As he probably has at every stop on the Police's reunion tour this summer, Sting tweaked the line "welcome to this one-man show" in the lyrics of "So Lonely," replacing "one-man" with "Andy Summers," then taking another spin through the verse to call it the "Stewart Copeland show." Whether it's a response to the well-worn fact that the three bandmates really don't like each other or simply a well-scripted cue for solo shots of the guitarist and drummer on the video screens above the stage, it's a cute if not terribly heartfelt shout out. The most interesting line of the song, however, is one that didn't change: "I always play the starring role." The difference between this being a Sting solo show or a Police concert is obviously the presence of Copeland and Summers, but without Sting, there would be no Police show, and that was clear every moment of Thursday's sold-out concert at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

As such, the show soared or sunk depending on the frontman. Sting seemed engaged and on top of his game for most of the set, so the show was largely successful. The few times when he let things slip -- either because of key changes to songs that better fit his diminished range or because of a lack of interest -- it was obvious that Sting is the engine that drives the Police. The show started slowly, something attributable as much to the stadium's configuration as to the band's performance. With only the fattest of cats in front of the stage, and a several-yard gap between those seats and fans in the stands who were unwilling to part with $250 for the show, connecting took some time. As Sting's son, Joe Sumner, said from the stage during his band Fiction Plane's 30-minute opening act, "I wouldn't be able to hear you if you shouted for the rest of your lives." But once the sun went down and the light show took over, the Police clicked and the show took off.

That meant a slow build through "Message in a Bottle," "Synchronicity II" and "Walking on the Moon" (with an overlong audience participation segment) in the waning daylight. A segue from "Voices Inside My Head" into "When the World Is Running Down" sparked a bit of fire, but then Sting doused that with a bland, seemingly disinterested vocal on "Don't Stand So Close to Me." So, the first mega-hit of the night was a dud, and the subsequent run through several early tracks -- "Driven to Tears," "Truth Hits Everybody" and "The Bed's Too Big Without You" -- failed to engage all but the most diehard fans. The band played well, but the trio definitely needed the excitement of seeing a previously impossible occurrence on a gorgeous night at Wrigley to keep the crowd hooked.

Then, just as dusk turned to night, the band caught fire with "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic." Sting seemed to embrace the playful nature of the song, and the band's fiery performance overcame the lack of keyboards and multi-layered tracks that bolster the tune on Ghost in the Machine. The song seemed to energize band and audience alike, and save for a couple of slowed tempos that made some songs drag, the rest of the concert was fantastic. While everything in the set was a hit, the final run that included "Wrapped Around Your Finger" and the massive crowd sing-along "Roxanne" was everything one expected from this show.

By the time the band emerged for the first of two encores to tackle "King of Pain, "So Lonely" and Every Breath You Take" (which couples still swooned to despite Sting's assertion for the past 24 years that it's about a stalker), the literal gulf between band and audience had been bridged. Of course, why leave well enough alone? The trio returned for a second encore, a ragged run through "Next to You" that showed that while Copeland and Summers still have considerable chops, the manic tempos of their youth are largely beyond their grasp. Not that it mattered. This was no novelty act, but rather a band of pros who, while they may not like each other very much, certainly make great music together.

The question is, will that continue? Everything about this tour is steeped in nostalgia. The T-shirts feature images of the band from its earliest days, the color scheme of the tour mimics that of Synchronicity and the fast-cut video montage accompanying the set-closing "Next to You" (the first song on the band's debut disc) was a compendium of snapshots from throughout the band's history. The thing is, even 25 years later, no groups really sound like the Police. That was evident upon hearing Fiction Plane. That band's first disc was an edgy slab of modern, angular pop. In comparison, it's opening set on Thursday was composed of songs from its new second disc that sounded like those of a band trying to mimic the Police -- not an unwise move for a band with a vocalist who looks and sounds like the guy fronting the band that drew 40,000 people to the stadium -- and it sounded strange for the fact that no one else has tried to do it before. The tour is proving that people love this sound and the last three decades have proved that no one else seems capable of pulling it off (Sting on his own included), so who knows what the future holds? For now it is enough to have finally seen the band, had a great experience and been left wanting more.

Labels: music, the Police