Selected Miscellaneous Shows

Sting's Christmas at the Salle Pleyel...

Does Sting even need an introduction? We could try to summarize the career of the former singer/bassist of The Police, but what will remain are all those unforgettable songs, whether with the band or as a solo artist. He has collaborated with the greats like Clapton, as well as with the more unexpected, like Cheb Mami and Craig David. He has just released a brand new album, 'If On a Winter's Night,' which he presented to us tonight at the Salle Pleyel.

To present his Christmas tale, Sting traveled with an almost full orchestra – the woodwinds were missing, but the strings were more than represented. He began by explaining to us – in French, please! – the magic of winter, before guiding us through his allegorical vision of the white season.

He truly has the air of a storyteller, sitting upright in his high chair, turning the pages of his large book, dressed as if in a film based on a Jane Austen novel. While his last album took a classical turn, this time we are fully immersed in English and Celtic folklore.

The themes are reminiscent of a biblical Christmas carol, with 'Gabriel's Message,' where the three backing vocalists take on the guise of the Three Wise Men. But we also drift off with 'Soul Cake,' more traditionally sung around All Saints' Day*. On stage, a tall redhead swaps her bagpipes for a violin to launch into a frenetic jig with her partner.

Despite the harp, the trumpet, the full string and brass section, and the array of percussion, I can't seem to get swept away by his compositions. Certainly, the theme is Winter, but is that a reason for the performance to be so cold?

While 'Christmas at Sea', based on a poem by Robert Louis Stevenson, intrigues me, I'm waiting for the concert to really ignite. 'The Burning Babe' finally brings us closer to Sting's smoother voice, but on 'Ghost Story', despite the more personal theme (his father), we return to a professional musical performance.

He then offers us three songs from his hometown near Newcastle. On 'Team Spirit', his voice finally warms the atmosphere and reminds me of 'It's Probably Me', but then he ruins the mood by singing the howl of the lone wolf on the steppe. After another religious song, a cappella and therefore a bit of a departure, he offers us four lullabies. As if the tempo had been frenetic up until then…

'Lullaby for an Anxious Child', which closes the set, reminds me of 'Shape of My Heart'. After introducing his musicians, he leaves the stage. He returns for a Christmas carol, 'I Saw Three Ships,' then leaves again. He returns once more for 'You Only Cross My Mind in Winter' and leaves again. The audience applauds, he comes back to take a bow, and leaves once more. The diva's comings and goings are starting to tire me, but the crowd insists, roaring.

He returns for one last song, after the lights have come back on and half the audience has gotten dressed. While I'm expecting something as delightful as 'Fields of Gold' or 'Seven Days' revisited with an orchestra, he simply plays 'Soul Cake' again.

Is it too much to ask to experience a song that has been a part of our lives so many times, if only to thank us for following the artist's career for over thirty years?

*Sting took the time to tell us about it, so why shouldn't I? These were cakes that were offered to the hungry so that they would pray for the souls of the deceased.

(c) Soul Kitchen by ZiKomAgnes

How I Celebrated Christmas Early with Sting...

It was with undisguised enthusiasm that I attended, at the invitation of the record company, the only French concert of the 'If on a Winter's Night' tour. For those who only think of Sting as Roxanne (well, that was The Police), Englishman in New York, Fields of Gold, or Desert Rose, it must be said that this album reveals a completely different side of the artist's musical universe. After Sacred Love in 2003, an album poorly received due to its more or less questionable R&B influences, the singer took a different path, perhaps less commercial but much richer from a musical point of view. This is how the album 'Songs from the Labyrinth', made up of classical music, and the recently released 'If on a Winter's Night' came about.

And so, here I am, Tuesday evening, seated in the Salle Pleyel to discover this new album of folk songs and tunes composed to celebrate winter. Despite the RER A's disruptions, there isn't a single seat left. On stage, where I expected an intimate classical ensemble, a full orchestra takes its place. No fewer than 30 excellent musicians—strings, brass, percussion—everything you could hope for, including a few curiosities like bagpipes, an accordion, and even a metal harp. The backing vocalists are equally impressive, each with their own solo voice, notably a deep, jazzy Black diva and a luminous blonde with a crystalline voice who elevated certain pieces with their contributions. And then there's Sting, not as one might imagine, but true to the legend. Dressed in a three-piece suit and sporting a classic beard, were it not for his characteristic British elegance, one might have thought he'd stepped straight out of a Civil War film. Pure class.

After a brief introduction in French—"We are here tonight to celebrate winter, the time of rest, of ghosts, of pacts with the dead, before the cycle of seasons begins anew…"—the magic begins. It's a succession of melancholic melodies and more festive tunes (note the audience's standing ovation after the remarkable violin solos' soaring solo on "The Burning Babe"). Remarkably, Sting manages to draw everyone into his new world. From time to time, rearranged versions of old classics ("Hounds of Winter" and "I Should Have Loved You") are revisited, much to the relief of those who came expecting them. Although the songs performed with just his voice and guitar were enough to make this concert a delight, the pieces played with the full orchestra were even more exhilarating. The nursery rhyme 'Soul Cake' had the audience singing along, even though they hadn't known the words just seconds before.

In the end: a fantastic evening, five encores, a standing ovation each time, and continued to applaud long after the lights came back on and the roadies arrived.

I've seen plenty of concerts, I've even produced some. But there are very few like this one. The closest in ambition and number of musicians was probably 'A Hot Night in Paris,' Phil Collins and his Big Band's concert at the Grand Rex. Since then, I've certainly been waiting for… this one!

What more can I say except that this concert is one of those rare and fleeting moments that no record can fully capture?

If you ever want to avoid the same old Christmas albums made up of tired old standards, the magic of this album will certainly touch you; it's like chicken soup for the soul, and by taking the time to immerse yourself in it, you'll do yourself good...