I went to a concert last night. The opening band was FictionPlane. The lead singer’s name is Joe Sumner. He has a very strong voice and also plays the bass. The style is bold and aggressive. If you like TEB or Matthew Good you may want to give this band a try. Their latest album is “Left Side of the Brain”
If the name Joe Sumner rings a bell don’t be alarmed. His father’s name is Gordon Sumner, a.k.a Sting. And there’s no doubt that they are father and son. Once you hear a song from FictionPlane you’ll hear it plain as day.
Naturally (nepotism be damned) they were the opening act for the reincarnation of the Police. The original members are back after a 24 year hiatus and they haven’t missed a beat. Sting continues to have that powerful haunting voice while working the bass like one of the greats that he is. Stewart Copeland was a drum machine that had several tricks up his sleeve for the concert. His usual drum set plus in behind a platform would raise up for certain songs (King of Pain, Wrapped around Your Finger) with massive orchestra drums, gongs, various bells and xylophones. He was displaying his maturity and added his 20 odd years of creativity to the songs that weren’t present in the early days. And then there was Andy Summers on the guitar. He’s matured/mellowed over the years and has had similar post-Police experiences akin to Copeland by writing scores to television and movie productions but getting back to his roots has produced a re-emergence of his innovative guitar playing. Check out Wikipedia to learn more about these truly accomplished musicians and learn how they are considered the masters of their instruments.
What I like most about this concert (and it was excellent) was that they stuck to only Police songs. I was suspicious as to whether they were going to sneak in some solo post-Police work from each of the members and I was glad that didn’t happen. It provided for a feeling that it was as if they had never left and were truly just 3 guys in a band, not these 3 ego-hungry guys all coming back from accomplished careers. It was as if they only ever were just the Police and the last 24 yrs never really happened.
And this brings me to a clarification. I have stated in the past that I’m not a fan of the revival bands a.k.a the bands trying to re-live their glory. But I need to elaborate on this. What I dislike about this notion is that these bands typically have been around the scene too long, have inundated the industry with post-glory-day songs and use this re-union to try to promote new material that just doesn’t fit the current day. I.e. it’s the out-of-touch, overstayed-your-welcome sort of feeling.
The Police reunion does not meet the requirements of sucky revival band. They produced 5 albums in the late 70’s and early 80’s and then that was it. They disbanded at their peak and were never intending to reunite EVER. So for 24 yrs these guys have flourished on their own but have not produced any ‘Police’ material. So, there wasn’t any ‘past-their-prime’ songs to be played. All songs were big hits that everyone associates with a ‘glory day’ mentality. So after 24 yrs these songs are still fresh. And that’s how they were played. With enthusiasm, not with another paycheck or a ‘let’s milk the fame’ sort of feel to it.
The concert flow I felt was very good. But not a 10 out of 10. They opened with Message in a Bottle followed quickly by Synchronicity II. Very high paced renditions. Showed off all their skills quite admirably and set the tone that this was going to be something to remember. They may look old but they’re not going to play old.
Great renditions of Walking on the Moon, Don’t Stand So Close to Me, Wrapped around your finger, De Do Do Do De Da Da Da. Always a great solo/duet guitar/bass montage in the middle taking what everyone is used to hearing and then twisting it up a bit.
The keynote song was ‘Can’t Stand Losing You’. Some real power chording and crowd participation. They cranked up the Reggae big time and was something to hear. I really hope there’s a DVD release of one of these concert stops for the tour.
Where it got a little disappointing was that they closed the pre-encore set with Roxanne. That’s to be expected, but the way it was played was not energetic. It was more of a sombre version that was great for a lot of guitar and drum exploration. Which they did do. But that sort of song should go in the middle somewhere to change the pace. They maybe should have taken a page out of the Echo formula and use that song to explore a medley of other songs the group like but were created by other bands that have influenced them. That is an Echo mainstay and is often the highlight of the concert. People love hearing great bands play other great band’s songs with the band’s flavour added in.
Anyway, the encore was King of Pain, So Lonely and Every Breath You Take. A predictable mini-set that did not take away from the magic.
After digesting the concert I couldn’t stop admiring the talent that each performer has. And I couldn’t help making comparisons to another great 3 player power band with a lead singer who is also the bassist: Rush. And I couldn’t help but see the similarities of each member. Yeah, I know Geddy Lee’s voice can be grating to some, but ala Sting, he does have a powerful voice, it has not degraded over time, and he is a bass master. Stewart Copeland is a percussion pioneer with techniques and styles that he invented and are emulated by a vast number of drummers today. Neal Pert also can add these qualities to his resume as well. And Alex and Andy are both rock stable guitarists with a lot of charisma and dexterity.  Both bands have extremely clever lyrics to their catchy tunes and you can certainly hear similar beats and progressions in their songs.
What amazes me most though about both these bands is that the lead singer plays the bass. It’s mind boggling how they can sing the main ‘tune’ of the song and simultaneously (and masterfully) complement the song with the bass which is complimentary yet usually quite polar to the notes being sung. It is no wonder that not many bands can put this type of product together.
It was a great experience and I don’t care if I’m considered a hypocrite to my no-reunion band policy.
I leave you with one thought. High praise for the concert but hey, it was not Echo so really, it simply cannot get the 10/10 rating. I give it 8.5/10.