Thanks for spotting The Flag the past few nights, Stewart!
Although The Flag must be MIA for the next couple of shows (it's in transit), there will be Copelanders a-plenty out there in the audience sending their love and screaming up a storm.
HAVE A GREAT TIME IN MINNESOTA TONIGHT!!!
Have a great show in St. Paul, STEWART!!!
19 posts
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Have a great show in St. Paul, STEWART!!!
by DirtyMartini on 03 Jul 2007 13:10
Dramatic highlights & a unique musical cosmos. Guaranteed.
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DirtyMartini - Posts: 9622
- Joined: 03 Mar 2007 18:38
- Location: Around.
by Jennythenipper on 03 Jul 2007 19:04
WOOOOOOOOOT!
T-minus 5.5 hours and counting!
I wish I could be flying the flag for you all, but there was no time after St. Louis.
Jenny in St. Paul
T-minus 5.5 hours and counting!
I wish I could be flying the flag for you all, but there was no time after St. Louis.
Jenny in St. Paul
Thanks to Sockii (you rockii) for awesome Avatar photo!
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Jennythenipper - Posts: 549
- Joined: 05 Jan 2007 18:09
by DirtyMartini on 03 Jul 2007 21:22
Sorry about the flag, Jenny. The schedule has gotten a bit crazy.
But have a great time tonight!
But have a great time tonight!
Dramatic highlights & a unique musical cosmos. Guaranteed.
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DirtyMartini - Posts: 9622
- Joined: 03 Mar 2007 18:38
- Location: Around.
My review of the St. Paul Show
by Jennythenipper on 04 Jul 2007 20:10
Let me preface this with the caveat that seeing the Police live has been a dream of mine for 25 years. There was a lot at stake for me last night, an almost insane level of expectation on my part. How could anyone live up to that? I girded myself a bit, preparing for disappointment, reading reviews and watching clips on Youtube.
Yet when Stewart took the stage and hit that giant gong and the first familiar notes of MIAB came on I went ape$hit. I started jumping up and down screaming. I don't think I could even see the stage. I was so excited to finally be there in the same room with the Police. I couldn't believe it.
Message got the crowd at the Excel, which was already on it's feet, pogoing and screaming like nothing I've ever seen. I've seen U2, I've seen Prince in his home court, I've seen a lot of really good bands in clubs, and I've never seen a crowd go bananas quite like that. The girls in the row in front of me (bless them, bless them all) were weeping and clinging to one another. I grabbed on to my husband's arm and started hitting air drum cymbol crashes on his head. It was some out of body stuff, man.
The screens came on (yay we're watching TV) and Synchronicity II brought the adreneline level down a notch. This was good. Had they launched into So Lonely at that point I would have had to have been hauled away, I think. This has never been my favorite song, but back in the day I loved the video with it's post-apocolyptic costumes so I amused myself thinking of that and pinching myself that I was really there. Andy shredded a great solo on that one, and I was happy.
I have a love-hate relationship with those giant flat screens. I love being able to see the band's facial expressions (I had good seats on the floor in the center, but at 36 rows back they are too far away to see faces much) but I feel more like I'm not at a concert when I'm watching those things. Also I missed some part of some cool stuff on stage, such as Sting's crazy froglegs dance ontop of a stack of amps, because I was studying Stewart on the monitor and counting Octobahn hits.
A nice moment during Voices/World is Running Down, the girls in front of me singing along emphatically "I hate the food I eat!" This is what I love about a concert. You are in a room full of a lot of people willing to sing something like that aloud. It's like coming home.
A note about Don't Stand So Close to Me. I must concur with others that this song live just isn't quite up to the album version. Because this was the song that made me a Police fan, I would have been the first in line to complain had they left it out. It was a tad disappointing, but it did start out with some cool Octobahn playing from Stewart. Also at one point in this song, I realized that 40,000 people all said the word Nabokov simultaneously. Only at a Police show.
Driven to Tears was great. One of my favorite moments from Bring on the Night is the performance of that song during rehearsals. I did the silly dance that the guy wearing the Fez did.
