No surprise here: the Police plan to release a live CD and DVD documenting the 2007-08 reunion tour.

Stewart Copeland confirmed the plan for Billboard.com, saying the sets will be drawn from shows recorded Dec. 1 and 2 in Buenos Aires, Argentina last year.

The DVD also will include a documentary about the reunion, "Better Than Therapy," directed by Copeland's son, Jordan.

"He totally gets right under our skins, the little bastard, and his analysis of the group is better than any I've seen," Copeland said. "It's unbelievable to see the early rehearsals compared to where we're at now. Some of them were so raw we had to take them out, some of the scenes. But he's still got the nitty gritty there, with us each grappling with the reality of life in the band again."

And despite the wishes of fans, the Police really do seem to be done this time. Copeland said that while there was a possible "who knows?" in the back of their minds, the tour was always planned "as a very finite thing." He said an attempt to record a new version of "Truth Hits Everybody" that reflected the newly slowed down (read: more boring) version played on tour failed. "We went into the studio, laid down a backing track and immediately disagreed about where to go with it."

Having seen the tour in Chicago last summer, I'll probably fork over money for these sets, more as a souvenir than with any hope of it being something I'll wear out from use. The band was at its peak when it recorded The Police Live! (and perhaps at its most dangerous on the earlier set from 1979 included in the set), and I don't reach for that more than once every few years. An older, grayer, slower version of the band (Police v. 2.old) might have tantalized live because it was my first and only chance to see it, but without that visceral rush, I fear the music will leave me cold.

Labels: music, the Police

If anyone doubted the wisdom of the Police getting back together and hitting the road, at least from an economic standpoint, this report from Billboard.com today will quash those doubts.

According to the story, the first leg of the tour grossed $107,592,002 from 38 shows selling 929,941 tickets, not including sets the band played at two large festivals. The show I saw at Wrigley Field in Chicago was part of the highest grossing stop on the tour, where the band pulled in nearly $9.5 million from 79,458 fans.

The band moves to Europe on the next leg, before returning the U.S. for a handful of shows before taking off again for Latin America, followed by Australia and Japan in early 2008.

After that will surely come the inevitable live album, DVD and, who knows, perhaps new material?

Labels: music, the Police

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

As expected, the Police reunion tour has led to considerable new product related to the band. First up, a two-disc best-of compilation coming June 5 from Interscope. The set, simply titled The Police, is the band's fifth best-of. No surprises in the track listing, save for the fact that it leans so heavily on the debut (with six of that album's 10 tracks) and Synchronicity (with a whopping eight of that disc's 11 tracks, missing only Stewart Copeland's "Miss Gradenko," Andy Summers' "Mother" and the live favorite "O My God.")

Copeland and Summers shouldn't feel slighted, however, as remastered versions of Summers' first collaboration with King Crimson's Robert Fripp, I Advance Masked, and Copeland's The Rhythmatist also will be issued that day. It's nice to see these two long-out-of-print titles see the light of day. Also in the works are a second Message in a Box boxed set and a rumored collection of new songs that would be issued at tour's end.

Also hitting shelves this year will be the book Lyrics by Sting, a collection of Mr. Sumner's verse from throughout his career. According to the press release from Bantam Dell, which also published Sting's memoir Broken Music, "Exclusive for this book, Sting has penned brand new commentary about the writing process of his songs, the albums and his career as a songwriter." That will be fairly pretentious, no doubt, but because Sting chose to bypass his career with the Police in the memoir, it's the first chance fans will have to read about the creative process behind the band's biggest hits in Sting's own words.

Another book about the Police, this one self-published through Lulu.com, is available now. An Investigation Into The Records Of The Police, subtitled "The Ultimate Discography Of The Police, Stewart Copeland, Sting, Andy Summers & Henry Padovani," was written by journalist Jon Messier. At 600 pages, it is surely the most exhaustive document about the band ever published, and one that will bring into focus the surprising breadth of experience the trio brought to bear on the Police.

