They Rocked

That is, The Police--they rocked. Hard. Sure, each band member is over 50 and needs to conserve energy to get through a set (about 1.5 hours) and three encores, but I was not disappointed. The performance wasn't perfect--there were plenty of miscues and missed words, and it often seemed as if the band was holding back (again, conserving energy or reluctance to have too much fun). That said, watching Sting and Andy jam and Stewart wail on drums was worth every penny spent on tickets ($180 + processing fees), parking ($15), beer ($12 for two), and kidsitter ($40).

Most songs had been rearranged, which made it challenging to figure out which song the band was playing next. The reworked songs demonstrated how The Police were able to keep their music relevant after 24 years of not making music together, as well as helped them avoid the embarrassment of the "aging rock star trying to relive former glory" syndrome.

Here's the playlist:

1. Message in a Bottle
2. Synchronicity II
3. Walking on the Moon
4. Voices in My Head/When the World Is Running Down… (unexpected and well done)
5. Don’t Stand So Close to Me (absolutely timeless--The Police could record this arrangement and it would be better than most single being released today)
6. Driven to Tears (bass-driven)
7. Truth Hits Everybody
8. Bed’s Too Big without You (amped up the reggae for this number)
9. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
10. Wrapped around Your Finger
11. De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da
12. Invisible Sun (brilliant, even with the children-of-war slide show)
13. Walking in Your Footsteps (better than recorded)
14. Can’t Stand Losing You

First encore: Roxanne (again, better than recorded)
Then: King of Pain, So Lonely (my favorite of the songs played), Every Breath You Take (hard to sit through, even live)
One last song: Next to You (next favorite)

John and I had so much fun, and it was thrilling to be part of a sold-out show.