Sting stirs up the Galician crowd in a thrilling concert...
Eight thousand fans packed the Coliseum in A Coruña to witness the musician's undeniable success on his return to Galicia.
If the success of a rock concert is measured by the enthusiasm the musician inspires in the audience, by how he excites them on the dance floor and thrills them in their seats, Sting's triumph last night at the Coliseum was undeniable. Twenty-four years after his first visit, precisely at the first concert hosted by the multipurpose venue in A Coruña in June 1991, Sting returned to deliver an impeccable performance with the energy and skill of someone who, despite his age (63), never loses his zest for the stage. And he sold out: 8,000 spectators—of all ages, although many of them already veterans. Fans came from thirty Spanish cities.
The formula for general satisfaction was infallible: practically one hit after another, from Sting and The Police, so as not to distract the audience and to bring out nostalgia, with the more mature audience traveling back four decades and jumping with the vigorous songs of the British trio (So lonely, Roxanne, De Do Do Do De Da Da Da, Next to you).
Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland were missing, fantastic musicians from his drunken days of success and glory with whom Sting wrote one of the most stimulating pages in pop and cemented his later career. However, the luxurious accompaniment that backed the Newcastle native yesterday demonstrated that a great solo artist is often made exceptional by a great band.
Sting, with a good voice and imposing appearance with his thick beard and worn bass guitar, was supported by guitarist Dominic Miller, keyboardist David Sancious, singer Jo Lawry on backing vocals, drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, and violinist Peter Tickell, whose virtuoso nerve ignited more than one song and shook the audience. To add more interest to the performance, Sting himself engaged in vibrant musical duels with the band members that excited the audience.
Sting rarely disappoints, unless he feels like experimenting with risky projects, as he has done in his discography (If on a Winter's Night, Symphonicities), or more restrained performances for more elite audiences, which have been common in recent years. That wasn't the case yesterday.
(c) Faro de Vigo by Rubén D. Rodríguez