Someone in front of us hoists an embarrassing sign asking Sting to take his shirt off. "At least I didn't bring a sign" I said to my husband. (I didn't tell him that if I would have had my druthers I would have brought a flag. ) He looked at me doubtfully, and said, "Is that any better than screaming I love you Sting! I love you Stewart! at the top of your lungs when they came on stage." Um no, I guess not. A note about Sting and Stewart's appearance, while we are the topic of my husband's mild jealousy over my public declarations. They both looked so awesome. Sting was just poured into black jeans and a t-shirt. He wore Doc Marten boots that they highlighted during "Walking on the Moon" Something about his feet....Oh well we won't go there...Stewart wore a long sleeve shirt (It was reallly hot yesterda) with yelow stripes and tight white pants. Lets not forget the headband, either. Andy also wore long sleeves and he looked a little like he was regretting it during the first ten minutes or so on stage. Did I mention it was hot in there?
Truth Hits Everybody was a pleasant surprise. After all the complaints of slowness, I really thought it worked fine. Yeah it was 10% slower than the album version but at this point in the show, my calves are screaming for me to stop pogoing or at least to slow down, so it wasn't so bad.
Every Little Thing was incredible. The whole stadium was singing along. I was doing the wacky hat switching dance with Graham, though he was mostly standing looking belwildered. Bliss. Total fricking bliss.
Wrapped around your finger was a nice break to apply a cortisone shot to my knees (just kidding, really, I'm not that old) and enjoy Stewart's fantastic, showy standing up drumming. I love his stick twirls and the way he teases the audience with the fact that he might not make it back to his seat in time and then he does and kicks in on the snare and we all go ape$hit for about the two hundredth time.
Bed's too Big was groovy and funky but it wasn't quite cliking along as I'd hoped. Sting's vocals were a little flat or something. I don't know what it was. It was followed by sort of a lackluster De Doo Doo. Sting tried to get the crowd to sing along but they weren't buying it.
Then came Invisible Sun and Walking in Your Footsteps. Apparently these songs haven't been played on the local classic rock station enough because a lot of the audience sat down. I enjoyed a better view of Stewart as he stood up and played the xylophone on footsteps. The water aid images during Invisible Sun didn't bother me as much as the crappy dinosaur animation during WIYF. Somebody left their screensaver on. Yikes. Also, if people are calling this a nostalgia dinosaur tour, probably not the best thing to juxtapose yourselves with dinosaurs. Just my$.02. I love both those songs and was thrilled that they did them. At one point during Invisible Sun, Sting paid a visit to the crowd behind the stage and their was this girl dancing in a very um, "exotic" manner. It was a weird moment. Some earnest frat guy took off his shirt and threw it at Sting. Man that guy has charisma.
Can't Stand Loosing You was the highlight of the night for me. I was back to my freaking out levels of insane pogo nation when Sting started into the "Yo yo" chorus. Now as someone who went to bed every night in high school listening to a dodgy old tape of the synchronicity concert, it was so cool to actually be there with my peeps singing that. When I was in cross country in high school and I was running with my friends I'd sing that and they'd sing back to me even though they didn't even know the Police at all. But there I was with all those people who got it. That was such a special moment and worth the whole cost of admission. Sting in his usual way wasn't quite satisfied and made us sing it a second time through, which was great. He could have gone on all night!
The first curtain call and I grabbed on to my husband, weeping embarassingly and screamed "that was so awesome."
Then they came back and played Roxanne, which was wonderful. The ending is different from the Youtube version I saw. They play a brief up to speed, dead imitation of the album for a couple of choruses and just cut out. It was cool and it had a way of ramping up the energy.
King of Pain was great. One of my alltime favorite songs. I loved that audience was singing the counter melody "that's my soul up there" before the band were. Sting seemed to forget the words a bit. It's "a red fox torn by huntsmen's pack" love, for future reference.
So Lonely was great. Andy played notes that only dogs could hear in his solo. I missed the "lo, lo,lo" chorus of ye old, but instead we got an awesome "Stewart Copeland show." I was happy.
Every Breath You Take is really the Rainy Day Women #12 and 35 of the Police. They are stuck with it forever. Puff Daddy had tainted that song for me, but the Police got it back by some antics during the chorus. Andy was pulling these psycho faces and Steart totally cracked up. It was great. Sting was obliviously off on the other side of the stage doing the rock star thing and they were like in 9th grade. Great.
