I am going, anyone else? I will be looking for less than face lawn tix, then paying an usher to upgrade my position. I might stay for a couple Police numbers, probably no more than that.
Let's get together D/FW EC fans!!!
Elvis/The Police Dallas, Tx. 5/21/2008
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legman open to offers
- Posts: 326
- Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2003 1:13 pm
- Location: Sweet Sweet Mesquite Texas
Elvis/The Police Dallas, Tx. 5/21/2008
Now I'm the invisible man, and you can't see me.
Re: Elvis/The Police Dallas, Tx. 5/21/2008
I will be there with the wife, another couple & 2 teenagers.....wohoo!
Adults are in the 9th row... a little right of the stage. Teenagers are in 2nd section...middle. Yea...we paid too much for tickets...but hey...it's only money...right?
Maybe Sting will get ill during EC's set & we'll get to listen to 3 hours of EC & the Imposters
Adults are in the 9th row... a little right of the stage. Teenagers are in 2nd section...middle. Yea...we paid too much for tickets...but hey...it's only money...right?
Maybe Sting will get ill during EC's set & we'll get to listen to 3 hours of EC & the Imposters
Re: Elvis/The Police Dallas, Tx. 5/21/2008
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent ... 67408.html
The Police find strange harmony in creative tension
12:00 AM CDT on Tuesday, May 20, 2008
By THOR CHRISTENSEN / The Dallas Morning News
tchristensen@dallasnews.com
Time supposedly heals all wounds, but not for the Police. The famously combative trio is still fighting, though not nearly as much these days.
"In olden times, we tore each other to shreds 24/7, but now it's only a couple hours a day and it's only about the music," says drummer Stewart Copeland.
"We get along just fine socially until we strap on. Then it's ... 'I can't believe you're playing that.' " Mr. Copeland talks easily about the band's infighting, as if it's perfectly natural. In a way, it is.
Friction between Mr. Copeland, Sting and Andy Summers caused the Police to break up in the mid-'80s at the peak of the group's stardom. But friction is also what made the band's music tick.
The Police's songs sounded like an explosion at a record store as jazz collided with pop, reggae, punk and world music. Today, a year after the band reunited, the discord continues to make for a strange harmony.
"It's part of the dynamic," says Mr. Copeland. "It's an odd match, and we twist each other into shapes that aren't necessarily comfortable. But it's what makes it what it is."
The reunion tour started in May 2007 on a typically tense note. After opening night, Mr. Copeland wrote on his blog that Sting "looks like a petulant pansy" and said: "There is something wrong. This is unbelievably lame. We are the mighty Police and we are totally lost at sea."
In retrospect, he says he's sorry he besmirched "my buddy Sting" and blames the toxic blog item on hyper self-criticism.
"That night, we blew the building to smithereens. It was an incredible concert by anyone's standards other than our humble selves, because you just have this unshakable feeling that it sucked," says Mr. Copeland.
"I wrote, 'The mighty Police are lame.' I think we're lame even when we're great."
The Police reunion has been a box-office smash, selling 1.8 million tickets in 2007 and grossing $212 million, according to Billboard. But not all the customers left the arena satisfied.
After the band played American Airlines Center in June, some fans wrote The News complaining about the new arrangements and slower tempos for classics such as "Roxanne" and "Wrapped Around Your Finger." They paid up to $225 and they wanted the hits exactly the way they remembered them.
"We can't help but throw stuff in there and ham it up, which makes each night a little different," Mr. Copeland says. "We try to keep it pretty close to the original, but we're living, breathing musicians. We keep ourselves entertained."
Last year, the Police toured with Fiction Plane, a forgettable trio led by Sting's son, Joe Sumner. This year, the opening act is Elvis Costello, who came from the same late-'70s British punk scene from which the Police emerged.
"We're rivals," the drummer says. "The rivalry wasn't between bands, more between songwriters who had different values: One was about the hook, the other was about the depth of the poetry, although I'm not gonna say which was which."
Most critics would say Elvis is the better poet and give Sting the edge in the hook department. Either way, it's a killer double bill.
"If the support act really wakes the place up, it's all the better for us," Mr. Copeland says. "But there aren't enough Wheaties on the planet for them to eat to catch us. That ain't gonna work."
Mr. Copeland, 55, Sting, 56, and Mr. Summers, 65, recently announced they'll go their separate ways again after a "last ever" show in New York City.
"We're such a force of revenue for so many people that the only way to get away from this behemoth is to put a stake through its heart and bury it, so everyone will get the message to go home and get another job," Mr. Copeland says.
The band hasn't yet set a date for the farewell show, and Mr. Copeland is in no hurry to do so.
Despite the creative bickering, the reunion has been profoundly moving, he says.
