Sting enchants Friuli despite the storm...

The English star thrills his Italian fans, who sing along loudly to his best songs, especially when the encore is a smash hit like "Every Breath You Take."

There's little to say. What makes an artist a global star is evident on stage, it's true: the music, the attitude, the hits sung by everyone, the career, and the history. But the real difference, the one that marks the unbridgeable gap between the star and the rest of the world, lies in the anticipation. In what happens before everything happens, in that suspense that precedes the event, weighed down again this year by sullen weather, as it was last year for Carlos Santana, in the widespread electricity that short-circuits glances and gestures, voices and thoughts. And this is what happened with Sting, and his closing concert of the 2017 Mittelfest, in the Parco della Lesa in Cividale. 

The internet was almost static in the weeks leading up to the announced date, with few comments, a few fans filling the usual blogs, but nothing more. Then, all of a sudden, the world was buzzing with activity just days before Sting's arrival in Friuli. Around seven thousand tickets were sold, a good percentage of them in the final hours, and everyone was there to be there, and above all, wanting to be there. As announced by the incredibly strict organizers, the first notes on stage were played by John Sumner, a handful of months old when his father was rising to success with the Police. It was a rock that heralded the duet with his father, Sting, and that invited the audience to prepare for a captivating performance.

And so it is. The story of the Police, the entire journey that Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner has travelled as a solo artist, teaching the world how to combine cross-cultural influence and pop, how to transform punk into a global force, how to turn success into a tool for social engagement, unfolds before everyone's eyes and bodies. His "57th & 9th World Tour" is rock as it should be, the impact created by his "trusted" guitarist Dominic Miller, Josh Freese on drums, and Rufus Miller on guitar, is more balanced, precise, and clear than measured. Perfection, above all, seems to be the watchword. 

And Sting's music is absolute. The audience quickly gets caught up in it, singing along, following, calling, screaming, getting emotional, looking around—it's fun. There's a lot of The Police, inevitably, from "Synchronicity" to "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" and then "Message in a Bottle" to the collective chorus of "Roxanne." A setlist that intertwines with "his" hits, "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You," the undying "Englishman in New York," and a playful "Mad About You." There's also a tribute to the Duke, with "Ashes to Ashes," a duet with John; David Bowie must have heard them, father and son, together once again.

The gifts continue in the encores, with the Police again performing "Every Breath You Take" and then "Fragile," a heart-stopping farewell. Tomorrow the tour continues; Friuli has already had its share.

(c) Messaggero Veneto by Gabriele Giuga

Sting's concert a success: cold and rain don't stop the Cividale crowd...

Over 7,000 people flocked to Parco della Lesa, braving the rain and cold. The English star delivered a two-hour live performance, paying homage to rock great David Bowie.

It was a success. A triumph of music. And the rain and cold didn't stop the over 7,000 Sting fans who flocked to Cividale del Friuli on Tuesday evening for the highlight of the 26th edition of Mittelfest. The former Police frontman held nothing back on stage, pouring in all his legendary energy, delivering a nearly two-hour set with a wide-ranging and varied setlist that spanned his entire career as a rocker.

The evening opened with the popular support act of Joe Sumner, Sting's son. A few minutes after 9:30 PM, the eagerly awaited hour of the Newcastle-born musician and composer, who has sold over 100 million records in his career, arrived. His songs from the Police catalogue received a standing ovation, including the most famous ones, "Message in a Bottle," "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic," "So Lonely," "Walking on the Moon," and "Roxanne," as well as his solo hits, such as "Englishman in New York," "Fields of Gold," "Shape of My Heart," "Desert Rose," and the closing encores, "Every Breath You Take" and "Fragile."

The concert ended with a well-deserved standing ovation for the great singer and composer, who also paid tribute to one of the greats of music, David Bowie. Sting performed one of the "White Duke's" greatest hits, "Ashes to Ashes," which was greatly appreciated by the paying audience.

(c) Venezia Today

Sting Live...

