Detroit- July 17 show: tension between Stu & Sting

[wgtomlinson]

Great concert, much more rocking & intense than expected.
tension is the key here and its all good// more to the point: did anyone else notice?

The Free Press reviewer said, "Oftentimes that involved them doing their own thing during the 1-hour, 50-minute show, but when they interacted with one another, that's when the sparks flew."

My words-
About an hour into concert, Sting turned & stared down Stu (maybe he sped up or miss-timed a beat). Just after this Stewart looked pissed. Ok, I sound weird over analyzing but I said to my wife, "Stewart looks annoyed". She sort of agreed and the group went into another song. Within 5 mins at the very end of "Wrapped Around Your Finger" Stewart hit a 6 time bang, bang bang. Upon hearing this, Sting turned around with hands on his hips and stared at Stu. I took this as Stewart's way of saying the F bomb. Then my wife said I see what you mean. I've viewed "Wrapped.. on youtube from this yrs tour and have never seen that drum plus with a turn around from Sting.

Its all great stuff, but I tell ya I'm gonna see these guys again in the Fall to catch this epic performance. These guys will never tour again after what I saw Tuesday night!!!

[Kalypso]

I wonder if they are "hamming it up for the camera", as they get a lot of press coverage about their tensions on and offstage, or if Stew's hands are just doing their...OOOPs thing....

I am sure somebody WILL put this on You Tube.

[Hannaha]

I don't think it's worth worrying about - it's all part of playing in a band.

[Kalypso]

Yess... We were talking about The Who before....Now, what happens between Stingo and Stu is nothing compared to what happened THERE..

[Three over Four]

True Kal, and let's remember that Stewart has been saying that more than anything he wants to make sure that he Stingo and Andy are friends after this tour is over.....my vote is for ham. The other, other white meat. It's what's for dinner. Jeez...speaking of hammin'...

[wgtomlinson]

The Who, Police & Beetles all had their share of creative tensions. I'm just saying it was incredible, "wow, that's how they really are in person" sort of experience to see their on stage rapport.

[phaty]

You read that all wrong Sting was just pissed of because Stewart - again! - lost the cap of the toothpaste tube ... you know the stuff married couples fight about ... no biggy ...

[neonhunter]

It would really suck if all this euphoria dissolved in bitterness. But....they're the ones with the baggage. Read that article by Vic Garbarini--Hannaha has the link. It's extremely revealing about the band dynamics. I'm sure these guys are revisiting some familiar territory, for better AND for worse!

[conroy]

I don't lnow about Detroit, but they all seemed to be having a good time last night in Philly! This is the most relaxed show I have seen them so far.

[ShiatsuGirl]

With all that amazing pressure to perform flawlessly, I wouldn't doubt there would be some miss timings or off beats/sped up/slowed down, lousy notes SOMEwhere. I mean, they're human, not robots, and we wouldn't want them any other way, but the pressure they're probably placing on themselves has got to be intense. They've got all these people to live up to...that's a LOT of pressure.

As for reading into people's reactions, I didn't see the footage, so I can't really comment, but I'd imagine the press has driven the 'tension' hype to a frenzy.

[policerule]

i'm with you conroy - i didn't notice any tension last night. it looked like they were having a great time.

i'm still a little pissed at the rolling stone cover "a fragile truce". still bugs the crap out of me when i look at it.

now that you mention this, i remember this dude talking to me last night and telling me that sting and stewart are at "it" again and that he knows people who are close enough to the band to know. i told him to shut it and walked away. i can't even listen to that crap. who is this person and if he knows so much, why is he out here talking me little ole me? i am ignoring all the rumors and not reading in to anything.

i'm sure they are fine. like some of you said, it's all part of being in a band.

[racerxjj67]

I didn't notice that at all and wouldn't read anything into it.

Stew had some much intense concentration on his face he was way to focused to be bothered with any minor inconvenience. Looked like they were having a grand ole time to me. It was brotherly love.

[tonydrums]

I'm sick and tired of all the "fragile truce", "simmering tensions", and all the other bullshit angles that these journalists "wish" were true. Rolling Stone is a colossal pile of shit in my book. They go from having The Police on the cover to Justin Timbergarbage the next month. That magazine stopped being relevant in 1980. Once MTV went soft, so did they.
When Sting walks out on stage sporting a shiner courtesy of a Copeland roundhouse, then I'll beleive the "fragile truce" has been broken.

The MOJO article got it right. They touch on all the old in-group tension and focused on the fact that they are happy and making music again. I've read MOJO for years. That's a magazine that RS wishes it was.

[neonhunter]

Good one, TonyDrums. Even if they go at it once in a while, it doesn't seem likely that they'd place their own musical perfectionism ahead of the love they're getting from just about everyone. I think "Rolling Stone" was working too hard at being clever, working the title of a Sting tune into their pithy headline. I'm now officially ignoring the "friction" reports, and concentrating on the rapturous accounts I'm reading FROM EVERY CITY ON THE TOUR!!.......

[wgtomlinson]

THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COPELANDITES!!! I STARTED THIS POST AND APPRECIATE THE OPENED MINDED DISCUSSION. IF I WAS OVER AT STINGUS WITH THAT POST THEY'D OF RIPPED ME A NEW ONE. TRUST ME.

ANYWAYS/// COPELAND, HIS FANS, HIS TALENT IS THE BEST.

By the way, I've enjoyed the Police tension notion. If there was none there in Detroit maybe in my own head I like to see them arguing like blood brothers. Have a great remaining summer, folks>>>>>>>>>>