The Production Side

A muggy night and a predictable setlist couldn’t stop The Police from rocking Philly.

The weather held out last night, as fans eagerly waited for the reunion tour of the year, maybe even the decade. The legendary trio came blazing onto the stage with electric renditions of “Message in a Bottle” and “Synchronicity II”.  Of course the band played all of their hits including “Every Breath You Take”, “Roxanne”, and “Don’t Stand So Close To Me”, but managed to sneak in some favorites like “Invisible Sun” and “Bed’s Too Big Without You”.

If you’ve been following this tour, the setlist hasn’t really changed, but fans didn’t seem to mind. Sting sounded fantastic, while adding a lot of “e’s” and oh’s” to generate a crowd response. Andy Summers guitar work was stellar, making us forget that he’s in his 62. But drummer Stewart Copeland stole the show. During songs like “Wrapped Around Your Finger” and “King of Pain” Copeland ran back and forth from his drum kit to another percussion kit. Sting noted the brilliance of Copeland during “So Lonely” when he changed the lines from “Welcome to this one man show” to “Welcome to the Stewart Copeland show”.

Highlights from the show were “Driven To Tears”, “Walking in Your Footsteps” and Can’t Stand Losing You” where the band incorporated “Reggatta de Blanc” and Sting told the crowd that he wanted us so loud that “New York City can hear you”.

The only problem was the venue, Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies. While it’s a new and beautiful ball park, it’s not a great place for concerts. The acoustics at times were too unnatural and overwhelming, which made me miss the good ol’ Vet. However, the 2 hour set was money well spent, and if you have a chance, check out The Police’s reunion tour.
 

Setlist:                                                                                                                                  Message in a Bottle
Synchronicity II
Walking On The Moon
Voices Inside My Head
When The World Is Running Down
Don’t Stand So Close To Me
Driven To Tears
Truth Hits Everybody
Bed’s Too Big Without You
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
Wrapped Around Your Finger
De Do Do Do De Da Da Da
Invisible Sun
Walking In Your Footsteps
Can’t Stand Losing You
Roxanne
                                 Encore:                                                                                                                                         King Of Pain
So Lonely
Every Breath You Take
Next To You

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