February 2008 - Police - mailman.xmission.com

Honolulu - Feb 16th
by Matthew Giller 17 Feb '08

17 Feb '08

Hello All, It is the morning after the Police performance in Honolulu. I spent last June traveling around California to catch their four shows. Though I struggled at times to enjoy some of the newer arrangements of songs, I found myself having a great time by the end of the Dodger Stadium show. We had yet to use our fan club code at this point. We were saving it for a possible trip to Mexico City, which didn't work out. When the show in Hawaii was announced, we immediately jumped at the chance to attend the show. I must say that I am extremely happy to have waited for that chance to use that code. Last night's show rocked! It equaled their performance I was lucky enough to attend on the Synchronicity Tour. I knew it would take time for Sting, Stewart, and Andy to gel into a cohesive unit. I just didn't think they would be able to equal musicianship and energy they possessed back in 1983/1984. Most exciting to see was the performance of Andy. Gone are the questioned and frustrated facial expressions Andy displayed early on in the tour. These expressions have been replaced with genuine smiles of enjoyment and happiness. He has progressed musically with the songs from the set list to the point of minor improvisations. His contributions to the songs just flat out rocked. In the years since the demise of the Police that I have seen Andy performed, he has never been better. Sting and Stewart were Sting and Stewart, minus the baggage that plagued this group for many years. Sting's singing and bass playing were superb. Stewart beat the hell out of his drum kit. I haven't paid too much attention to the set list since June, other than knowing they have played the same one since the beginning of the tour, dropping a few songs here and there. So, the addition of "Hole in My Life" was the highlight of the show for me. And it sounded as if it had been played since the beginning of the tour. Add in the energy of the crowd and the unexpected pleasantness of the venue, the concert was one of the best I have ever attended. To date, I have easily spent $900 for tickets to five shows on the tour. I will most definitely spend more to attend additional shows this summer. Those sitting on the fence about spending more money to attend shows this summer should find a way to make it happen. I am quite sure you will not be disappointed. I appreciate the opportunity to share my thoughts with you. Matt Giller

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3. RE: Live In Paris ??
by LiSting Admin 14 Feb '08

14 Feb '08

No Seb That date, Bruce Springsteen will perform in Stade des Princes... It's a fake. Hope it's a mistake and that Bercy is the right place!!! Bye Seb http://listing.free.fr

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Re: Police Digest, Vol 59, Issue 10
by Angeline Adams 14 Feb '08

14 Feb '08

Yeah; the history of Police rumours being what it is, they might have done better not to say anything about new songs etc. until they were sure they'd be playing them - let alone a new album. Honestly, I'm not complaining that the tour happened - if it did one fine thing, it was to make the fans equal. Before there was the generation who'd seen the band live and the generation who hadn't, and now we've all had that chance. :) It's just... what Marisa said. People do get disappointed when "new album" gets waved about... Angeline Message: 5 > Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2008 12:21:03 -0800 (PST) > From: Marisa M <stingetc4u(a)yahoo.com> > Subject: Re: [Police] The Police: boo! > To: police(a)mailman.xmission.com > Message-ID: <286341.50778.qm(a)web56215.mail.re3.yahoo.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > > I don't have a problem with the excellent show that I saw. Where my > disappointment lies is that I feel that they led us on. They kept hinting > at "new music, new album", and that's where I have a problem. I wish they > had been upfront from the beginning, admitting that there was no intention > to make new music at this point in time. I would feel a lot less > disappointed right now if that had been the case. Hence, my next thought: > what really WAS the motivation behind the tour? Was it REALLY for us fans? > If it was, then why won't they write new music FOR US FANS? > > For what it's worth... > > - Marisa >

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No Elvis in Europe
by Mikkel Z. Herold 14 Feb '08

14 Feb '08

*sigh* Yesterday's news that the third leg of the tour "/begins May 1 in Ottawa, continues through a number of cities they haven't already gotten to in the U.S. through the month, takes off for Europe in June and then returns to the U.S. for all of July/" and that "/Elvis Costello is going to open every show with his group, The Imposters/" has now turned into "/Elvis Costello and The Imposters will join The Police for the North American portion of this year's tour/" So, no Elvis for us Europeans - and I think I will find something else to do with my $150+. Mikkel -- "At first just a rustle of canvas And the gentlest breath on my face But a galloping line of white horses Said that soon we were in for a race" Sting - The Wild Wild Sea www.mzh.dk

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(no subject)
by Steve Agovino 14 Feb '08

