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snurriGreg Kot wants me to be annoyed with the fact that the Police jazzed up their hits a bit, but I'm just not. If they'd done all the songs straight it wouldn't have been any different from putting the albums on a really big soundsystem and inviting 40,000 friends over. And really, Sting is the one who became the big wank, but all of these guys have a jazz background.
Kot also complains about Sting's nonsense choruses, like "Hee-yo, hee-yeah, hee-yeah-oh" and the omnipresent "Cha!" But dude, that's what makes a show like this for the crowd. That's why these guys were internationally humongous, because you didn't have to know a word of English to crowd into your local soccer stadium and exchange energy through sound. For every person there who knew every single word (and there were quite a lot of us, from the sound of things), there were three or four who only knew the hits and quite a few who didn't entirely have a handle on "Every Breath You Take." In a stadium show, for my money, the crowd's got to be involved, or it's not worth being there. And hearing that many people sing along--even if it's just "De do do do, de da da da"--is a powerful thing. When it's something like "So Lonely," it's even better (and surprising; I didn't expect so many people to know that one).
The one moment of perfect bliss in the show was when the boys did "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic." I mean, it's a perfect fucking song, so it's not surprising. I was singing, with my eyes closed, and every voice in the stadium was singing with me, and we were all moving, and it was just glorious.
Granted there were missteps--I agree with Kot that the digressive vocals on "Don't Stand So Close to Me" were excessive, and some of the lesser-known songs they decided to play were the more downbeat ones where the crowd's interest (at least, the casual fans) flagged a bit. But, come on. STEWART COPELAND HAD A BIG FUCKING GRIN ON HIS FACE FOR HALF THE SHOW. As Stewart goes, so goes my nation. I never got to see these guys play back in the day, and I don't expect ever to see them again. (Hell, I'll be surprised to go to another stadium show period.) It was worth it.
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In about three hours I get on a train headed back for St. Paul. But before I do I wanted to link y'all to Midori Snyder giving my Farrago's story major props. If you will excuse me, I must go squee now.
Kot also complains about Sting's nonsense choruses, like "Hee-yo, hee-yeah, hee-yeah-oh" and the omnipresent "Cha!" But dude, that's what makes a show like this for the crowd. That's why these guys were internationally humongous, because you didn't have to know a word of English to crowd into your local soccer stadium and exchange energy through sound. For every person there who knew every single word (and there were quite a lot of us, from the sound of things), there were three or four who only knew the hits and quite a few who didn't entirely have a handle on "Every Breath You Take." In a stadium show, for my money, the crowd's got to be involved, or it's not worth being there. And hearing that many people sing along--even if it's just "De do do do, de da da da"--is a powerful thing. When it's something like "So Lonely," it's even better (and surprising; I didn't expect so many people to know that one).
The one moment of perfect bliss in the show was when the boys did "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic." I mean, it's a perfect fucking song, so it's not surprising. I was singing, with my eyes closed, and every voice in the stadium was singing with me, and we were all moving, and it was just glorious.
Granted there were missteps--I agree with Kot that the digressive vocals on "Don't Stand So Close to Me" were excessive, and some of the lesser-known songs they decided to play were the more downbeat ones where the crowd's interest (at least, the casual fans) flagged a bit. But, come on. STEWART COPELAND HAD A BIG FUCKING GRIN ON HIS FACE FOR HALF THE SHOW. As Stewart goes, so goes my nation. I never got to see these guys play back in the day, and I don't expect ever to see them again. (Hell, I'll be surprised to go to another stadium show period.) It was worth it.
-------------------------------------
In about three hours I get on a train headed back for St. Paul. But before I do I wanted to link y'all to Midori Snyder giving my Farrago's story major props. If you will excuse me, I must go squee now.
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(no subject)
Date: 2007-07-06 06:25 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-07-06 07:05 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-07-08 03:14 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-07-06 10:00 pm (UTC)My big stadium experience was in the late 80s, I think. Anyway it was Billy Joel out on Long Island. Every person in every direction knew every word of every song and it was really fun.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-07-07 01:30 am (UTC)You can't be irritated that they're playing around with the music. Real rock fans live for that kind of noodling. Your observation that otherwise they could just put it on a big sound system and kick back is quite on. Unfortunately, that's how Alice in Chains sounded when I went to see them last November. Despite the fact that they had to replace St. Layne, AiC sounded, note for note, just as they had on recordings. This is both awe-inpsiring and awful, if you understand me.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-07-08 03:16 am (UTC)I've seen some bands do what Alice in Chains did. INXS, back in the day, was about the least inspired show I've ever seen.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-07-07 05:16 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-07-08 03:17 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-07-10 01:35 am (UTC)I've been listening to the Police during my commute. Most of it still holds up. The social commentary is still valid (and probably will always be) and the silly songs are still amusing.
One song that struck me was Too Much Information when I thought about how it was written back when only defense contractors knew of the internet.
Oh and I was suprised to find Be My Girl Sally was not a B-side but from Outlandos D'Amore.
And Darkness is still in my head...
(no subject)
Date: 2007-07-10 01:35 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-07-10 01:38 am (UTC)Yeah, "Be My Girl" was one of their earliest songs! They used to do it live, because they didn't have enough material to leave anything out.