| User Comments and Reviews for this Show |
OK, I read all the negative reviews from past dates so my expectations were lowered somewhat but for those who have tickets to upcoming shows, I can only say, RELAX.
Quick background - I am 57 year old who has spent the last 5 years going to 6-7 shows/yr trying to see everyone I missed the last 30 (and revisiting those I saw in 60's and early 70's) while raising a family.
It was a very good show. We had seats about halfway back in the grandstand and overall, the sound was pretty good (not the best I have heard but way above the worst). There were distortion-level problems on 1-2 songs when they cranked it up but certainly not a major detriment.
As far as taking liberties with the songs and "not recognizing songs until halfway done", I have no idea what these people are talking about. Everything recognizable from the 1st couple of bars and, except for normal live performance variations everyone does, they played them straight (although Sting suffers from same problem all the old-timers have and drops an octave a few places).
The only negative I would add is that Sting and Andy seemed a little passive or as my 30 year old daughter said at one point - "they don't seem to be really rocking it out".
But in the end, we had a great time - the crowd was really into it (lots of singing) and we were certainly glad that we went. |
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| The Police concert at Hersheypark Arena was a solid 5 on a scale of 1 to 10. I saw these guys in their punk era in a small coffee house-type setting in '77 or'78 but never in their heyday in the early 80s, so I don't have fond memories of an arena show from 25 years ago to compare this show with. (I have seen Sting in concert and really liked him.) But the trio I saw Friday night looked old and tired. Sting was generally in strong voice, but the other two guys seemed to be going through the motions. Almost nonexistent stage presence and pretty dull clips of them playing on the Jumbotron added to the general sense of averageness. This was just the three lads, with no backup, and therein lies the problem, for the Police tried new, slower versions of many old favorites, and they couldn't pull them off with just an electric guitar, bass and drums. Had they stuck to the sharp-edged style of the originals (and had the skills to pull off that style of playing), they might have been much better. But what is the point of having a stripped-down trio trying to play music that wasn't stripped down? I mean, "Roxanne" should never be a slow song! Sure, there were some standouts --"Walking on the Moon" was one--but overall, this was a very average show that failed to energize the crowd for any sustained period. I, too, found myself wondering at times what songs they were playing and also was disappointed with the muddy sound (We were in the upper left level, close to the stage). Sure, the Police played for more than 1:40, but they failed to energize the crowd for any extended period. I think it is very telling that Stewart Copeland showed no emotion until the end of the show, when he broke into a smile, apparently happy that his night "on the job" was mercifully nearing an end. |
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| Get The Police stuff here |
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| I thought the sound was very solid. We were way back on the floor (92nd row). It's amazing to me that people tend to focus on a few songs that didn't energize (De Do Do Do never really did it for me anyway and the chorus of Don't Stand So Close To Me), but there were some outstanding tunes that had the crowd by us rocking and rolling, including the final encore - Next to You. Sting sounded great. These guys haven't played together in over 20 years so all in all I was very pleasantly surprised at how tight they were. My only complaint is that they stopped serving beer to early. |
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| An awesome show. I've been listening to The Police for 25 years and they've never sounded better. I loved the versions of Voices Inside My Head and Walking In Your Footsteps - and wish they had done more of their more obscure songs. They were TIGHT and let the music speak for itself! My only hope is that they get back in the studio after this tour, their style is still one of a kind and based on this concert, there's alot of creative juice left. |
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I was kind of worried about how The Police would be after reading many reviews on different sites.
I dunno. Maybe I was in an alternate universe on July 20.
What I found:
Sting's voice was great!!! I noticed no problems with the sound - I even commented that the sound people did a fantastic job when the concert was over. In my section, the crowd was up and dancing for almost every song. I thought it was an amazing show. I'm sure if I wanted to nitpik, I could. But I guess I'd rather remember the feeling I had watching them, and it was a very good feeling. I had a ball!! I hope that you get a chance to see them, and go in with an open mind.
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| Being probably the last time they'll tour, this concert outside on a beautiful evening in Hershey, PA, will remain a standout memory for me. In the 54th row center stage, the sound was unbelievably great. A fantastic job done by the sound engineers. I have seen Sting several times and have heard variants of these songs, yet always they entertain because they are great songs. The crowd was very into it, most everyone seemed psyched to be there, hear the songs and sing along. Stewart looked a bit tired but played excellent. Andy played excellent, an enjoyable experience after so many years seeing Sting with Dominic Miller. And Sting was of course his incomparable self with his great singing voice. |
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Section 30. Row W.
Great night, great music. They played the songs we wanted to hear. Hate the slow version of Don't Stand and long version of Roxanne, but overall a great show.