Next To You, because I knew it was the last song was bitter sweet. It was slowed down about 10% as well, and I would have been up for a last gasp gallop at breakneck speed. But the advantage of slowing it down is that you can actually sing along to it, because the album version is so fast, I never could much after, "I can't stand it for another day."
Well, thanks for bearing with this long review. Don't let the haters and the press get you down. This is an incredible tour. It fulfilled my crazy high expectations and if I can some how some way, manage to get to another show, I will. Sting left the stage saying, "We'll be back!" God I hope it doesn't take them another 21 years.
Yet when Stewart took the stage and hit that giant gong and the first familiar notes of MIAB came on I went ape$hit. I started jumping up and down screaming. I don't think I could even see the stage. I was so excited to finally be there in the same room with the Police. I couldn't believe it.
Message got the crowd at the Excel, which was already on it's feet, pogoing and screaming like nothing I've ever seen. I've seen U2, I've seen Prince in his home court, I've seen a lot of really good bands in clubs, and I've never seen a crowd go bananas quite like that. The girls in the row in front of me (bless them, bless them all) were weeping and clinging to one another. I grabbed on to my husband's arm and started hitting air drum cymbol crashes on his head. It was some out of body stuff, man.
The screens came on (yay we're watching TV) and Synchronicity II brought the adreneline level down a notch. This was good. Had they launched into So Lonely at that point I would have had to have been hauled away, I think. This has never been my favorite song, but back in the day I loved the video with it's post-apocolyptic costumes so I amused myself thinking of that and pinching myself that I was really there. Andy shredded a great solo on that one, and I was happy.
I have a love-hate relationship with those giant flat screens. I love being able to see the band's facial expressions (I had good seats on the floor in the center, but at 36 rows back they are too far away to see faces much) but I feel more like I'm not at a concert when I'm watching those things. Also I missed some part of some cool stuff on stage, such as Sting's crazy froglegs dance ontop of a stack of amps, because I was studying Stewart on the monitor and counting Octobahn hits.
A nice moment during Voices/World is Running Down, the girls in front of me singing along emphatically "I hate the food I eat!" This is what I love about a concert. You are in a room full of a lot of people willing to sing something like that aloud. It's like coming home.
A note about Don't Stand So Close to Me. I must concur with others that this song live just isn't quite up to the album version. Because this was the song that made me a Police fan, I would have been the first in line to complain had they left it out. It was a tad disappointing, but it did start out with some cool Octobahn playing from Stewart. Also at one point in this song, I realized that 40,000 people all said the word Nabokov simultaneously. Only at a Police show.
Driven to Tears was great. One of my favorite moments from Bring on the Night is the performance of that song during rehearsals. I did the silly dance that the guy wearing the Fez did.
Someone in front of us hoists an embarrassing sign asking Sting to take his shirt off. "At least I didn't bring a sign" I said to my husband. (I didn't tell him that if I would have had my druthers I would have brought a flag. ) He looked at me doubtfully, and said, "Is that any better than screaming I love you Sting! I love you Stewart! at the top of your lungs when they came on stage." Um no, I guess not. A note about Sting and Stewart's appearance, while we are the topic of my husband's mild jealousy over my public declarations. They both looked so awesome. Sting was just poured into black jeans and a t-shirt. He wore Doc Marten boots that they highlighted during "Walking on the Moon" Something about his feet....Oh well we won't go there...Stewart wore a long sleeve shirt (It was reallly hot yesterda) with yelow stripes and tight white pants. Lets not forget the headband, either. Andy also wore long sleeves and he looked a little like he was regretting it during the first ten minutes or so on stage. Did I mention it was hot in there?
Truth Hits Everybody was a pleasant surprise. After all the complaints of slowness, I really thought it worked fine. Yeah it was 10% slower than the album version but at this point in the show, my calves are screaming for me to stop pogoing or at least to slow down, so it wasn't so bad.
Every Little Thing was incredible. The whole stadium was singing along. I was doing the wacky hat switching dance with Graham, though he was mostly standing looking belwildered. Bliss. Total fricking bliss.
Wrapped around your finger was a nice break to apply a cortisone shot to my knees (just kidding, really, I'm not that old) and enjoy Stewart's fantastic, showy standing up drumming. I love his stick twirls and the way he teases the audience with the fact that he might not make it back to his seat in time and then he does and kicks in on the snare and we all go ape$hit for about the two hundredth time.
