The Official SEATTLE SHOW #1 Thread

[Jennythenipper]

[quote="Divemistress of the Dark

I'm hoping for the green Puma shirt from last year on Stewart at Bonnaroo. Although that black and red ensemble is awesome.[/quote]

What, no ity bity shorts and giant knee socks? Why is that the smaller the shorts the bigger the socks?

I think the black and red ensemble is Stew's nod to the Incredibles, no?

[Mr. Rogers]

Stewart was good but NOTHING like '82. Sting is definitely holding him back and running the show. He didn't do the infamous crazy fills in the end of Driven, etc. but I am a picky drummer with 39 years experience and learned all his sutff note for note, so I guess I am over analytical.

[Three over Four]

First of all, I’d like to offer up my opinion regarding all the folks giving their opinions on how the Police should or should not be playing their songs. That sentence is nothing but ridiculous in and of itself! Stewart, Sting, & Andy ARE the Police, and if they didn’t interpret the music the way they hear it, us fans would be the ones getting the short end of the stick on this world tour.

That being said, I thought Don’t Stand was brilliant…very atmospheric and moody, and a complete breath of fresh air. Lots of improvisation throughout many of the tunes including lots of octoban work during the middle of Roxanne. A very pleasant surprise for me indeed after hearing the stripped down Grammy version a few months ago. Stewart really was in great form, and IMO stole the show. Wrapped Around was also a highlight for me, especially his work on the percussion rack. I always knew this guy was so much more than just a drummer, but holy cripes man!! He is the Rhythmatist indeed!! There was also lots of great banter and joking around between the guys, they truly seemed to be enjoying one another last night.

I’m usually so focused on the music at a concert that I could care less about any of the lights and/or video, but I need to make a special note about how cool the GITM lighting theme was during Spirits….I seriously just about shat my pants it was THAT cool.

All in all, it was worth every penny and I’m so grateful to the guys to have given us fans this opportunity to see them in concert. The Police were the first band I got so into where I listened to nothing else but them for months on end. That was 1991, and from that day until a few months ago I had resigned myself to only be able to listen to their albums and whatever live recordings I could get my hands on. I honestly had a dream come true for me last night as a Police and Stewart Copeland fan…..plain and simple.

[Three over Four]

Also, I just saw this on the TPT message boards, and it looks to be correct:

Message in a Bottle
Synchronicity II
Spirits in the Material World
Voices Inside My Head / When the World is Running Down
Don't Stand So Close to Me
Driven to Tears
Walking on the Moon
Truth Hits Everybody
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
Wrapped Around Your Finger
The Bed's Too Big Without You
Murder by Numbers
De Do Do Do De Da Da Da
Invisible Sun
Walking in Your Footsteps
Can't Stand Losing You/Regatta De Blanc
Roxanne

First encore:
King of Pain
So Lonely

Second encore:
Every Breath You Take
Next to You

[DirtyMartini]

[quote="Three over Four"]
First encore:
King of Pain
So Lonely

Second encore:
Every Breath You Take
Next to You[/quote]

OOH! OOH! OOH! Is this true? Did the first encore END on So Lonely instead of EBYT?!? Truly?!?
<*jumping up and down in chair with joy in anticipation of answer*>

[Three over Four]

Yes the 1st encore ended w/ So Lonely, and I just edited my post to include some Regatta De Blanc vocal interplay during So Lonely as well.

[DirtyMartini]

YES!!!!!! FUCKING AWESOME!!!

Thank you, 3/4!!!

THANK YOU, STEWART!!!

[phaty]

[quote="Three over Four"]First of all, I’d like to offer up my opinion regarding all the folks giving their opinions on how the Police should or should not be playing their songs. That sentence is nothing but ridiculous in and of itself! Stewart, Sting, & Andy ARE the Police, and if they didn’t interpret the music the way they hear it, us fans would be the ones getting the short end of the stick on this world tour.
.[/quote]

Thank you so much for this!

[phaty]

So Lonely with Regatta!!!!

OMG ..... now I can die ... well in the Moshpit that is!

