Concert review: Annie Lennox makes rare show of raw emotion Chris Riemenschneider Star Tribune Published July 21, 2004 Sting might have been the king bee at Tuesday's Target Center concert, but Annie Lennox had all the buzz.
From two of the leading U.K. pop bands of the 1980s -- the Police and Eurythmics, respectively -- each singer smoothly made the transition to the adult-contemporary music world as soloists in the 1990s. Their different approaches were on full display Tuesday, though, as Lennox had spunk and verve, while Sting coasted on New Age vibes.
Just slightly less so than his albums, Sting's concerts have become as conventional, numbing and self-serving as all those back-massage chairs on sale at the Sharper Image. Tuesday's 100-minute set did not differ a whole lot from his last Minneapolis performance, in February at Northrop Auditorium. The most noticeable difference was probably Tuesday's elaborate stage and giant video screen, offering oh-so-mystical images of belly dancers, mountains and moonscapes (oh, my!). Lennox, on the other hand, has only done two tours in the past 10 years, and neither came to the Twin Cities. Sting even called her appearance "a very rare treat" when he came out to introduce his "very dear friend." The two later performed together during Sting's slot, charmingly dueting their way through his jazzy '90s hit "We'll Be Together." But even that wasn't as spirited as Lennox's entire set. Coming out in torn jeans, stylish shades and short hair as golden as her voice, the Scot looked and acted half her 49 years. Hers was the rare performance -- much less the rare opening set -- that started out mighty with "Legend in My Living Room" and only got stronger and stronger. Her soulful power-ballad "Cold" couldn't have been hotter, hushing the crowd to pin-drop quiet in some parts and bringing her first standing ovation of the night. And that was only five songs into the 13-song set. She sharply contrasted that with hard-rocking versions of "Missionary Man" and "Sweet Dreams," in which she strutted around the stage with her microphone in hand, coming off like a feminine Steven Tyler (more feminine, that is). Lennox didn't have to move anything except her wind pipes for "Why," the soaring, tear-jerker of a finale. Even rarer than an Annie Lennox concert were the chills that song provided. Sting's set simply never rose to those heights, although his legion of 8,000 or so fans (a smaller crowd than in the '90s) was, nonetheless, enamored with his every cocky gesture. Old favorites like "Roxanne,"Every Breath You Take" and "Synchronicity II" were wheeled out, all carrying the light-jazz baggage of his solo albums. Maybe this tour with Lennox will convince him to put a little soul and more personality into it, or at least get his friend to tour more often. --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Vote for the stars of Yahoo!'s next ad campaign!