Sting at the Beacon Theatre...
It was a beautiful theatre, very small, probably around 3,000 seats. Kennedy Rose opened the night, and after that Vinx played a solo-set for about 15 minutes. He was also the one who introduced Sting and the band (David Sancious on keyboards & guitar, Vinnie Colaiuta on drums, Dominic Miller on guitars and Sting on bass and acoustic guitar).
They kicked off with ''All This Time'', followed by a gorgeous version of 'Mad About You'. After that they did ''Jeremiah Blues Pt.1' and a breathtaking version of 'Why Should I Cry For You'. It was very obvious that the guys were all enjoying themselves, they really had fun on stage!
The next song was ''Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone'' (by Bill Withers), to me the best song of the set, because of all the solos of the band. After that followed 'I Miss You Kate'. Then Sting asked the audience if there were any requests and yes, they did 'Roxanne'. You know that still is a fantastic song, and it was brought very Police-like. Rock!!!
The show continued with 'Bring On The Night/'When The World...' which featured David Sancious on keyboards. Not as good as Kenny though. (I'm not saying I didn't liked it, it just isn't Kenny, if you know what I mean.) After that they did 'Fortress Around Your Heart' followed by the 4 ''sea-connected'' songs of the 'Soul Cages' album: 'Island Of Souls', 'The Wild Wild Sea', 'The Soul Cages' and finally When The Angels Fall'. Those 4 songs were played as one piece, without a break in between. I especially liked the musical change from 'Wild Wild Sea' to 'Soul Cages', that was absolutely amazing, really!!! This guy knows how to playa bass!
After those 4 songs it became time for some heavy stuff, and that's what we got 'Purple Haze' by Jimi Hendrix. The New York audience went completely wild, everyone was screaming and jumping and shouting, and after that I definitely lost my voice! The song was brought to us by drums, bass, and 2 guitars, Dominic and David!! (To me the surprise of the evening.) It was in this strength that they did 'Message In A Bottle' as well - it gave me the feeling I was attending a Guns 'n Roses show for a moment!
After that David returned to his keyboards and they did the best version of 'Tea In The Sahara'/'Walking On The Moon' I have ever heard, brilliant!
During 'Every Breath You Take' Kennedy Rose and Vinx came back on the stage for the backing vocals this song needs, and Sting & the band closed the night with a very appropriate song, 'Fragile'. When he sang the line ''...and nothing comes from violence, and nothing ever could...'', every single person that was inside the Beacon Theatre started to applaud. lt really was a very emotional moment for all of us; band, Sting and the audience.
Hours and hours after that show, I was still completely swept off my feet. The second night was the best, to me that is, because guess who did a ''very special guest-appearance''? On the saxophone, Mr. Branford Marsalis!! Once I recognized him I shouted out my lungs so loud, that the person who was seated next to me, asked if I was in urgent need for a doctor; she didn't even knew who Branford was, can you believe it? What kind of a Sting-fan was she anyway, just sitting in her chair as like in church? The last night (for me) was special too, because once again there was a special guest, Dolette McDonald! She and Sting really had something going on stage, believe me!
(c) Robert Van Sprang for Outlandos/Sting.com
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