An interesting interview with all three Policemen can be found on Sting's site. Chrissy Iley with the Sunday Times of London had considerable access to the trio leading up to and during the reunion performances and announcements earlier this year. In it, Sting talks about the tension that continues to affect the way the three approach their songs: "There is a lot of work to be done. I have developed a lot of these songs as a solo performer, so they are very different. There are rhythmical and structural differences I've woven in and haven't shared with the others, and they were like, 'What's this?' They said they want to do it the way it was in 1982. I said I want it to represent who we are now as musicians. We had a negotiation about the way to keep things fresh and also respect what we did before. And that's ongoing and I think it's exciting."

Labels: music, the Police

Someone somewhere did an interview with Andy Summers recently, and two quotes from it are blazing around the Internet. They involve new material and Summers' shock that the reunited Police are selling out their shows:

"I was shocked, I have to admit. I thought we'd do alright on ticket sales but I never expected such a high demand. We were booked to play arenas on many of the dates but we ended up having to upgrade to stadiums. It's pretty daunting I have to admit."

"If we do well with these concerts we may well make a sixth album. I can't see why not. We've been jamming acoustically lately and we've been really enjoying it. We'll be playing a couple of new songs at the shows in the summer."

Meanwhile, he shared some trepidation about the tour with the BBC: "We're about to launch into this massive tour - 92 shows and upward wondering 'how am I going to survive this mentally? Phsyically? What disciplines am I going to I have to get me through all the next year?'. Apart from the fact that I've got to play guitar very well and be on stage every night."

Things seem to be going well in rehearsals, and while it doesn't sound like we can expect Bob Dylan-level reworkings of the old material, they are playing with arrangements, according to Summers: "You know, playing around with the arrangements here and there to make it fresh and interesting for us, I think actually we're going to play these songs better than we've ever played them."

Labels: music, the Police

Yes, I shelled out big bucks for two tickets to the Police show July 5 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, but I still have a sense of humor about the band. I recognize their excesses and acknowledge the fact that I'm paying through the nose to relive my youth. So sue me.

About that humor -- I can't be the only one who finds this bit of, um, synchronicity funny: The company contracted to film the band's world tour with an eye toward TV specials and DVD releases is Graying & Balding Inc. Seriously. Here's the press release:

LOS ANGELES, March 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Graying and Balding, Inc. has been tapped to document the highly anticipated Police World Tour. Graying & Balding's award-winning production team, led by Jim Gable and Ann Kim, will film The Police as they embark on their first worldwide tour in over 20 years. Concert footage from a variety of stops on the tour will eventually be released as a DVD and will be featured in various television specials.

Never mind the fact that the entire tour could be dubbed "Graying & Balding Inc." thanks to Stewart's silver mane and that backward creeping hairline on Sting.

Oh well, I consider all of this an investment, either in my entertainment or in my kid's college education. Greg Kot with the Chicago Tribune reports that ticket brokers already are asking for as much as $3,400 per ticket for the show. A second one was added after the first sold out, but I expect that one will sell out quickly, too.

Labels: music, the Police

The reunion tours keep piling up, with Squeeze the latest group to reform for some live dates. The band hung it up after 1998's Domino, with leaders Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford going their separate ways and embarking on solo careers. Tilbrook's was the more successful, spawning two pretty great discs in The Incomplete Glenn Tilbrook and Transatlantic Ping Pong. The tour for the first disc was documented in the quirky and compelling documentary film One for the Road.

Now, Difford, Tilbrook and who knows who else will reform this fall to play shows in the UK, and reportedly in the U.S. as well. They're doing so to help promote re-releases of their back catalog by Universal and Warners. There's been no other word about the reissue project or the shows beyond that posted on Tilbrook's web site (which seems to be down as I write this, but trust me, it's there). I was never the biggest Squeeze fan, getting by for a long time with the Singles: 45s and Under collection that everyone seemed to have in high school. After seeing Tilbrook on a solo acoustic show in support of his first solo record, however, I was hooked. I picked up a bit of the band's back catalog and would now go out of my way to see the reformed group.