Sting seems aware that the deepest mark he's made in the history of music was the one he made with the Police. In his solo career, he's recorded amazing, near-perfect albums (most notably The Dream of the Blue Turtles and Nothing Like the Sun, but also Ten Summoner's Tales), but nothing that even comes close to the compositional vigour, impetus, and musical originality of the Police. And so, his concert in Cividale (Udine) seemed like a self-satisfied and serene tribute to an unparalleled moment in his history, with a setlist that, in effect, was the setlist of a Police show.

Everything seemed to be geared toward that direction: from Sting's look, which seemed to have been taken straight from the cover photos of Outlandos D'Amour, to the choice to play with a purely rock line-up (two electric guitars, bass, and drums) without frills, keyboards, horns, or electronic sequences. On drums is Josh Freese. Freese sits on a stool that, yes, belonged to Stewart Copeland, but also to Vinnie Colaiuta and Manu Katchè, and that's no small responsibility. But he's very good, relevant, respectful of Copeland's influence but still capable of presenting himself in his own unique way, especially in delightfully funk-inspired ways.

On guitar is Dominic Miller, now a lifelong sidekick (with Sting since '91), unique in tailoring a distinct and effective guitar playing around Sting, close to Andy Summers but always careful not to sound like a faded copy. Supporting Dominic Miller is the guitarist's son, the very young Rufus, and—of course—the interplay between the two is magical. It really seems as if they've been working out the arrangements in their living rooms, so perfect is the affinity between the parts, the balance of sounds, and the interplay of dynamics. Rufus plays the Les Paul and takes care of the bigger, more driving parts of the arrangements, while Dominic, with a Stratocaster at his neck, crafts themes, solos, and arpeggios. The band also features the valuable (but perhaps not essential) additions of two backing vocalists, one of whom is Sting's son, Joe Summer, who will also open the concert with a delightful guitar and vocal set. Closing out the band is a phenomenal Percy Cardona on accordion. The choice to perform sections originally entrusted to strings, wind instruments, and keyboards on this instrument lends a more jaunty feel to the songs and contributes to the evening's rock spirit.

In the many Police songs ("Synchronicity II," "Spirits in a Material World," "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic," "Roxanne," "Walking on the Moon," etc.), Sting plays with the arrangements, blending the original parts played by the band on the album with those the Police themselves rearranged live, and arrangements Sting developed during his solo career. A fascinating undertaking for fans and connoisseurs of the artist, who can delight in the constant references to Sting's various musical and historical periods. Through it all, however, Sting celebrates and protects his repertoire, presenting it immaculately in the vocal melodies he proudly presents, reproducing them identically, singing the songs exactly as they were in the original versions. And he delivers a stunning, world-class vocal performance. Technical mastery, rich sound, and personality: Sting is one of the greatest voices in rock history.

Of the entire setlist, "So Lonely" deserves a special mention, a song from the Police's first album, presented in the best version ever heard live. The song is a delightful reggae rocker that the Police always performed live in an exaggeratedly fast, edgy, and cutting manner.

The arrangement heard on this tour—soft, rounded, and bouncy—finally does justice live to one of the most successful and light-hearted songs in Sting's repertoire. The two Millers' work on the verses is delightful, playing with almost bluesy counterpoints over the reggae beat.

From their latest album, 57th & 9th, Sting indulges in two and a half tracks, because he barely mentions the single "I Can't Stop Thinking About You," contaminating it, in turn, with a nod to the Police: in the choruses, he inserts the backing vocals from "Truth Hits Everybody," one of the most punk-esque songs from the Police's early days.

A wonderful concert, with—at least in the front rows—beautiful acoustics, controlled and defined despite the show's rock attitude. Sting was masterful. Generous in his choice of setlist, proud and majestic in his solid, intelligent, and minimalist bass playing, supported by majestic reinforcements, accentuated on the fundamentals by the old Moog Taurus bass synth pedal.

(c) Accordo by Gianni Rojatti