Arrested development

My employer's student activities office purchased some concert tickets that they made available at more than fifty percent off to pupils. Whether it was the cost or the band, the students didn't bite on the offer. The bargain was then opened up to the rest of the campus community. I was more than happy to relieve them of a pair. (Unlike all the other concerts I've been attending, this is a group you've heard of, meaning I was able to find a friend interested in tagging along for once.)

So, tonight I attended the reunion tour of The Police. They played pretty much all the hits one would expect as well as a few surprises from the catalog. (The only absent hit that occurs to me is "Spirits in the Material World".) Opener "Bring On the Night" made for a nice, mellow beginning. Many songs were reworked from their album versions, with "Wrapped Around Your Finger" standing out. "When the World is Running Down You Make the Best of What's Still Around" featured a blazing Andy Summers guitar solo.

Make no mistake about it; this was a nostalgia show. Still, the band was tight, and yes, Sting looked buff. If this is a onetime reunion swing for The Police, they've done it properly. All three original members worked toward putting on a good performance. The set was a little shorter for what I would have expected if I'd paid the face value of the tickets--they played around 100 minutes, give or take some minutes for breaks for their three "encores"--but I have no quibbles with the setlist or their effort.

And let's not forget Elvis Costello and The Imposters chipped in a sparkling fifty-minute opening set. I'm not as familiar with the depth of his catalog--for shame, I know--but the unfamiliar stuff sounded good, even if it lacked some of the brashness I associate with the early days of his career. He wrapped with "Radio, Radio", "Pump It Up", and "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding?", singles I would call hits except they never charted in the U.S. He didn't play "Veronica", his biggest hit in America, but he did play another well-known song with a woman's name ("Alison").

Random thoughts during the concert... Wow, both of these artists had their fair share of hits regardless of Billboard charts. (That exception holds true more for critic's favorite Costello than the chart-topping Police.) As someone currently absorbed playing Guitar Hero III (and otherwise ignorant of how to play the instrument), I really appreciated the skill the guitarists displayed tonight. Did it really take me this long to realize that the Ghost in the Machine cover features stylized LED versions of the band member's faces and not Japanese characters?