14 Feb '08

> If The Police are so eager to cash in, why haven't they released all the > unreleased material in the vaults? Because the Police do not control the master recordings - A&M Records does. It's up to A&M's product management people as to whether they can and want to make that sort of investment in (and have the budget for such) new product. Then comes all the other fun stuff involved - legal/BA, licensing, manufacturing, etc. Believe me, I'd buy it in a heartbeat - it would be nice to have remastered B-sides that only exist in my collection on vinyl (and adequate digital transfers). But it still all boils down to basic economics - supply & demand, capital, expected returns, etc. One reason why the Killers have gotten my respect (and cash) in recent times. They convinced their label reps at Universal to release a CD of B-sides and rarities ("Sawdust"), dedicated to "our fans" as written in the inside liner notes. > but it just seems like it would be easy for them to > releasing the current tour shows to fans for $10-$15 each Genesis recently did this with both their entire European and North American legs of the tour, for about $25 per show. The best souvenir from attending a band's live show, in my opinion. I think I have recordings of every DMB show I've been to. And unlike rarities compilations, this one is in the hands of the band (and their tour management). The Police shows are being recorded (for what exactly, though, I'm not sure). My friend was stationed next to the soundboard at one of our MSG shows last August, and he watched the board guys transfer the DAT recordings onto CD-R. Back to lurking for another several years... Steve

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Jones Beach and Salt Lake City!?!
by Pete Ashdown 14 Feb '08

14 Feb '08

I just found out that the tour is stopping in my home town of Salt Lake City. This after I traveled to Vancouver, Denver, and Los Angeles to see them. Ah well, I enjoyed those shows too! The final show in Jones Beach is a bit of "synchronicity" for me. I first saw Sting on the DoBT tour in Park City in 1985. Stewart played during the encore for that show. Later, I went to visit my brother in New York City and found out that Sting was playing again in Jones Beach while I was there. For some reason I was inspired to take the back stage pass I snagged in Park City to NYC. I didn't have a ticket to the show and I only had train fair for a round trip. In the end I managed to get to Jones Beach and back by hitch-hiking and I snagged a ticket from a guy for $10 because he was selling it for his sister. I saw the show, put on my pass, then headed backstage, only to be caught by a guard who did a double-take on me when he noticed that the color of my pass was the wrong color for the night! I spent about an hour wandering through the Long Island night waiting for a ride back to the train station, but it made for some good memories.

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Citibank: Exclusive Access: The Police
by Doreliz Gonzalez 14 Feb '08

14 Feb '08

Hi guys, I'm another one of those members that mostly reads your e-mail discussions because I don't have a lot of time to write! But I thought I would take the time to share this one. I got an e-mail from my Citibank credit card....it was a newsletter type e-mail and it has presale access information for Citibank card holders. I don't know if any of you fall into this category but figured I would share just in case. The Cities and performance dates are listed below. Happy Valentine's Day! Doreliz Here is what my e-mail said: THE POLICE With very special guest: ELVIS COSTELLO & THE IMPOSTERS Get access to tickets first with your Citi credit card! Exclusive presale for Citi cardmembers only begins Monday, February 18th 10am and ends on February 22nd at 3pm local time.1 In 2007, The Police thrilled millions of fans around the globe. The much heralded tour has sold over 2.5 million tickets and awarded The Police numerous accolades including: Major Tour of The Year (Pollstar), as well as "Tour of the Year" and "Top Selling Tour of 2007" (Billboard Magazine). The Police will return to North America this summer to play their final area appearances in a number of arenas and amphitheaters, including many markets where they did not perform in 2007. For more information about the presale for Citi cardmembers only, please go to: www.privatepass.citi.com For complete tour and ticket information, visit: www.thepolice.com Produced by Live Nation Global Touring and RZO Entertainment, Inc. . DateCityVenuePresale start date May 3BuffaloHSBC ArenaPresale begins February 18th May 4ColumbusNationwide ArenaPresale begins February 18th May 10ChicagoAllstate ArenaPresale begins February 18th May 13Kansas CitySprint CenterPresale begins February 18th May 14OmahaQwest CenterPresale begins February 18th May 16OrlandoAmway CenterPresale begins February 18th May 17W. Palm BeachCruzan AmphitheatrePresale begins February 18th May 20HoustonCynthia Woods Mitchell PavilionPresale begins February 18th May 21DallasSuperpages.com CenterPresale begins February 18th May 23Las VegasMGM Grand Hotel & ArenaPresale begins February 18th May 24PhoenixCricket Wireless PavilionPresale begins February 18th May 26San DiegoCoors AmphitheatrePresale begins February 18th May 27Los AngelesThe Hollywood BowlPresale begins February 18th Jul 11PortlandClark County AmphitheatrePresale begins February 18th Jul 12SeattleThe GorgePresale begins February 18th Jul 14San FranciscoShoreline AmphitheatrePresale begins February 18th Jul 16ConcordSleep Train PavilionPresale begins February 18th Jul 17SacramentoSleep Train AmphitheatrePresale begins February 18th Jul 19Salt Lake CityUSANA AmphitheatrePresale begins February 18th Jul 21DenverRed Rocks AmphitheatrePresale begins February 18th Jul 25MilwaukeeMarcus AmphitheaterPresale begins February 18th Jul 26DetroitDTE Energyy CenterPresale begins February 18th Jul 28PittsburghPost Gazette PavilionPresale begins February 18th Jul 31BostonTweeter CenterPresale begins February 18th Aug 1SaratogaSaratoga Performing Arts CenterPresale begins February 18th Aug 3HolmdelPNC Bank Arts CenterPresale begins February 18th Aug 4WantaghNikon at Jones BeachPresale begins February 18th ____________________________________________________________________________________ Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your home page. http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs

