(Ghost in the) Time Machine

In August 1983 I didn't know the Synchronicity tour was to be the last by The Police. None of us did. But it was the show I was looking forward to, a chance to see the boys at the Capital Centre, this time from the vantage of a skybox. My band, DV8, had had a decent summer, and our closing song had almost always been an extended version of "So Lonely." Driving home from the Cap Centre, we were talking about their new album.

24 years later, I get to see The Police again. The Cap Centre is long gone, replaced by a shopping center. Now we're downtown at the Verizon, and from the opening chords of "Message in a Bottle," it's clear that the Police haven't spent those 24 years counting their money. Sting is still lean and lanky and the most confident man in the world. Stewart Copeland still has that intensity coupled with the suggestion that he's having the time of his life. Andy Summers has never used a facial muscle in his life, and that hasn't changed.

But man, they sounded good... better than they did in 1983, in fact. Some of the experiments with old material worked well, like the mashup of "Voices Inside My Head / When The World Is Running Down." Stewart had an elaborate percussion kit that would rise up behind his drums, complete with timpany, vibes, congos, and other gadgets. It was fun to watch him, do one verse on that setup (for example "Walking in Your Footsteps") then jump onto the drummer's throne and hit the beat perfectly with the regular kit.

Andy played a red Strat for most of the sets, and went with a more straightforward rock phrasing on a number of songs -- it's weird to hear Andy Summers play power chords, but I liked it. It transformed "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" into something rather fresh. Andy also had a mic in front of him, but I'm not sure why... he'd barely mouth a few syllables of a chorus, before wandering off. Yet the chorus vocals were still there. Hmm. They're looping backups. Stewart had a headset mic but never really used.

And as long as I'm picking nits, "King of Pain" was a disaster. I'm not even sure all three of them were playing the same song.

But overall... fantastic. "So Lonely" was breathtaking. "Invisible Sun" was accompanied by a photo montage of 3rd world children, not necessarily in peril, but the message seemed to be "Think about whom you bomb next. "Every Breath" was tight as one of Stewart's Tama's, and it was saved for the encore. A second encore gave us a rousing version of "Next to You," which is kind of fun when you think back and remember it was the first track on their first album...

24 years is a long time between gigs. Even by my standards.