Arizona Republic, May 25, 2008

Bibliography   72 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 UK & Ireland weeklies UK & Ireland magazines UK & Ireland newspapers US newspapers US rock magazines US music magazines US magazines US alternative weeklies European magazines European newspapers Canada  •  Mexico  •  Asia Australia  •  New Zealand South America  •  Africa Blogs  •  Fanzines  •  Books Online publications Arizona Republic   1977 November 27 1978 April 7 1982 July 27 1983 September 8 1986 May 21 1989 February 24 1994 May 19 1996 June 28 1998 July 9 1999 June 3 2001 May 20 2002 September 29 2002 October 3 2005 March 6 2008 May 19 2008 May 25 2009 May 31 2010 April 8 2010 April 10 2011 August 8 2016 April 9 2016 August 30 2018 October 11 2021 July 27 2023 June 20 Arizona publications  Arizona Daily Star Arizona Republic Casa Grande Dispatch Kingman Daily Miner Mesa Tribune Mohave Daily Miner No. Arizona Univ. Lumberjack Phoenix New Times Prescott Courier Record Digest Tucson Citizen Tucson Weekly US publications by state  AL  •  AK  •  AR  •  AZ  •  CA CO  •  CT  •  DC  •  DE  •  FL GA  •  HI  •   IA   •   ID   •   IL   IN   •  KS  •  KY  •  LA   •  MA MD  •  ME  •   MI  •  MN  •  MO MS  •  MT  •  NC  •  ND  •  NE NH  •  NJ  •  NM  •  NV  •  NY OH  •  OK  •  OR  •  PA  •  RI SC  •  SD  •  TN  •  TX  •  UT  VA  •  VT  •  WA  •  WI  •  WY — The Police, Costello work the crowd at Cricket Ed Masley The freedom to go back in and second-guess those old Police arrangements was clearly a major condition of Sting going back on the road with the band he swore he'd never reunite. That much was obvious from the opening notes of the opening song of the reunited trio's second stop in Phoenix Saturday night at the Cricket Wireless Pavilion — a haunting arrangement of "Bring on The Night" with Andy Summers raining feedback over the delicate Spanish guitar line Sting was finger-picking on what certainly appeared to be the world's tiniest guitar. Those elements may have been there on Reggatta De Blanc, but the moodier context of the new arrangement really drew them out on Saturday. "Wrapped Around Your Finger" was even more intriguing, with Stewart Copeland adding xylophone and exotica-flavored percussion over a drum loop. Copeland also added xylophone to "King Of Pain," another song that benefited greatly from a more subdued approach. Other highlights found them sticking closer to the old arrangements. "Message In A Bottle," "Can't Stand Losing You," "So Lonely" and a late-night "Next To You" were all spirited blasts. What didn't seem to work so well was the wealth of exhaustive guitar leads. Andy Summers was among the more inventive lead guitarists on Top 40 radio back in the day, but much of what he played in Phoenix seemed closer in spirit to Stevie Ray Vaughan. Another noticeable difference didn't have as much to do with anyone's artistic vision as it had to do with someone backing down from notes that may have been a little easier to hit back in the '80s. If he'd substituted decent hooks, it might have been OK, but several songs were clearly missing something -- "When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What's Still Around," "Don't Stand So Close to Me," "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" and "Roxanne" in particular (although "Roxanne" still sounded great). Sting can work a crowd, though. Early in the set, he joked, "I was a little worried because of the cold, you wouldn't come out. But I suppose it's a luxury for you." And he certainly seemed to be having more fun than his band mates. Maybe he caught it from Elvis Costello. A bearded Sting came out to share the mic on "Alison" midway through a brief but brilliant opening set by Costello, who strolled on stage and dove headfirst into the raunchy blues-punk riff of "Stella Hurt," one of several highlights plucked from this year's model, Momofuku. His Imposters could have held their own against the White Stripes as Pete Thomas pounded out the beat and Steve Nieve reasserted his claim on best organist ever while Costello attacked his guitar in a solo that squeezed out raw emotion like Neil Young with something left to prove. The intensity never wavered, finding an obvious outlet in songs as fast and furious as "Pump It Up," "Radio, Radio," "(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea," an anthemic "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding" and Momofuku highlights "Go Away," "No Hiding Place" and "American Gangster Time." "Watching The Detectives" had its own film-noirish urgency, and the ballads were, in some ways, even more intense. "Flutter & Wow," another Momofuku highlight, could have been mistaken for a great lost Otis Redding song, and "Alison" was great, while "Everyday I Write The Book," his first of only two Top 40 singles, was completely reinvented as a stunning Memphis soul song. The arrangement was amazing, building to a soulful climax, stopping on a dime and then bringing it down to build it all back up again. It proved the unexpected highlight of a set that found Costello still firmly entrenched at the top of his game, with one eye on the past and both feet planted firmly in the future. Tags: Cricket Wireless Pavilion  •  Phoenix  •  Arizona  •  The Imposters  •  The Police  •  Sting  •  Andy Summers  •  Stewart Copeland  •  Roxanne  •  Alison  •  Stella Hurt  •  Momofuku  •  Pete Thomas  •  Steve Nieve  •  Neil Young  •  Pump It Up  •  Radio, Radio  •  (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea  •  (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?  •  Go Away  •  No Hiding Place  •  American Gangster Time  •  Watching The Detectives  •  Flutter & Wow  •  Otis Redding  •  Everyday I Write The Book Copyright 2008, azcentral.com. All rights reserved. << >> Arizona Republic, May 25, 2008 Ed Masley reviews The Police with opening act Elvis Costello & The Imposters, Saturday, May 24, 2008, Cricket Wireless Pavilion, Phoenix, Arizona.

External links

• AZCentral.com
• Wikipedia: The Arizona Republic
• Elvis Costello Fan Forum