Sting - Plaza de Toros, Murcia, 3/8/2022

  by Philamonjaro

published: 8 / 11 / 2022

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Lights illuminated the stage, the band awash in backlit blue and white, casting haunting silhouettes as an array of ambient notes and harmonics filled the soundsystem. Sting, in a bright orange T-shirt with his well-worn, vintage Fender P-bass slung on, entered from stage right. The audience exploded with applause.. He walked across waving, slightly bowing, greeting and welcoming everyone while taking it all in. A mix of confidence and connection. Brilliantly lit by a followspot he was distinguished as the focus. Next the sound of that familiar four measure snare beat provided by drummer Zach Jones leading right into 'Message in a Bottle'. Wearing a headset microphone, not to be tethered to a mic stand, Sting sauntered the stage’s full distance with a fretboard finesse that was poetically fluid. He carefully listened to the audience singing in unison “Sending out an S.O.S.”. A thoughtful glance across the crowd, cupping his hands to his ears signaling to sing louder, a wave of his hands, he elevated the masses’ volume, then acknowledged with an approving thumbs up. The slight gestures of a maestro. At seventy years old, Sting is in exceptional form musically, vocally and physically. He performs with swagger, energy, presence and the backing of a forty-four year catalogue of hits. Wednesday, August 3rd Sting performed at Plaza de Toros in Murcia, Spain while on his 174 date 'My Songs' tour. The tour began in 2019 and subsequently suffered a few postponed dates due to COVID, rendering them to be rescheduled. The tour is now traveling the world uninterrupted and is celebrated by fans everywhere. The set included songs across his catalogue like 'Englishman In New York', 'Desert Rose', 'Everything Little Thing She Does Is Magic', 'Shape of My Heart', 'Every Breath You Take', and 'Walking On The Moon', plus 'Rushing Water' and 'If It's Love' from his latest release 'The Bridge'. Wherever he goes musically, it is clear Sting is not bound to any one genre. Notable was 'Brand New Day', which featured Shane Sager playing the chromatic harmonica melody that Stevie Wonder recorded on the original track. Ending the guitar solo during 'So Lonely', the band seamlessly segued into Bob Marley’s 'No Woman, No Cry,' then ended in full throttle chanting of the chorus of “So Lonely”. During 'The Shape of My Heart', back up singer Gene Noble rapped between the verses and chorus really expanding the song: “I still see a shadows in my room/Can’t take that love that I gave you...” Opening act was Sting’s son Joe Sumner playing solo acoustic guitar. Joe later returned to the stage sharing the spotlight to sing together with his father on the 1983 Police single 'King of Pain'. They traded lines of the verses and harmonised on the chorus. It was superbly performed. Centre to the line-up was longtime guitarist Dominic Miller. plus his son Rufus Miller on second guitar bolstering the band’s guitar strength. Is there a father-son theme playing out here? Back-up vocalist Melissa Musique and keyboardist Kevon Webster filled out the ensemble. The first of two encores was 'Roxanne'. During the call-and-response, Sting cut loose on some magnificently funky, jazzy bass improvisation complimented by him singing an equally impressive vocal ease. He had the crowd in the groove clapping the whole time. Soon after the song resolved back to the chorus. It ended with Sting’s full force, final 'Roxanne' roar. While one can generally expect any concert to end on such a high note, on this tour, the end was more toned down. In closing, Sting sat down on a high stool and played an electric, classical guitar on his 1987 hit 'Fragile.'It is a reflective song forged by human rights abuse. Given today’s state of the world, sadly it is as relevant now as it was when it was first released. “That nothing comes from violence and nothing ever could. For all those born beneath an angry star. Lest we forget how fragile we are” For all the uplifting spirit felt this night, Sting sent us home with meaningful lyrics to contemplate. In the end he is more than a musician, composer and icon, but also a messenger with a humanitarian heart. Line Up: Dominic Miller: guitar Rufus Miller: guitar Zach Jones: drums Kevon Webster: keyboards Shane Sager: harmonica Gene Noble: backup vocalists Melissa Musique: backup vocalists Set List: Message in a Bottle Englishman in New York Little Thing She Does Is Magic If It's Love Rushing Water If I Ever Lose My Faith in You Fields of Gold Brand New Day Shape of My Heart Heavy Cloud No Rain Walking on the Moon So Lonely Desert Rose King of Pain Every Breath You Take Encore: Roxanne Fragile Photos by Philamonjaro www.philamonjaro.com

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