I just noticed that tickets to the Police at the Verizon Center went on sale last week. I am writing this blog entry as a public service to anyone considering buying them. Don't do it.
When Steve and I heard last winter that the Police were reuniting for a tour, we decided to go. We've been to numerous reunion tours in the past (Hall and Oats, Def Leppard, etc.) and it has always been a good show. We bought "cheap" seats, at $100+ each, for the July 20th concert in Hershey, PA, since no DC concert had been scheduled at that point. We never expected to be so severely disappointed.
It quickly became abundantly clear that Sting, Stuart, and Andy still loathe one other. They each tried to lead the music, playing/singing over one another, and it sounded like three guys practicing who haven't quite clicked to become a band. Sting can no longer hit the high notes, so Roxanne sounded like a shadow of its former self, sung an octave lower. There were only a couple of sublime moments when they really nailed it, in King of Pain and Wrapped Around Your Finger.
For some reason, the reviews I read of the show were largely positive. I think the critics in this case were far too kind. If those same critics had heard the very same music and didn't know who was playing it, I guarantee they would have dismissed it with, "eh, this Police cover band has potential, but they really need a lot more practice to pull it off." You'd think after two months on the road they would have gotten it together.
In short, the concert sucked, and I regret that we spent that money and drove all the way to Hershey. But it would have been a ripoff even if it were local. On top of everything, the experience ruined the Police for me even on the radio, because now the songs just remind me of that half-assed concert.
As a side note, Sting's son's band Fiction Plane opened the concert. Sting's son, Joe Sumner, plays bass and fronts the three-man band. (Sound familiar?) His voice has a similar timbre to his dad's. It's kind of like watching Sting II. But their songs... not so good. One single, Two Sisters, was catchy. But Fiction Plane decided to end their show with an appalling song that had waaaaay too many "F&#$ you"s in it for the mellow 30-something crowd in front of them. They left the crowd sitting in stunned silence with jaws agape. *crickets*
In sum, there's no reason to go see the Police. I implore you, don't go to the concert in DC this November. You should save your money and spend it on something that is more likely to have a positive outcome. Like street chess, three-card monty, or the DC Lotto.
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5 comments:
Ted came home for supper the other night and said, "Well, honey, don't plan anything for Nov. 26. I signed us up to get tickets for the Led Zeppelin reunion concert. In London." Responding to that Leonard Nimoy eyebrow raise that I save for special occasions like this, he said, "Hey, they're only $250!" I asked him just how much it would cost us to actually get over to London while our bank accounts are still recovering from the Great Flood of August 2007, and he mumbled, "I haven't worked that part out yet." I would be pretty pissed to go through that and have it turn out to be a bad concert. I haven't enjoyed a concert since Pink Floyd in the Carrier Dome in Syracuse more than a decade ago, a night that was then marred by my car getting towed from those infamous Syracuse streets.
I saw the show at Verizon Center and I agree with your review. But hey, I've never seen them before and I surely did not expect them to sound like the tight unit they were in the late 70's, early 80's. I RARELY see concerts so it was an expensive treat!
Wow, you must have been to the one lemon show, because I saw them last night and they were AMAZING. They killed it, they played for more than 2 hours and it was fantastic.
This is a prime example of how two different people can have two completely different reactions to the same event. I was at this same show last year and I loved it. The Police are also my favorite band. And I can cut some old guys some slack. But I enjoyed the show enough that I'm going to see them again this July in Philly. Guess I won't see you there. =/
i agree with the initial review. I saw them in sydney. They clearly diddn't want to be there. the performance of roxanne was appaling. my friends and i were walking shuffling toward the exit during the encores because getting on a bus seemed more exciting than their half-arsed performance. I havent listend to the band since.
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