STING
STING
May 5, 2005 @ Agganis Arena, Boston MA
Strutting out in an Armani suit behind purple hazy lights, Sting waved
to the packed house, excited to be back in Boston. He told the crowd
that they seemed a little different than in years past. After a slight
lull, he mentioned that the fans seemed a little more confident, and
that it must be because the Red Sox won the World Series. Suburban
housewives screamed like teenage groupies, couples embraced, and the
band was ready to rock the recently built Boston University hockey
arena. The spotlight gleamed off his blonde hair and the body of guitar
as he opened with a high-energy version of Message in a Bottle. His
meaningful lyrics and quirky dancing melted every woman into her chair.
The minimalist stage production of the Broken Music Tour keeps the focus
on the music, with no fancy projection screens, canned video, or special
effects. The four piece band included singer/bassist Sting on stage,
guitarist and longtime band mate Dominic Miller, guitarist Shane
Fontayne (Lone Justice, Bruce Springsteen) and drummer Josh Freese (A
Perfect Circle). With over 20 years of music to select, the band
sprinkled in some recent hits along with most of their old ones such as
Roxanne and Synchronicity.. Sting acknowledged The Beatles for paving
the way for his career and “giving him the confidence to write and play
music.” Afterwards, he performed “A Day in the Life,” which highlighted
the drummer’s talent. After two hours and three encores later, the
former English teacher and crew gracefully ended the show with Every
Breath you Take, leaving fans fulfilled. In the end, it is reassuring to
see a celebrity artist captivate the audience with raw music
instead of cheap special effects.
-Pratik R. Patel
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