In other reunion news, there is speculation that the Police might emulate the Pixies by recording all of the shows on their tour and then sell the instant results to fans exiting the shows. According to this report, that could add as much as $3.2 million to what will already be an astronomical take for the band. One assumes that this entire affair will be filmed, recorded and otherwise documented with mucho merchandising in mind, so I wonder how this instant-live album plan might mesh with the assumed live CD-DVD set that will surely be issued at the tour's conclusion.

Labels: music, the Police

According to Billboard.com, The Police will indeed hit the road for about 80 shows this year, starting in May in Vancouver, hitting the Bonnaroo festival on June 16, and taking in stops all over the world through the fall. It will be a pricey ticket, with costs ranging between $50 and $225, according to the story.

That leaves today's announcement/rehearsal at LA's Whisky-a-Go-Go to learn specific details about all of the dates and, more importantly, how to get tickets.

Reactions were mixed to last night's Grammy performance. Jon Pereles with the New York Times said, "Sometimes the oldies worked, as television if not as pop promotion. They did last night when the reunited Police charged through “Roxanne” to open the show." Others called the performance of "Roxanne" rusty.

Still, the hype surrounding the band will certainly be enough to justify Billboard.com's claim that "it is highly likely that the Police will be the top-grossing tour of 2007."

Labels: music, the Police

I must admit, it brought a smile to my face to hear Sting intone, "We're the Police, and we're back!" as the band opened the Grammy's with an inventive run through "Roxanne." Everyone looked a bit older, but the band certainly acquitted itself with aplomb. After all of the hype, it would have been nice to hear more than one song, but it was a nice teaser for Monday's expected world tour announcement.

Labels: music, the Police

It comes as no surprise at this point, but now it's official:

"In an historic Grammy moment, the Police (Sting, Stewart Copeland, and Andy Summers) will reunite and perform together for the first time on the Grammys when they open the 40th Annual Grammy Awards telecast on Feb. 11."

I'm as excited as anyone, having never had the chance as a kid to see what was then my favorite band. It's a good thing I've found gainful employment in the past 25 years, as I'm sure it'll cost an arm and a leg to see the near-certain tour that will follow this re-emergence. Still, there is a part of me that feels the band should stay on the shelf. As Stewart Copeland told Uncut earlier this month, they truly did go out on top:

"We never saw the other side of the parabola: every album was bigger than the one before it; every single stayed at Number One in the charts longer than the previous single; every show was bigger than the last. And then we quit. So the Police experience is quite pristine in terms of what we accomplished. But I don’t think in terms of 'spoiling' the past and, if there was a show, I would have no doubt that the three of us would be everything that we’d need to be. But no, we won’t do it."

So much for that. Here's hoping those rehearsals in Vancouver are going well. If the band isn't "everything they need to be," it will be a sad coda.

Labels: music, the Police

While we await official word of a Police reunion, another favorite band seems poised to reunite. Word out of Australia is that Crowded House will reform and perform at the Coachella Valley Music Festival in April. Initially, that was where the Police were to resurface, with reports that the password for ticket presales was a not-too-coy "Roxanne." Now the rumors indicate that the Police will make their bow at the Grammys on Feb. 11 (with strong rumors that the band's festival of choice is now Bonnaroo), leaving Coachella as the reunion headquarters for other groups. In addition to Crowded House, Rage Against the Machine, the Jesus & Mary Chain and the Happy Mondays all plan to reform for the festival, and there may be more.

As for Crowded House, the timing makes sense. The 10th anniversary edition of its farewell concert, Farewell to the World, was released this winter on DVD and CD, meaning interest in the band is as high as it has been in, well, a decade. Neil Finn has a new solo album due in March that features bass playing by Crowded House's Nick Seymour. The bittersweetness of all of this is that drummer Paul Hester cannot rejoin his mates, having commited suicide two years ago. According to Australia's Daily Telegraph newspaper, Finn and Seymour are auditioning drummers. No word on whether latter-day keyboardist Mark Hart will be a part of the reunited group.

