Once again, allow me to edit: ...Of course it was the Police numbers that the audience responded to most... ...the momentum was stunted by the mid-set lull -- that self-indulgent section of the program when artists force-feed their audience with ill-suited new material... ...the dreadful one-two punch of 'Whenever I Say Your Name' and 'Sacred Love,' which stank up the air with such ferocity that even the happily buzzing mosquitoes circling through the night were murdered by its dull and stagnant air. You had to wonder if some of the audience might have been felled as well, the best seated of whom shelled out a cool $100 per for the privilege... --- StingUs <frotri@panafonet.gr> wrote:
Sting, Lennox fill Mohegan Sun with love Former Eurythmics singer outshines former Police frontman
By DAVID PENCEK Norwich Bulletin
Sting certainly shared the love Monday when his "Sacred Love" tour hit the Mohegan Sun Arena. He began the night singing a duet with opening act Dominic Miller, who happens to play guitar in his band. He then introduced co-headliner Annie Lennox, who put on a powerful one-hour performance. Oh yeah, then it was time for Sting to cap the evening with a one-hour, 40-minute set that was solid, yet not spectacular. The problem for Sting may have been that he followed Lennox. The former Eurythmics leading lady gave little room for anyone to top. Her flawless set included most of her solo hits and a few chart toppers from her days with Dave Stewart as the Eurythmics. Sting likewise had a set that featured mostly his solo work but he managed to pepper the night with a few Police numbers. Lennox joined Sting on stage during his set for a duet of his single "We'll Be Together." Sting had another duet with one of his backup singers during "Whenever I Say Your Name." The singer was more than capable of stepping in for Mary J. Blige, who sang the duet part on Sting's "Sacred Love" album. Sting's set dragged during a few moments, most notably during the band's rendition of "Roxanne." The performance of the Police hit was strong, but Sting strung it out a few minutes too long. Of course it was the Police numbers that the audience responded to most, especially a wonderfully juiced up version of "Every Breath You Take" during the encore. A few of Sting's solo numbers also carried the night. "Desert Rose" and "If I Ever Lose My Faith In You" were among the highlights and came during the encore. Vocally, Sting sounded as good as ever. His voice has the right touch of raspiness and sensitivity that sets him apart. When you're talking vocals, it would be difficult to beat out Lennox - at least on Monday. With many of her songs dealing with heartache and pain, Lennox's voice doesn't tug at your heartstrings as much as soothe your heart. It's a unique ability to feel so much pain coming from a voice yet sense hope and draw inspiration from that same voice. Lennox pulled it off amazingly. Lennox actually sang just two singles from her latest CD, "Bare." Most of her numbers came from her first two solo albums and her hits with the Eurythmics. It included a beautiful rendition of "Here Comes The Rain Again," where Lennox performed it while playing piano. Lennox may be known for those dramatic ballads like "Why" and "No More 'I Love You's'," she also proved she can pump up a crowd with "Walking On Broken Glass" and two Eurythmic numbers, "Missionary Man" and "I Need A Man." Sans Dave Stewart for the better part of the past 16 years, Lennox obviously has proven she doesn't need a man. In fact, on this night, she proved better than the men who performed. Miller did set an intimate tone for the evening with his opening 15-minute acoustic performance. The brief set included a beautifully arranged rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner." It ended with Sting coming on stage and singing "Shape of My Heart." Miller called Sting a surrogate brother and dedicated the song to him. Annie Lennox's set list: "Legend In My Living Room;" "Little Bird;" "No More 'I Love You's';" "Pavement Cracks;" "Loneliness;" "Cold;" "Here Comes The Rain Again;" "Waiting In Vain;" "Walking On Broken Glass;" "Missionary Man;" "I Need A Man;" "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This);" "Why." Sting's set list: "Send Your Love;" "Synchronicity II;" "We'll Be Together;" "Seven Days;" "Dead Man's Rope;" "This War;" "Fragile;" "Whenever I Say Your Name;" "Sacred Love;" "An Englishman In New York;" "Roxanne;" "Never Coming Home;" "Desert Rose;" "If I Ever Lose My Faith In You;" "Every Breath You Take;" "A Thousand Years."
--- Lennox sizzles as Sting fizzles on Fourth of July at SPAC
THOMAS DIMOPOULOS , The Saratogian 07/06/2004
SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Sting ruled center stage with a kingly air of royalty Sunday night. He dressed in a sleek black suit accented by white collar and cuffs, and looked every bit the English country gentleman dressed for a special occasion.
He waved his bass like a scepter over the heads of the faithful who flocked to the Saratoga Performing Arts Center on the Fourth of July. The irony that he stood a few miles down the road from the battlefields of the American Revolution was not lost on the 52-year-old performer.
'Independence Day is a tough day to be English,' he joked. 'We used to own this place: New York, Albany, Sche-nec-ta-dy,' he announced, then compared the feeling of being English on American Independence Day to being a Red Sox fan at the World Series. A number of the flock did not laugh.
It has been 20 years since the breakup of The Police, the reggae-fused power trio Sting rode across the English Channel of the musical New Wave. And these days, there seems to be a more bourgeois pomposity in his tone. It is not an air with which the Spa City is unfamiliar.
Sting alternated between bass and acoustic guitar, fronting a seven-member band that included multiple keyboards and percussionists. The set played for 90 minutes, nearly half of which was culled from his recent 'Sacred Love,' and included a mixed bag of tunes from his solo career as well as a smattering of tones dating back to his days with The Police.
He wove memorable performances, playing acoustic guitar on the song 'Fragile,' and delivered a snappy version of 'Englishman in New York.' Three tunes into the set, the crowd was brought to its feet when he was joined by Annie Lennox for the song 'We'll Be Together,' as Sting played the country gentleman to Lennox's energetic shimmy and shake.
Lennox performed amiably earlier in the evening. An entertaining performer who is comfortable on the stage, her set was highlighted by the piano-driven ballad 'Here Comes the Rain Again' and a jazzed-up version of Bob Marley's 'Waiting in Vain.'
A commanding presence in spangle-trimmed blue jeans that clung to her thin frame, Lennox belted out the pop tune 'Walking on Broken Glass,' and donned a black vinyl Elvis-like motorcycle jacket to deliver a gritty 'Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This).'
Of Sting's newest material, 'Dead Man's Rope' worked nicely, the singer strumming what he introduced as 'the smallest guitar in New York state' while framed by multiple video images of nature gardens and full moons, swaying trees, solar eclipses and surreal underwater villages inhabited by topless vixens.
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