Sting and Shaggy, a perfect duo with reggae overtones...

The English star and his new Jamaican partner successfully blended rock, reggae, and ballads on the Belval open-air stage Saturday night.

A unique setup for a gigantic concert, with an expected attendance of 9,500. Sting and Shaggy performed outdoors Saturday night in Belval. For the occasion, the stage, flanked by a giant screen, was set up in the days leading up to the show, opposite the Rockhal, backing onto the blast furnaces and next to the blower hall. The audience faced him in an enclosed space surrounded by fences, with spectators reaching up to a stand just in front of the Rockhal entrance.

In short, a superb installation in the heart of Belval's industrial heritage to showcase the musical heritage represented by Sting. The dashing sixty-year-old (he's turning 67, which he'll celebrate in October) revisited his career and his greatest hits, supported by his latest artistic encounter, Shaggy. The latter did more than brilliantly assist Sting, with the two artists truly sharing songs. The Englishman and the Jamaican also brilliantly took on a rather improbable challenge: mixing rock and reggae on the same stage, all enhanced by some of the ballads that made Sting legendary.
 

Throughout the show, the band moved almost seamlessly from one style to the other, a meeting of two worlds. Sting classics, both from the Police era and solo, alternated with Shaggy's hits. The blend of genres was particularly successful on "Message in a Bottle," the bottle having clearly arrived safely in Kingston. As for Shaggy's "Sexy Lady," we quickly learned that her name was indeed "Roxanne." And that, like the two artists who shared the stage, she hasn't aged a day and retains all her charisma.

This further ignited the already excited crowd, and not just because of the weather. Especially since, after the "Sexy Lady/Roxanne" medley, the band moved on to the famous "It Wasn't Me" that made Shaggy famous, then to "Every Breath You Take," which was more up-tempo than the original. Enough to perfect the rock/reggae/ballad mix that seemed so improbable but that Sting and Shaggy, well supported by their band of musicians, orchestrated without a false note.

(c) L'Essential by Jérôme Wiss