The Police / Starsailor

Eight months on and The Police finally hit Manchester. Now I do not mean as a response to the day the Ranger's fans came to town, I mean the 80's musical legends. The trio that pushed forward the interesting combination of reggae and rock, with great lyrics to boot (well, maybe not "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da...") are back for one final tour, and this is the first of two nights in Manchester.

It's hard to be the support act for anyone as big as The Police, but Starsailor have a huge chunk of the sell out crowd watching them. And that's saying a lot, as even the back of the arena is full (those with the rear view). James Walsh's distinctive vocals carry well across the huge space, but their music is not as uplifting as what we are about to expect. The hits including 'Silence Is Easy' are the most well received, but I would have rather if anything watched original support act Fiction Plane (Sting's son's band) for the first time.

There's no preparation for the band's arrival on stage, the interval music shuts off simultaneously with the house lights, and it's straight into 'Bring On The Night'. It’s not until the unmistakable riff from 'Message In A Bottle' booms out that the crowd really get into the swing.

It must be said that the sound is a little muffled; I am sat in the rafters but not too far back, and it doesn't seem to be carrying well; Stings vocals and the whole thing just sound a bit stifled. I bet it sounds better if you're standing on the floor area, but you know what, they don't let you find that out. How else am I gonna get this pack of Strepsils in my bag over to the stage if Stings throat goes again, by carrier pigeon?!

Guitarist Andy Summers does a great job of the many guitar solos that are thrown into songs like 'Can't Stand Losing You' and 'Voices In My Head', as does drummer Stewart Copeland, using various sized splash cymbals for 'Wrapped Around Your Finger', including that huge gong (which we would all secretly like to have a go at hitting!). He can't keep hold of his drum sticks though; he is forever throwing them over his shoulder or in the air after completion of a song.

Sadly the upbeat 'Synchronicity II' is missing from the set, but the range of hits is enough for any fan. They also include a few chilled out versions of lesser known tracks from the early albums ('Voices Inside My Head', 'Hole In My life', 'Bring On The Night').

Bobby Sager's visuals of children shown as a photo montage during 'Invisible Sun' is hard to ignore, a lot more than the flashing red L.E.D. digits that crop up now and again over the screens (the three main shapes are meant to be the band members; I'm still struggling to see how). Most people's eyes are on the band however, with the now middle-aged lads looking as good and playing as good they did back in the early eighties.

Many of us are here (people are lying if they deny it) for the encore. 'Roxanne', 'King Of Pain', 'So Lonely' and the one they will be remembered for 'Every Breath You Take' let us all leave feeling fulfilled. Summer’s even let’s us in early on the second encore of 'Next To You', finishing back where they started in 1978. The group bow at the end, and we bid a tearful farewell to the band for good (unless you’re going to their last UK show at Hyde Park Calling, of even their very last show ever at Madison Square Garden in New York).

Bring On The Night
Message In A Bottle
Walking On The Moon
Demolition Man
Voices Inside My Head
When The World Is Running Down
Driven To Tears
Hole In My life
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
Wrapped Around Your Finger
De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da
Invisible Sun
Can't Stand Losing You

Roxanne
King Of Pain
So Lonely
Every Breath You Take

Next To You

FUTURE GIGS

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