Labels: Crowded House, music, the Police

With all of the rumors swirling about a possible reunion of the Police -- complete with talk of a possible tour and some sort of catch-all boxed set -- it was fortuitous that my local library had just received a copy of Andy Summers' memoir, One Train Later. In it, Summers recounts his musical journey, from the time he first picked up a guitar, through stints with Zoot Money's Big Roll Band, Soft Machine, the Animals and Kevin Ayers, all the way through until the Police's big show at Shea Stadium in 1983, one of their last.

Unlike Sting, whose Broken Music stopped just as the Police were starting, Summers is willing to rehash everything, offering insight into the inner workings of what was at the time the biggest band in the world. Beyond that, however, he proves himself to be a sharp observer who has a way with words. His descriptions of some of the developing-world places the Police played once they had become superstars are as illuminating as any contemporaneous news report, and his accounts of being conflicted as the band was wined and dined amid brutal poverty and oppression are eye-openingly frank and insightful.

As a fan of the Police, I was eager to learn what I could about the band and its creative process. Summers puts things into perspective, and leads the reader to the conclusion that the breakup was inevitable, perhaps even staved off by the sheer momentum of what had by the end become a mammoth machine. What I once saw as discarded potential I now see as a freeing of the creativity of three people who had likely exhausted their ability to work within the frame work of the band they had created. Sting might have preciptated the split with his desire to go solo, but it is clear that all three wanted to be able to pursue their own music without the meddling of the others. Summers had already released an instrumental disc with fellow guitarist Robert Fripp by the time the Police's last disc, Synchronicity, was released, and Stewart Copeland didn't take long to jump into projects like the sountrack to "Rumblefish" and a jaunt to Africa that yielded The Rhythmatist.

As a fan, I'm conflicted, too. I would have loved to have heard what the band created after Synchronicity (the fairly awful "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86" notwithstanding), but know it was better for the band's legacy and the sanity of its members that they split. Now, with the promise of a new tour and possibly new music, I wonder how such endeavors will fit with the band's overall body of work. They're the only band I can think of save for Creedence Clearwater Revival that went out on top, stopping with their best-selling and best work. Nearly every other band (and politician, business person, author, athlete, etc.) feels they have "one more" in them and overstays their welcome. I've always liked that the Police knew when to hang it up. It's clear from my enthusiastic reading of One Train Later, however, than I'm also ready for more.

Labels: music, the Police

After finally getting the chance to see Stewart Copeland's film about his time in the Police, "Everyone Stares," it was hard not to feel that the band had more life in it. Recent interviews with Copeland, Andy Summers and Sting have revealed quite a bit of fondness for their time together, and as certain anniversaries approach, a reunion makes a lot of sense.

According to Billboard.com this morning, I'm not the only one who feels that way. A story on the site reports that "rumors are swirling" about an impending reunion tour. A report on Sting's web site reminds readers that 2007 is the 30th (!) anniversary of the band's breakout single, "Roxanne," and that some sort of commemoration is in the works. Be it yet another greatest hits disc, a boxed set (though how you top the closet clearing Message in a Box I have no idea) or a tour, it seems the event will not pass unnoted.

The time is certainly right. Copeland's film, while a bit on the short side and somewhat lacking in context -- excusably so -- thanks to its single narrative thread stemming from what Copeland saw throught he lens of his camera and then, 25 years later, what he thought about it, rekindles the fire. Andy Summers' new memoir, One Train Later, only adds to it. As Summers is quoted as saying in the Billboard piece, "We were definitely not in a creative dry space. We could have easily carried on, and we could probably still be there." Never mind the fact that "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86" wasn't the best note to end on.

In other news, TIRBD favorites Track a Tiger are the focus of a Daytrotter Session up today. Check it out to hear four live tracks from one of 2006's pleasant surprises. Head TAT'r Jim Vallet also reports that a follow-up to last year's great Woke Up Early the Day I Died is in the works.

Labels: music, the Police