by Dasha Black
55,000 Los Angelinos were assaulted by what may be the worst cover band in history, The Police. Sting and his boys, after 20-plus years apart, generated tremendous heat after announcing they would reunite, tour, and play their old material. But the band squandered that heat by touring with poorly rearranged hit songs.
Original tempo, key, and song structure were altered for the reunion tour. Songs that were once easy to dance to and sing to became unrecognizable. The tunes lost their “Police” vibe. Their crisp punk-reggae-jazz fusion grooves were switched with the watered down academic Jazz sound Sting has become known for. Audience disappointment was palpable.
Worse, the band seemed to know the show was lousy. Andy Summers’ guitar solos were shrill and uninspired, and he wore a mask of uncertainty much of the night. Sting looked apathetic and having little to say to the audience, masked this with a “clap your hands and sing along” routine. Although Steward Copeland dutifully banged out a two-hour set, his blank expression betrayed an inertia he most certainly felt throughout the night.
The opening act, Foo Fighters, kicked out a high-octane, no frills, rock show that promised an equally solid main event. But it was not to be, as the Police never kept pace. This two-hour set was doomed from the start.