Sorry it's taken me so long to post, but things are as crazy as they were before the concert, but I'm making myself sit down to write this!
I can only add an enthusiastic ditto to Will's review! And while I don't have any incredible close encounters to report (Sorry, Ross!) I have to say that it was more exciting and more impressive than I ever thought it would be.
This was the fifth time I've seen Sting in person, third time at Hershey, and of all the concerts, this one was his best performance by far. He still had the hot drink and the throat spray available to him onstage, but he didn't sip the tea, and he only used the throat spray at the beginning of the second encore. His voice was just amazing: strong, clear, spot on. And he's still very easy on the eyes! ;-) In fact, he kept coming over to my side of the stage ( I was row 13, floor, practically in front of Andy, maybe 3 seats to his left), and he would make a funny face and wiggle his hips. I didn't mind.
Stew and Andy were my pleasant surprises of the evening. Stew looked like a man who was ready to run a marathon when he came bounding onto the stage, and as the night went on, he looked like a man running a marathon: panting, straining, and working very, very hard. Which is not to say that his performance wasn't incredible! He played everything with skill and virtuosity, and, when he wasn't trying to catch his breath, joy! I know he was a smoker at one time, is he still? He'd better quit if he is - he looked like he needed oxygen!
Andy cracked me up! I didn't know his guitar strap said, "Oh, no, they've killed Kenny!" with a picture of Kenny from South Park right below the logo! He looked really happy, and he played and sang and danced right along with the two "junior" members of the band - to be honest, he looked better than Stew, although it could be just the intensity and physicality of playing the drums that fast, that long, and that hard, takes a lot more energy. (Please understand, no knock on Stew here, he was incredible! I was just a little worried, that's all!) Anyway, back to Andy… he did a fantastic job! He was funny, tiptoeing off the stage and being called back for an encore, handing off his guitar to a roadie and scampering back for it so he could play! He mugged for the audience, and played very well off Sting, playing their guitars back to back, or nose to nose, or just aiming at each other from across the stage.
There were three jumbotrons going at once, often with three different pictures. When the people in front of me got too enthusiastic with their jumping and waving, it was nice to have the jumbotrons to fall back on!
The setlist was the same as previously reported here, but that didn't matter - we all knew the songs, we all (all 44,000 of us) sang along, it was great! There was a woman in front of me, who, instead of whistling or shouting "Woooo!", would ululate like a middle easterner might do. I expected homeland security to take her away at any minute! ;-) ( I always get the weird seat! Last time I saw Sting at Hershey, I was next to a guy whose ambition it was to whistle louder than anyone in the world. At least this lady wasn't trying to create a sonic boom).
Finally, a word about Fiction Plane. If you haven't heard them in person, you haven't heard them. MUCH better live. I really enjoyed their set - they are very talented, and Joe sounds a LOT like his father -- but I am angry with my fellow fans for not showing up to see them. The audience was quite sparse for the beginning of their set, and while it was fairly full by the end, I felt  like there was some disrespect for not showing up to see them, although that's probably the perception of someone my age, and with my "inside knowledge" of the tour, as opposed to young fans coming to see the Police for the first time because they weren't born during their last tour!
If you've managed to read this far without falling asleep or thinking you've stumbled into the last Harry Potter book (which was great, btw!), let me sum up by repeating myself and saying that I thought I was just a Sting fan who appreciated the music of the Police, but I am definitely a Police fan! And like Will, whom I am so sorry to have missed at the show, I can now say that I truly belong to the list!
Thanks for bearing with me! Have a great week!
Holly