Bed's too Big was groovy and funky but it wasn't quite cliking along as I'd hoped. Sting's vocals were a little flat or something. I don't know what it was. It was followed by sort of a lackluster De Doo Doo. Sting tried to get the crowd to sing along but they weren't buying it.
Then came Invisible Sun and Walking in Your Footsteps. Apparently these songs haven't been played on the local classic rock station enough because a lot of the audience sat down. I enjoyed a better view of Stewart as he stood up and played the xylophone on footsteps. The water aid images during Invisible Sun didn't bother me as much as the crappy dinosaur animation during WIYF. Somebody left their screensaver on. Yikes. Also, if people are calling this a nostalgia dinosaur tour, probably not the best thing to juxtapose yourselves with dinosaurs. Just my$.02. I love both those songs and was thrilled that they did them. At one point during Invisible Sun, Sting paid a visit to the crowd behind the stage and their was this girl dancing in a very um, "exotic" manner. It was a weird moment. Some earnest frat guy took off his shirt and threw it at Sting. Man that guy has charisma.
Can't Stand Loosing You was the highlight of the night for me. I was back to my freaking out levels of insane pogo nation when Sting started into the "Yo yo" chorus. Now as someone who went to bed every night in high school listening to a dodgy old tape of the synchronicity concert, it was so cool to actually be there with my peeps singing that. When I was in cross country in high school and I was running with my friends I'd sing that and they'd sing back to me even though they didn't even know the Police at all. But there I was with all those people who got it. That was such a special moment and worth the whole cost of admission. Sting in his usual way wasn't quite satisfied and made us sing it a second time through, which was great. He could have gone on all night!
The first curtain call and I grabbed on to my husband, weeping embarassingly and screamed "that was so awesome."
Then they came back and played Roxanne, which was wonderful. The ending is different from the Youtube version I saw. They play a brief up to speed, dead imitation of the album for a couple of choruses and just cut out. It was cool and it had a way of ramping up the energy.
King of Pain was great. One of my alltime favorite songs. I loved that audience was singing the counter melody "that's my soul up there" before the band were. Sting seemed to forget the words a bit. It's "a red fox torn by huntsmen's pack" love, for future reference.
So Lonely was great. Andy played notes that only dogs could hear in his solo. I missed the "lo, lo,lo" chorus of ye old, but instead we got an awesome "Stewart Copeland show." I was happy.
Every Breath You Take is really the Rainy Day Women #12 and 35 of the Police. They are stuck with it forever. Puff Daddy had tainted that song for me, but the Police got it back by some antics during the chorus. Andy was pulling these psycho faces and Steart totally cracked up. It was great. Sting was obliviously off on the other side of the stage doing the rock star thing and they were like in 9th grade. Great.
Next To You, because I knew it was the last song was bitter sweet. It was slowed down about 10% as well, and I would have been up for a last gasp gallop at breakneck speed. But the advantage of slowing it down is that you can actually sing along to it, because the album version is so fast, I never could much after, "I can't stand it for another day."
Well, thanks for bearing with this long review. Don't let the haters and the press get you down. This is an incredible tour. It fulfilled my crazy high expectations and if I can some how some way, manage to get to another show, I will. Sting left the stage saying, "We'll be back!" God I hope it doesn't take them another 21 years.
Thanks to Sockii (you rockii) for awesome Avatar photo!
-
Jennythenipper - Posts: 549
- Joined: 05 Jan 2007 18:09
by Hannaha on 04 Jul 2007 20:18
Aw thanks Jenny - great review. I could totally relate to a lot of your reactions - I imagine I will be the same when my time finally comes in september. It'll be hystrionics interspersed with shamed embarrassment and periods of weeping...
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Hannaha - Posts: 1567
- Joined: 17 Nov 2006 10:29
- Location: London
by BongoBoy on 04 Jul 2007 20:30
Thank you, very well done.
I am hoping when I am there I do NOT have a Ned Flanders moment and let out a shrill "EEEEEEEeeeee".
not a good vibe for a grown man.
Hey look Stewart hitting the splash cymbal "EEEEEEEEeeeeee"
(Maybe not so shrill...maybe a big hairy macho "HELLL YEAAAAA")
Cheers.
I am hoping when I am there I do NOT have a Ned Flanders moment and let out a shrill "EEEEEEEeeeee".
not a good vibe for a grown man.