[New Zealand Promoter]

"First of all, I’d like to offer up my opinion regarding all the folks giving their opinions on how the Police should or should not be playing their songs. That sentence is nothing but ridiculous in and of itself! Stewart, Sting, & Andy ARE the Police, and if they didn’t interpret the music the way they hear it, us fans would be the ones getting the short end of the stick on this world tour."

ah, BUT - listen to how many solo 'broken music' 'Sting' arrangements have made into the set so far. Many of us would concur that it's often what Sting is hearing rather than a collective vision which is being explored.

Who came up with the new chord sequence in 'next to you'? Sting. Broken Music. Who came up with the new jazzy arrangement of "World is Running Down" ? Sting. Broken Music. Who came up with the half time bits in "Synch II" ? Sting, Broken Music.

etc etc

[Divemistress of the Dark]

(tries to think of things to do while she waits for 'Does Everyone Stare,' 'Bombs' and 'Canary' to get added to the setlist.....)

(hey, a girl can dream, right...?)

[PeterB]

The Seattle show was incredible. The bass and drums were totally synced in Next to you, Bed's too big, and syncronicity II In a way I have never heard from the Police live. It was a churning locomotive. Andy is burning it up- Regatta de blanc- cool new stuff in invisible sun, he has been playing hard music all this time and it shows in his solos. Sting is hitting insane notes and does not tire at all. Stewart played so damn hard. At times you could see grim determination in his face. He played through exhaustion, eyes half closed digging deep, and then suddenly he would hit a second wind and look like it was easy grinning at the other two. At one point they shared a look of wide eyed surprise with eachother at how well they were playing. They are really serious about their early claims, and they are putting the pieces together to crush. This is no nostalgia act. They are going 100% It doesn't show on the youtube videos. Some arrangements were iffy. I don't think it is obsessive compulsive "rain man" devotion to the original that has people chafing. Example sting changed the eeo eeo yo yo part in walking on the moon. It was perfect before. The crowd, unbidden, sang it back in a different part of the song (like the original) Then for one verse, Sting sang it the old way. People love those notes. It doesn't make them unimaginative.

[Divemistress of the Dark]

[quote]There was also lots of great banter and joking around between the guys, they truly seemed to be enjoying one another last night. [/quote]

Thank all the little gods. Here's hoping the tempest in a teapot over Stewart's forum post has blown over.

[Three over Four]

[quote]ah, BUT - listen to how many solo 'broken music' 'Sting' arrangements have made into the set so far. Many of us would concur that it's often what Sting is hearing rather than a collective vision which is being explored.

Who came up with the new chord sequence in 'next to you'? Sting. Broken Music. Who came up with the new jazzy arrangement of "World is Running Down" ? Sting. Broken Music. Who came up with the half time bits in "Synch II" ? Sting, Broken Music. [/quote]

Fair enough....last time I saw Sting was for his Mercury Falling tour, so I didn't see these as anything other than Police arrangements in my own blissful ignorance. And regardless of the arrangement, with Stewart on those drums and Andy on guitar, it will always end up sounding more Police than Sting, IMO.

[sockii]

[quote="tj7"]
Who came up with the new chord sequence in 'next to you'? Sting. Broken Music. Who came up with the new jazzy arrangement of "World is Running Down" ? Sting. Broken Music. Who came up with the half time bits in "Synch II" ? Sting, Broken Music.

etc etc[/quote]

But, see, here's the thing--do we know who came up with the ORIGINAL versions that certain folks are so in love with to the point of not wanting to hear any variations, either? Again, do we know with any certainty that Stew & Andy don't LIKE the new arrangements and really WANT to be doing 'em the old way?

Look, I am far from a huge solo-Sting fan, and I may not be 100% sold on all of the new arrangements, but just because something may be a little more "jazzy" doesn't mean it's Sting forcing that sound on the other guys (don't forget Andy could run jazzy circles around Sting any day of the week.) While I'd be more than happy to hear Stewart let the tempos rip a bit more, I don't expect 'em to be able to keep that up for a full 2-hour show at 50+ years old (heck, 60+ in Andy's case) like they could in their 20's.

None of us were there in the rehearsals to know how it really shook down. As such, I don't like speculating or making assumptions on who may have dictated what. And if Sting had the "deciding" vote on certain things, I don't really care. I'll take some so-called "Stingified" arrangements for the much huger benefit of seeing them all together on stage for the first time in my life, something I never thought I would ever have the chance to see.