"The Police is kind of a church, and the concert is a liturgy of that which has gone before," he says. "When we play those songs, they're infused with two decades of people's lives. There's emotional baggage in those songs, and we feel the power of it. It's really something."
The Police find strange harmony in creative tension
12:00 AM CDT on Tuesday, May 20, 2008
By THOR CHRISTENSEN / The Dallas Morning News
tchristensen@dallasnews.com
Time supposedly heals all wounds, but not for the Police. The famously combative trio is still fighting, though not nearly as much these days.
"In olden times, we tore each other to shreds 24/7, but now it's only a couple hours a day and it's only about the music," says drummer Stewart Copeland.
"We get along just fine socially until we strap on. Then it's ... 'I can't believe you're playing that.' " Mr. Copeland talks easily about the band's infighting, as if it's perfectly natural. In a way, it is.
Friction between Mr. Copeland, Sting and Andy Summers caused the Police to break up in the mid-'80s at the peak of the group's stardom. But friction is also what made the band's music tick.
The Police's songs sounded like an explosion at a record store as jazz collided with pop, reggae, punk and world music. Today, a year after the band reunited, the discord continues to make for a strange harmony.
"It's part of the dynamic," says Mr. Copeland. "It's an odd match, and we twist each other into shapes that aren't necessarily comfortable. But it's what makes it what it is."
The reunion tour started in May 2007 on a typically tense note. After opening night, Mr. Copeland wrote on his blog that Sting "looks like a petulant pansy" and said: "There is something wrong. This is unbelievably lame. We are the mighty Police and we are totally lost at sea."
In retrospect, he says he's sorry he besmirched "my buddy Sting" and blames the toxic blog item on hyper self-criticism.
"That night, we blew the building to smithereens. It was an incredible concert by anyone's standards other than our humble selves, because you just have this unshakable feeling that it sucked," says Mr. Copeland.
"I wrote, 'The mighty Police are lame.' I think we're lame even when we're great."
The Police reunion has been a box-office smash, selling 1.8 million tickets in 2007 and grossing $212 million, according to Billboard. But not all the customers left the arena satisfied.
After the band played American Airlines Center in June, some fans wrote The News complaining about the new arrangements and slower tempos for classics such as "Roxanne" and "Wrapped Around Your Finger." They paid up to $225 and they wanted the hits exactly the way they remembered them.
"We can't help but throw stuff in there and ham it up, which makes each night a little different," Mr. Copeland says. "We try to keep it pretty close to the original, but we're living, breathing musicians. We keep ourselves entertained."
Last year, the Police toured with Fiction Plane, a forgettable trio led by Sting's son, Joe Sumner. This year, the opening act is Elvis Costello, who came from the same late-'70s British punk scene from which the Police emerged.
"We're rivals," the drummer says. "The rivalry wasn't between bands, more between songwriters who had different values: One was about the hook, the other was about the depth of the poetry, although I'm not gonna say which was which."
Most critics would say Elvis is the better poet and give Sting the edge in the hook department. Either way, it's a killer double bill.
"If the support act really wakes the place up, it's all the better for us," Mr. Copeland says. "But there aren't enough Wheaties on the planet for them to eat to catch us. That ain't gonna work."
Mr. Copeland, 55, Sting, 56, and Mr. Summers, 65, recently announced they'll go their separate ways again after a "last ever" show in New York City.
"We're such a force of revenue for so many people that the only way to get away from this behemoth is to put a stake through its heart and bury it, so everyone will get the message to go home and get another job," Mr. Copeland says.
The band hasn't yet set a date for the farewell show, and Mr. Copeland is in no hurry to do so.
Despite the creative bickering, the reunion has been profoundly moving, he says.
"The Police is kind of a church, and the concert is a liturgy of that which has gone before," he says. "When we play those songs, they're infused with two decades of people's lives. There's emotional baggage in those songs, and we feel the power of it. It's really something."
Re: Elvis/The Police Dallas, Tx. 5/21/2008
Elvis was great as usual! He was still sporting the black polka-dot shirt and the "throwback" sideburns. Didn't he wear the same shirt in the old "A Case for Song" video as well as Storytellers? Any hoo..... He began about 5 minutes early and ran through 11 songs in 50 minutes. (At least that was my recollection...had a few margaritas before the show) The sun was in his eyes for most or all of the show, but that didn't slow him down. Sting & the Police were showing their age. Sting looked like hell with the untrimmed, month old beard. They did play all of their old familiar hits, but sounded out of key at times. One song..."Don't Stand So Close to Me" was horribly out of key and had the audience shaking their head in disbelief.
