The Occasional Solipsist

Just came back from watching The Police in concert in Toronto. Aside from Superwife being a little pissypants about the seats in the nosebleeds (which were good seats, btw) we had a fantastic time. And the comments about the seats were mostly tongue in cheek because that was the first concert we'd gone to together that we didn't have seats on the floor.

The show really was great. Aside from a Pink Floyd show I saw way back in 94, that was the best concert I've ever been to. And it might even have been better than that one.

I'm beat though. Would love to write more but I'm just too damn tired.

EDIT 23/07/07 - So on reflection, that WAS the best concert I have ever attended. Sorry Cooley, our Floyd show was awesome, but Gordon and the boys made short work of it.

I put together last night's set list, for those who are interested:

Message in a Bottle
Synchronicity II
Walking on the Moon
Voices Inside My Head/When the World Is Running Down
Don't Stand So Close to Me
Driven to Tears
Truth Hits Everybody
The Bed's Too Big Without You
Every Little Thing She Does is Magic
Wrapped Around Your Finger
De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da
Invisible Sun
Walking in Your Footsteps
Can't Stand Losing You
Roxanne
FIRST ENCORE:
King of Pain
So Lonely
Every Breath You Take
SECOND ENCORE:
Next to You

Labels: everything else, music

That's what Sting had to say seconds before breaking into the opening of Roxanne at this year's Grammy Awards, marking the first time The Police had officially played together on stage in over 20 years (notwithstanding their 2003 Hall of Fame induction). It was awesome, made particularly more so by the fact that I didn't have to sit through the rest of a horrible awards show that applauds music that I don't listen to. I'm looking right at you, Justin Timberlake.

From the first notes it was clear that the band wasn't just back, but that they seemingly hadn't gone anywhere at all. They sounded just as good Sunday night than they ever did when they were together as a band, either live or in the studio.

But what wasn't clear was if the band was back for anything more than that show only. There have been rumours flying around for years about a reunion tour, but the band didn't confirm that they would indeed be touring together this year until the day after the Grammy's at a press conference.

And guess who just bought tickets?

Maybe its not good to have too many things to look forward to. Sometimes I think people can be living too much for what is coming around the corner instead of what is right in front of them. But in this case, I'm going to let my personal philosophy about living for today slide, and just say that I am really looking forward to this concert.

Labels: music

In spite of the great deal of razzing and name-calling it has cost me over the years, I have made no secret of my fandom of arguably the world's greatest bass player, Sting.

The guy led one of the most popular rock bands of the 70's and 80's, has written some of the more prosaic lyrics in popular music, and has been a major force in raising awareness for issues such as third world poverty and the deforestation of the rain forest (before they were what all the cool kids were talking about – I’m looking at you Bono).

And there's not one song of Sting’s that I don't like. Well, maybe 'Rock Steady'. Sorry Gordon, but that song sucks.

I read an article by the aging rocker recently that he wrote back in '99, in response to his coming across some of his old lyrics, and in forgetting that he had written them, marvelling at how good they were. (The point of this diatribe will not be to further illuminate the man's enormous ego)

In the article, Sting makes a good point: He was cool. Really cool. The kind of cool that makes you want to be this guy. And why not? He's super rich, women adore him, he's still dining on that whole 'six hour tantric sex' rumour, and he lives in a castle. A castle for chrissakes! (Okay, for the very picky it's actually a 500 year old manor house, but close enough)

So what happened to him over the years? Personally, and for whatever its worth, I think his cool never left. It just mellowed a bit.

And the thing about my appreciation for this guy isn't any of those external things that have given him a permanent entry in the global lexicon. It’s the music that he's put out, both with The Police and without them. His music has always spoken to me in a way that few other musicians could.

I remember lots of times when I was a kid escaping into the Police’s music to get away from the harsh realities of my home life and all of the abuse that came along with it; almost forgetting everything else in the killer bass lines of albums like Zenyatta Mondatta and Synchronicity and the smooth jazzy reflections of The Dream of the Blue Turtles and Nothing Like the Sun.

And I can remember listening to albums like The Soul Cages and Ten Summoner’s Tales all the time when I was a dirt poor teenager living on my own, and even though I had plenty to feel shitty about, I could get completely lost in his spirited melodies and thoughtful lyrics.

And now that I am a completely neurotic, happily married father, I still like to listen to his stuff, old and new, and can’t help but get carried away. Hell I even liked Sacred Love so much that I went to see him in concert (for the second time) on his tour with Annie Lennox.

So imagine my enthusiasm when the news came out that he will be putting out a new album this year. Yay! Shout Police/Sting fans worldwide, including me. But like me, the shouting they will be doing will be of another kind entirely when they find out that

• a) Sting’s new album is based on 16th century lyrics
• b) the entire album will be performed solo, on the lute
• c) yes, I said lute

The whole tragic affair can be read about here.

I am not sure that even I can follow the guy on this musical experiment, and if I can’t I can’t imagine who can.

But if his days of being cool are now officially over (as the whole lute thing does tend to suggest), at least we’ve got over thirty years of great music to remember him by.

Check out Sting's article at theonion.com that started this whole thing in the first place.

Labels: music

If you're a fan of the extremely talented Canadian musician Sarah Harmer, you know what my byline means. And if you don't, well besides sucking, you need to get the hell away from this page and go directly to puretracks.com and let the downloading begin. And while you're at it you'll want to dig up some old Weeping Tile too. That was her band prior to flying solo.

And if you're wondering if I have recently bought myself a heap of stock in the music company that produces her music, the answer is no. Although if she ever goes crazy big, I guess I'll be mad I didn't.

I did however just come back from seeing her with Superwife at Brock University and considering how happy I was with the performance I got to see, I figured I'd share it with the wired world. Alternating between contemplative melodies and acoustic jams, with lyrics that are thoughful, intelligent and emotive, Sarah Harmer is a truly underappreciated Canadian talent. She played a great set, combining a lot of her first album's songs with an equal number from her latest release.

However, she didn't play 'UFO Rosie' when I yelled out during the request part of the show. I imagine she didn't hear me, and wouldn't have played it if she did, because few people in the audience would know what the hell it was.

Great fuckin' song. Great show too.

Labels: music