Englishman in Hanover: Relaxed Sting kicks off his German tour...

Hanover. He doesn't have a spectacular stage show, but instead impresses with his charisma and his many hits, from "So Lonely" to "Englishman in New York" to "Fields of Gold": Hanover was the first German stop on Thursday on the "My Songs" tour of the now 67-year-old global star Sting.

Clothed in black jeans and a tight T-shirt, the musician greeted the approximately 10,000 spectators at the former Expo site. For almost two hours, the singer and bassist took the audience on a journey back in time to the 70s, 80s, and 90s.

The slim Brit with the muscular upper arms presented the classics of his former band The Police in a new guise. "My Songs" is the title of his latest album, featuring, as he himself puts it, the "songs of his life." When aging musicians can't come up with anything new, they're forced to record a "best of" album, critics might argue. However, the gently modernized songs still work. The opening act is "Message In A Bottle," which draws you into the concert like a vortex and has the fans, some of them already graying, jumping wildly in front of the stage from the very beginning.
 

New Wave, Reggae, Rock, Pop, and Jazz: The ten-time Grammy-winning artist blends various styles into his signature Sting sound. With "Get Up, Stand Up," he pays homage to reggae icon Bob Marley. The guitar riff from Sting's "Shape of My Heart" was recently used by teen rapper Juice Wrld for his hit song "Lucid Dreams." In Hanover, the two songs merge, and Sting's backup singer receives extra applause for this.

According to his concert promoter, the musician, born Gordon Sumner, has sold 100 million albums with The Police and as a solo artist. On stage, the 67-year-old with the three-day beard appears completely at ease, cheerful, relaxed, and modest. His stage name doesn't really fit—but apparently, he was nicknamed Sting, meaning "sting," at the beginning of his career because of a wasp-like yellow and black striped sweater.

His current bandmates on the “My Songs” tour are much younger than Sting: in addition to the second singer, there is a female singer, two guitarists, a drummer, a keyboardist and a harmonica player, whose solo parts are also celebrated.

 
In the audience, there are many couples dancing together, beaming with happiness. "The hits immediately bring back the feelings of those days, the falling in and out of love," says Regina (57) from near Hildesheim after the show, before heading home with her husband. "It was perfect."

(c) Volksfreund by Christina Sticht