EC Set List:
1. Stella Hurt
2. Pump It Up
3. Every Day I Write the Book - pretty cool "rock-like" arrangement
4. American Gangster Time
5. Flutter & Wow
6. Clubland - Loved it---Sounded Great!
7. No Hiding Place
8. Watching the Detectives - Crazy distorted guitar from EC...great stuff!
9. Alison - w/ Sting - very cool..."feel-good" moment of the set
10. Go Away
11. Peace Love & Understanding
The Imposters were as tight as ever. Steve Nieve had a wide variety of gadgets attached to his keyboards and looked like he enjoyed himself. Pete & Davey were very good - as usual. I hope to see him again soon as a solo act in about a 3 hour - 30+ song in a nice theater-type setting.
Hey "legman"...what did you think?
EC Set List:
1. Stella Hurt
2. Pump It Up
3. Every Day I Write the Book - pretty cool "rock-like" arrangement
4. American Gangster Time
5. Flutter & Wow
6. Clubland - Loved it---Sounded Great!
7. No Hiding Place
8. Watching the Detectives - Crazy distorted guitar from EC...great stuff!
9. Alison - w/ Sting - very cool..."feel-good" moment of the set
10. Go Away
11. Peace Love & Understanding
The Imposters were as tight as ever. Steve Nieve had a wide variety of gadgets attached to his keyboards and looked like he enjoyed himself. Pete & Davey were very good - as usual. I hope to see him again soon as a solo act in about a 3 hour - 30+ song in a nice theater-type setting.
Hey "legman"...what did you think?
Re: Elvis/The Police Dallas, Tx. 5/21/2008
Police, Elvis Costello and the Imposters help Superpages.com crowd party like it's 1983
12:00 AM CDT on Thursday, May 22, 2008
By CHRIS VOGNAR / The Dallas Morning News
cvognar@dallasnews.com
It's always a thrill to see a two-act bill featuring headliner-worthy acts. But it's even better when they share the stage for a few fleeting moments.
Hence the rush of energy early in Wednesday night's Police/Elvis Costello and the Imposters show at Superpages.com Center at Fair Park. Mr. Costello, the opener, was already putting on a gangbusters show when a guy in a Panama hat and a salt-and-pepper beard walked onstage to lend vocal support on "Alison."
Lo and behold, it was Sting, who pitched in on choruses and even got to do a solo verse. Some thirty years after Elvis and Sting came out of the English punk scene, their pop aim is still true.
Which isn't to say it sounded the same as it ever did – both sets featured new takes on old classics. That's probably a mental survival mechanism for the Police, who came through Dallas last June but haven't put out a new album in 25 years (and likely never again will). Mr. Costello, by contrast, just released the curiously titled Momofuku, from which he played a few songs during his 50-minute set.
The Police found interesting ways to tweak their hits, some of which worked better than others. In toning down and switching up his vocals on "When the World Is Running Down" and "Don't Stand So Close to Me," Sting diminished the energy of both songs. (The interpretive jog-dancer in front of me didn't seem to notice. I'd have had what he had, but it's probably illegal).
Other touches fared better, including a deconstructed "Roxanne" with some intriguing jazz phrasings. And on the frequent occasions when the band located and tore into a groove, with Stewart Copeland banging out the syncopation and Andy Summers coaxing otherworldly sounds from his guitar, it was time to party like it was 1983.
Mr. Costello, his eyebrows frequently raised from behind his signature black-framed glasses, proved a more-than-game opener. Highlights included a dubbed-up version of "Watching the Detectives," featuring inspired accents and flourishes from stalwart keyboard player Steve Nieve; and the new cut "Flutter and Wow," fueled by Mr. Costello's call-and-response exhortation of "Baby, shout out loud." The faithful were more than happy to comply.
12:00 AM CDT on Thursday, May 22, 2008
By CHRIS VOGNAR / The Dallas Morning News
cvognar@dallasnews.com
It's always a thrill to see a two-act bill featuring headliner-worthy acts. But it's even better when they share the stage for a few fleeting moments.
Hence the rush of energy early in Wednesday night's Police/Elvis Costello and the Imposters show at Superpages.com Center at Fair Park. Mr. Costello, the opener, was already putting on a gangbusters show when a guy in a Panama hat and a salt-and-pepper beard walked onstage to lend vocal support on "Alison."
Lo and behold, it was Sting, who pitched in on choruses and even got to do a solo verse. Some thirty years after Elvis and Sting came out of the English punk scene, their pop aim is still true.
Which isn't to say it sounded the same as it ever did – both sets featured new takes on old classics. That's probably a mental survival mechanism for the Police, who came through Dallas last June but haven't put out a new album in 25 years (and likely never again will). Mr. Costello, by contrast, just released the curiously titled Momofuku, from which he played a few songs during his 50-minute set.
The Police found interesting ways to tweak their hits, some of which worked better than others. In toning down and switching up his vocals on "When the World Is Running Down" and "Don't Stand So Close to Me," Sting diminished the energy of both songs. (The interpretive jog-dancer in front of me didn't seem to notice. I'd have had what he had, but it's probably illegal).