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| It's almost as if Sting is touring with Stewart and Andy as his backup musicians. Come on Sting!!! |
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| I paid good money to hear the POLICE! What happened to the energy? They only turned it up for a few songs. |
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| When Sting came out on stage, my heart stopped and I was speechless. He has such a presence. They sounded fantastic. There were clearly backup musicians somehwere though not visible on stage (who played the congas???) but so what? |
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i loved the show. i was in the 11th row, left center aisle. if the sound was cummy in your cheap seats, sorry...it wasn't down on the floor. i am a musician, and the Police obviously one of my early infuences, and granted there were some slips and spots not quite as tight as the record. but c'mon, anyone complaining about rearrangement of a couple tunes or the fact Sting had to "take a couple songs off" just doesn't get it. they aren't 18 anymore. if you went expecting to hear it like the record, you should have stayed home. that's part of the charm and coolness of seeing a band live.
i completely disagree with the earlier post about Stewart Copeland being "on the job". he is one of the most creative drummers around and he kicked major @ss Friday night. don't know what you were looking at. Andy definitely looked tired by the end, but he's in his mid-sixties. give the guy some credit.
p.s. thought Fiction Plane were pretty cool too. |
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I was in Section K, row 106 at Hershey on the night of the concert. This concert was truly awesome and I will remember it the rest of my life. I was too young to go to a Police concert in the 80's and it has been a gift for the younger generation of fans to be able to see them again. The opening songs of "Message In A Bottle" and "Synchronicity" were incredible and got the crowd moving.
I think people may be too harsh. Remember, these guys aren't 21 anymore. I think they did fine. |
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| With all the music I heard crammed into 100 minutes the band's timing was groovin' and I think they played very tightly together. There were alot of cool jams. I was impressed also with Sting's bass playing, very active and in control of the rythem. |
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I'm shocked by these comments! The concert rocked from the first song to the last. Most people were psyched, on their feet, dancing and singing along with the band. The guys did an awesome job and I would jump at the chance to see them again. (The guitar work was incredible too!)
Did anyone notice how Sting's son sounds like his dad? |
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Not what I expected, but that's not always a bad thing. The sound was great. First outdoor concert of any magnitude (not counting Lolapalooza) I've ever been to.
A couple songs were lame, but most were just fine.
And the weather! Felt like April out there. If you couldn't get a ticket, it would have been just fine to pay the $8 to park & listen in the parking lot. |
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My friends and I followed the Police all across the south in the early 80's, so I knew this was a concert I could not miss! Best songs: "Next To You", "Sychronicity II", "Voices Inside My Head", "So Lonely", "Invisible Sun" & "Roxanne"...in the "We should have worked on these a bit more..." "Don't Stand So Close" (hated the arrangement) and "Truth Hits Everybody". Thought "King of Pain" was weak, but never liked that song anyway.
My only wish...a little more animation/energy from the guys. They couldn't seem to sustain it through the entire set. Sting sounded great, Stewart, too, though seemed kind of sullen (maybe even bored) during the concert. No worries, though, they can still jam! Andy was impressive on lead guitar.
Hershey as a venue was a dive -- too crowded, and leaving the stadium was a nightmare.
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This was the worst venue I have ever been too.Why would the Police slum at a ancient facility such as this is beyond comprehension. It seemed like a 3 mile hike to the stadium, lines and crowds everywhere. You couldn't move and I kept thinking that if anything heppened we would all certainly die.We sat in the parking lot for 2 hours without ever moving. We drove from DC others drove from all over. Why didn't they come to DC or Baltimore? Why 2 shows in Pennsylvania?
Other than that, the concert was great.The sound was not so great in the beginning so I either got use to it or they did something. This is my third time seeing them. Sting was as yummy as ever ( seen him 2 times also).
Please come to DC other than the Virgin Festival! posted by rsparer on www.concertfan.com |
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| The Police played that slum because this tour is a money grab! It's a Sting ego trip. The way they played some of their greatest songs made me ill. And I was close enough to tell that Stewart isn't enjoying these 're-worked' versions either. |
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| A 5?!! What concert were you at? I would give it a 8.5 out 10. All 3 were in fine form, playing very well and very tightly. Stewart was having problems hearing himself for the first 2 songs, so he was out of synch with the other two, but understandable in a large arena. (Though the sound check should have caught it.) These are consumate musicians who don't want to play the songs the way they were recorded. You try to play your hit for the millionth time without trashing your amp in anger! The arrangements were satisfying and Andy's leads were fantastic for a gent his age. (The arena is a dive though and getting there from DC was a nightmare.) |
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| I would rather them not play 'Truth Hits Everybody' & 'Next to You' at all, than play them the way they did the other night. Horrible! |
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