Sting at Burg Clam: The Full Power of Routine...

Sting conquered the sold-out Burg Clam and around 9,000 fans – not for the first time: At his concert as part of the "57th & 9th" tour on Tuesday evening, it was once again the old "Police" band that provided full throttle, garnished with a few fine Sting solo hits to warm the soul. There were no surprises in the program. But Sting proved that "routine" can also be great fun.

The current tour, with its small lineup, is pretty pared down: long-time Sting guitarist Dominic Miller, drummer Josh Freese, and Miller's son Rufus on second guitar, plus, of course, Sting himself on bass. However, Chief Police Officer Sting has brought in some reinforcements: his eldest son, Joe Sumner, from his first marriage to actress Francis Tomelty; and the brilliant accordionist Percy Cardona of The Last Bandoleros, who provided backing vocals on Sting's current album. Joe Sumner not only confidently performed the supporting act – briefly introduced by Sting – on guitar alone, but also sang backup vocals for the main act. Thus, two great father-son combinations were on stage: the Sumners and the Millers.
 

Musically, the focus was clearly on Police's uptempo hits: starting with "Synchronicity II," immediately followed by the similarly fast "Spirits In The Material World." The band then slowed down a bit with a version of "Englishman In New York," which was very close to reggae. Shortly after, the rock 'n' roller "She's Too Good For Me" featured brilliant accordion interludes from Percy Cardona. "Fields Of Gold" and "Shape Of My Heart" sounded almost acoustically smooth over the edge of the stage onto the densely packed Maierhofwiese, before the band really stepped up the pace again with "One Fine Day" and the brilliant "Message In A Bottle."

To which Joe Sumner (40) – in German – remarked about his 65-year-old father: "Daddy is a bit tired" – and sang David Bowie's "Ashes to Ashes" alone, with a magnificent voice that, by the way, can in no way deny its heritage. The Bowie hit then transitioned into the anthemic "50,000" with the full band, heralding the climax: "So Lonely" in the most efficient "Police" manner, followed by "Desert Rose" in Sting's songwriting transgression into the oriental, and finally, once again, "Police" gems with "Roxanne," in whose extended version the master also embedded the Bill Withers classic "Ain't No Sunshine Anymore."
 

The encore was a final "Police" rocker, "Next To You," followed by the Sting smash hit "Every Breath You Take," and at the very end - as brilliant as it was almost inevitable - "Fragile." Sting presented himself at Burg Clam with a refreshingly composed and experienced voice in the best sense of the word. He's also a confident bassist, who, with great ease, provides a solid foundation for the songs. How comforting it is to hear a crystal-clear sound at an open-air concert from a star who simply plays good music and thus brings joy to the fans - without the exaggerated showmanship of others who, as rock dinosaurs, absolutely need the grand gesture of "Look, with my amazing rock 'n' roll lifestyle, I should have been dead 30 years ago, but I can still play fast, spectacular riffs on my guitar."

(c) Salzburger Nachrichten