Other touches fared better, including a deconstructed "Roxanne" with some intriguing jazz phrasings. And on the frequent occasions when the band located and tore into a groove, with Stewart Copeland banging out the syncopation and Andy Summers coaxing otherworldly sounds from his guitar, it was time to party like it was 1983.
Mr. Costello, his eyebrows frequently raised from behind his signature black-framed glasses, proved a more-than-game opener. Highlights included a dubbed-up version of "Watching the Detectives," featuring inspired accents and flourishes from stalwart keyboard player Steve Nieve; and the new cut "Flutter and Wow," fueled by Mr. Costello's call-and-response exhortation of "Baby, shout out loud." The faithful were more than happy to comply.
Re: Elvis/The Police Dallas, Tx. 5/21/2008
http://www.star-telegram.com/live/story/660784.html
(extract)
Speaking of rich voices, Elvis Costello's was in fine form for his nearly hourlong opening set with the Imposters, which was highlighted by Sting's coming out to help Costello sing Alison, a surprisingly good meshing of disparate voices.
Costello and his band -- the ever-versatile keyboardist Steve Nieve, muscular drummer Pete Thomas and reliable vocalist/bassist Davey Faragher -- combined new stuff (picking the best cuts from the brand-new Momofuku) with Costello war horses (Alison, Watching the Detectives) and the occasional surprise (the 1983 hit Every Day I Write the Book; Clubland, the lead track from 1981's Trust).
But it must be a little frustrating for Costello, who has headlined North Texas shows many times, to be an opener, even if it does get his songs in front of a larger crowd than he usually plays to. By the end of his set, as he did extended versions of Watching the Detectives and (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding, you got the feeling that he didn't want to leave. Wonder if he went and jammed somewhere after the show?
Robert Philpot, 817-390-7872
rphilpot@star-telegram.com
(extract)
Speaking of rich voices, Elvis Costello's was in fine form for his nearly hourlong opening set with the Imposters, which was highlighted by Sting's coming out to help Costello sing Alison, a surprisingly good meshing of disparate voices.
Costello and his band -- the ever-versatile keyboardist Steve Nieve, muscular drummer Pete Thomas and reliable vocalist/bassist Davey Faragher -- combined new stuff (picking the best cuts from the brand-new Momofuku) with Costello war horses (Alison, Watching the Detectives) and the occasional surprise (the 1983 hit Every Day I Write the Book; Clubland, the lead track from 1981's Trust).
But it must be a little frustrating for Costello, who has headlined North Texas shows many times, to be an opener, even if it does get his songs in front of a larger crowd than he usually plays to. By the end of his set, as he did extended versions of Watching the Detectives and (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding, you got the feeling that he didn't want to leave. Wonder if he went and jammed somewhere after the show?
Robert Philpot, 817-390-7872
rphilpot@star-telegram.com
-
legman open to offers
- Posts: 326
- Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2003 1:13 pm
- Location: Sweet Sweet Mesquite Texas
Re: Elvis/The Police Dallas, Tx. 5/21/2008
Better be in your seats a few minutes before showtime, because I was taking a leak and I hear Stella Hurt kick off. Pump It Up was loud and sounding great, a little early in the set. Every Day I Write the Book is a very cool version these days, heard it last month too.
The guys are really getting comfortable with the new stuff. Gone is the music stand up front, and Davy is hitting back vocals really well.
50 minutes and 11 songs goes so fast. Not a lot of "singing" songs in the set. F&W, WTD, and Alison. The rest are almost just rapid musical talking songs. Hard to describe.
My plan of getting in the show cheaply and paying off an usher only worked halfway. Got in for cheap, $25 for lawn seats. LiveNation event staff was out in force, at least 2 or 3 at every aisle entrance. They were having none of my nonsense. There were plenty of empty seats back a bit, so I was able to at least find shade.
Thanks for posting the setlist TX Fan. Complete and accurate. We need to get together, we live so close.
The guys are really getting comfortable with the new stuff. Gone is the music stand up front, and Davy is hitting back vocals really well.
50 minutes and 11 songs goes so fast. Not a lot of "singing" songs in the set. F&W, WTD, and Alison. The rest are almost just rapid musical talking songs. Hard to describe.
My plan of getting in the show cheaply and paying off an usher only worked halfway. Got in for cheap, $25 for lawn seats. LiveNation event staff was out in force, at least 2 or 3 at every aisle entrance. They were having none of my nonsense. There were plenty of empty seats back a bit, so I was able to at least find shade.
Thanks for posting the setlist TX Fan. Complete and accurate. We need to get together, we live so close.
Now I'm the invisible man, and you can't see me.