Soul Cages: 1991/92

Sting at the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund...

He came to the Westfalenhalle exactly three years ago as a globally recognized "Englishman," and now he's back as the boy from Newcastle: English rock star Sting once again served rock music at its finest to over 30,000 enthusiastic fans in Dortmund on Saturday and Sunday.

In a simple black T-shirt, Sting stands quietly on the stage ramp. Modesty is the order of the day, but musically, the singer-songwriter draws on a wealth of talent. The stage design and lighting shine with a refined restraint, with the music taking centre stage - and with Sting, it's in the best hands.

He builds his compositions on a solid, driving rock foundation, playfully adding light touches of reggae and, above all, jazz to unfold his unmistakable voice over this mix.

The 39-year-old Englishman has also adopted modesty for his musical accompaniment. While eight musicians gathered around Sting on the last tour, this time the guitarist, keyboardist, and drummer are lost on stage. Especially during the quieter passages and improvisational sections, one wishes the four-piece band – Sting himself plucks the bass throughout – were on a small club stage. But then again, the quartet plays compactly and dynamically. The absence of saxophonist Branford Marsalis is unmistakable.

Over the course of the concert, Sting turns up the heat, as if to refute those critics who accuse his latest CD, Soul Cages, of having a depressive mood. But it's not only in his private life that the past catches up with the boy from Newcastle, which he tries to process in his soaring ballads. Although he has long since surpassed those times musically with his group, the Police, he can't escape them in concert. 'Roxanne', 'Message in a Bottle', 'Walking on the Moon' - for the audience who scream with enthusiasm at the first notes, the exceptional musician Sting always remains the former "Police" singer.

(c) WAZ by Rolf Stegemann