Hey look Stewart hitting the splash cymbal "EEEEEEEEeeeeee"
(Maybe not so shrill...maybe a big hairy macho "HELLL YEAAAAA")
Cheers.
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BongoBoy - Posts: 2668
- Joined: 13 Jun 2005 14:15
- Location: Toronto, Canada
by DirtyMartini on 04 Jul 2007 20:40
Thanks for the report, Jenny!
[quote]The water aid images during Invisible Sun didn't bother me as much as the crappy dinosaur animation during WIYF. Somebody left their screensaver on. Yikes. Also, if people are calling this a nostalgia dinosaur tour, probably not the best thing to juxtapose yourselves with dinosaurs. Just my$.02. [/quote]
Oh, gods yes! The dinosaur bones on the scrim thing had been pretty cool -- but the bones-over-band on the screens is just all wrong. I am so with you on that.
Bongo, you are totally going to Flanders your way through the night. Just embrace it.
[quote]The water aid images during Invisible Sun didn't bother me as much as the crappy dinosaur animation during WIYF. Somebody left their screensaver on. Yikes. Also, if people are calling this a nostalgia dinosaur tour, probably not the best thing to juxtapose yourselves with dinosaurs. Just my$.02. [/quote]
Oh, gods yes! The dinosaur bones on the scrim thing had been pretty cool -- but the bones-over-band on the screens is just all wrong. I am so with you on that.
Bongo, you are totally going to Flanders your way through the night. Just embrace it.
Dramatic highlights & a unique musical cosmos. Guaranteed.
-
DirtyMartini - Posts: 9622
- Joined: 03 Mar 2007 18:38
- Location: Around.
by DirtyMartini on 04 Jul 2007 21:37
I was prepared to say that phaty's heart is IN his bowels, but after this:
http://www.stewartcopeland.net/forum/vi ... ght=#33572
I just can't do it.
http://www.stewartcopeland.net/forum/vi ... ght=#33572
I just can't do it.
Dramatic highlights & a unique musical cosmos. Guaranteed.
-
DirtyMartini - Posts: 9622
- Joined: 03 Mar 2007 18:38
- Location: Around.
by phaty on 04 Jul 2007 21:41
[quote="DirtyMartini"]I was prepared to say that phaty's heart is IN his bowels, but after this:
http://www.stewartcopeland.net/forum/vi ... ght=#33572
I just can't do it.[/quote]
So now you don't fear me anymore ... ???
http://www.stewartcopeland.net/forum/vi ... ght=#33572
I just can't do it.[/quote]
So now you don't fear me anymore ... ???
- phaty
by DirtyMartini on 04 Jul 2007 21:43
Oh, no -- never feared.
Disgusted maybe. Mildly nauseated perhaps. But never feared.
Disgusted maybe. Mildly nauseated perhaps. But never feared.
Dramatic highlights & a unique musical cosmos. Guaranteed.
-
DirtyMartini - Posts: 9622
- Joined: 03 Mar 2007 18:38
- Location: Around.
by English-lion on 04 Jul 2007 21:49
I enjoyed reading your post I too will manage a way to get to another show!!!!
phaty: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
phaty: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
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English-lion - Posts: 2782
- Joined: 04 Jun 2007 04:33
- Location: Montreal
by nancyrose on 04 Jul 2007 21:51
Wow, Jenny!! Thank you! I concur with Phaty...you brought us right along with you!
When I saw the show in Phoenix, I was with a friend who had seen them several times back in the day, and she shared your feelings of apprehension and fear of being disappointed. About half-way through MIAB I turned to look at her after she grabbed my arm...she had tears pouring down her face and I KNEW her misgivings had completely dissolved. I got the same goosebumps reading your review as I did that night!
I'm thrilled you had such a great time!
When I saw the show in Phoenix, I was with a friend who had seen them several times back in the day, and she shared your feelings of apprehension and fear of being disappointed. About half-way through MIAB I turned to look at her after she grabbed my arm...she had tears pouring down her face and I KNEW her misgivings had completely dissolved. I got the same goosebumps reading your review as I did that night!
I'm thrilled you had such a great time!
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nancyrose - Posts: 1921
- Joined: 13 Feb 2007 13:29
- Location: dreaming up schemes
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