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Re: Police Digest, Vol 59, Issue 14
by Angeline Adams 14 Feb '08

14 Feb '08

Quoting David: "That's the thing I don't get: If The Police are so eager to cash in, why haven't they released all the unreleased material in the vaults? Sure they can spread the releases out to pad their retirement, but it just seems like it would be easy for them to cash in on things like releasing bootlegs on the cheap (I'd buy digital shows at $5 a pop!), releasing the current tour shows to fans for $10-$15 each, or who knows what. I don't know why, but it makes me feel like they're on auto pilot instead of actually doing the tour for the fans... meh." Yeah... I'm always puzzled about that. And if the Nirvana copyright holders can put aside their differences to release the demos and whatnot for that band, it's hard to see why the Police, in this new spirit of cooperation would have any trouble. I do wonder if it has to do with Sting's perfectionism - I can only imagine that he's reluctant to put out stuff that's half-done or was rejected from album tracklistings in the first place. But since we all know that there were more complex reasons than quality alone for some songs not appearing on albums, it's hard to see the harm it would do. We're talking about a band whose b-sides are often of very high quality, which is quite uncommon. Bands like Oasis have successfully released b-side albums. Maybe it's again about Sting not wanting to revisit the past to that degree, or fear that if an album of his got mixed reviews like Sacred Love, there could be unhappy comparisons made between Police and solo material, but I don't think it'd take too much attention from his solo work if releases were planned judiciously not to coincide. Also, I heard from a friend who's in the REM fanclub that they tolerate their fans recording concerts providing that they receive a fan recording from every show; they've always kept records of all their shows. Seems like a sensible attitude to take... the one thing missing from official treatment of the Police's musical canon is an understanding that fans want to keep and listen to everything. The only time that interest is really acknowledged is when stuff like Stewart putting some derangements online (or however those got into our hands) happens. Didn't he try to release them and get blocked or something? Angeline

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RE: [Police] Re: Police Digest, Vol 59, Issue 10
by Ross Viner 14 Feb '08

14 Feb '08

Wasn't Brand New Day his best selling album? I think the reason for the tours success is nostalgia. I really don't think a new album would be all that big. In fact I think it would do worse than most popular bands today. The demographic for the band is older, and most don't even bother buying many CD's anymore. We (myself included) are the exception. Don't get me wrong, I WANT a new album and no matter what I would give it more of a chance than most CD's therefore end up Loving it no matter what (grow in me) but I just don't see a new album selling like hot cakes. -----Original Message----- From: Mitch Darby [mailto:mitch@harashick.com] Sent: February 13, 2008 4:19 PM To: 'Ross Viner' Subject: RE: [Police] Re: Police Digest, Vol 59, Issue 10 Ross wrote: If the Police flop with a new album (by today's standards), it would be embarrassing. Hard to imagine. I think a new Police album could (and would) sell at least as well as String's BRAND NEW DAY. A greatest hits tour was a sure thing, financially. And marketing it as a "their last goodbye" (if indeed that is what Thursday's special announcement includes), helps to fill stadiums (even at the high ticket prices). I have to admit, if it is the final leg of all time, I'm tempted to go through with my original plan to see them in Italy. If nothing else, I can get a fine vacation out of it! Mitch

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New Album etc.
by Chris Ryan 14 Feb '08

14 Feb '08

I've been lurking here for a year, and was on the list for a few years in the early 1990s. A few thoughts: It was fun to see the band play together again (I saw them in Vancouver). However, without new material it really was a one-off event for me, and I can't say that I've really thought or listened to the band much more since than in the years before. I'm not one of those fans who obsessively listens to "classic rock," be in The Police or any other band from when I was young. I'm almost certainly atypical in this respect, for my age group. I think there's a lot of great new music out there; it's just a bit more difficult to find it now (try pitchforkmedia.com) Despite Copeland's subsequent comments, I thought the band was better rehearsed than when I saw them (also in Vancouver) in August of 1983. But there was a different excitement in the air back then; they had a number on album. The commercial success of a new Police album would, I believe, depend largely on whether it had any hits. I think a lot of people forget that the band wasn't particularly "hip" during their initial run: they sold incredibly well but a rock aficionado would probably not admit to listening to them. Their strength seemed to be in transcending this to dominate the airwaves like more fashionable (from a "serious rock fan" perspective) contemporaries from The Clash to Talking Heads didn't to the same extent. They'd have to do so again with some irresistible recordings with a modern twist. I haven't seen sales figures for Sting's later albums; one could probably track this down on the web. However, I remember seeing something like this at one point: DOTBT: 4 million NLTS: 7 million Soul Cages: 2 million My perception in '93 was that "Ten Summoner's Tales" sold better than "Soul Cages." After that, I would not be surprised to find that sales dropped off dramatically, though I did hear that "Brand New Day" was something of a recovery. I would be shocked and amazed if that album, which was the first Sting CD I really couldn't listen to, and the last I bought, got anywhere near even the sales figures for DOTBT. Chris

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