and hi-energy riffing with the strobes flashing furiously. Then Sting does a final leap and lands on the last blast. The lights glare blindlingly from the stage as the crowd shows its unabashed enthusiasm.
Everybody is on their feet!
Now the band have left their instruments and stand together with joined hands as they take a bow. They are dressed in pretty much the same clothes as the official picture, but more details are evident. Andy has some sort of red design on his t-shirt. Sting wears his sleeveless. Some very cool stylings on Stewart's shirt! The left sleeve is white (it looks as though it's an undershirt) and he's got some stylin' arrows crisscrossing over his left shoulder!
They take two bows and stand up straight, Stewart standing in the middle raising Andy and Sting's hands in victory! THAT'S the picture i want for my desktop! And Stewart is the last to leave the stage... it DOES look like he doesn't want to leave!
-chris