Miami concert thoughts...

I recently joined the fan club solely for the purpose of getting better tickets and I was not disappointed, my tickets arrived on time, I picked my location, got MY perfect seats and could not have been happier. Thank you fan club!

Despite some of the review comments you may read on this site and from the papers I thought the show was wonderful. Yes I know I am preaching to the choir and that we would all go out and buy Stings cover of ''Happy Birthday'' if he did it, but I did enjoy the show. It always amazes me that the same reviewers that can praise a band like the Rolling stones after they puff through a set of 30 year old standards, can dismiss Sting after he plays a evocative new set. Hey, I love the old stuff as much as the anyone, but when you walk away have you really had a new experience, grown or just re-lived ''back in the day''

I always feel you can tell an artist by his crowd, and as Sting said. ''I love playing Miami because it is a very sexy audience, we all look like we a just had sex, are about to have sex or are actually having sex.'' I think Sting was having fun with us and knows that beyond sexy, his audience is intelligent, global thinking, and just a little more sophisticated than most. I am sure you agree

The concert opened with Sting on a full size Stand up bass, playing 'Walking on the Moon' this morphed quickly to some jazz and rasta jamming of the song, then directly into 'Send Your Love', which set the tone for the rest of the show, which was going to be primarily about 'Sacred Love'.

After that, the Duet 'Whenever I Say Your Name' in which Joy Rose blew the doors off Mary Blige, was great. Soon followed up by a note for note perfect ''Sting-a-long'' version of 'Hole In My Life' for those of us (read-the whole crowd) who remember.

The middle of the show was a mix of old and new, but as I said this concert was all about new. I especially enjoyed the three large panels of video graphics that played behind Sting and the band. The graphics ranged from religii-hindu-yogi inspired art and semi clad dancing girls during the ''new sound'' songs to third reich-ish posters proclaiming ''don't do nothing'' during ''don't do nothing''(surprise) I especially enjoyed the graphics during 'Never Coming Home' in which we watched the world go by through a window along with a dancer in the video. (Hard to explain, just go see it)

For standards, I very much enjoyed the treatment of 'Roxanne', always a pleaser and 'Fields of Gold'. Although, if I had any complaint it would be that I would have like to have heard a little more of Dominic at the at the lead in to 'Fields of Gold' and other songs. If you ask me one of the best parts of a Sting concert is that you get to enjoy all the great musicians he brings along, but in this concert we too often jumped right into the song. Give us a little more long intro and a little more long hard jamming at the bridges. But don't despair there's plenty of good jamming. But, I do think that this will all gel a little more as the tour progresses. Lest us not forgett his was opening night.

Go to the show, listen to the new stuff, ponder why Sting wrote these songs, lyrics and music, separate and apart. Why in this order, what was played and what was omitted. You may get a glimpse into where his head and heart are and you might become a little more like what we know all true sting fans are: Sexy sophisticated Global Thinkers.

(c) bbathurst for Sting.com