THE POLICE (+ Fergie + Fiction Plane) - ANZ Stadium, 24/01/08

Fiction Plane, the opening act featuring Sting's son, I heard but didn't see as I was still outside chatting with friends, but what I heard didn't impress; the Edge guitar tones were there along with derivative song structures & nothing to get excited over... perhaps the acorn falls further from the tree than once thought. Next up: Fergie - a strange choice for this bill if ever there was one. She proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that she has nothing going for her & systematically destroying songs by Wings, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin & others didn't help her cause on this evening celebrating real muso's as opposed to record label "poppets". She's already taken up too much of this review so let's move on.

Opening with what I thought was a fairly pedestrian run through of "Message In A Bottle" didn't bode well for The Police though Stewart Copeland (always the best musician in this band) was terrific from the get-go. Some primary coloured paint splash effects on the screens detract from the performance (appearing to be a reference to the 'Synchronicity' cover), however the visual director settles down for 3rd track "Walking On The Moon" (after Sting introduces the band & lets us know about his month relaxing in Byron Bay).

The sound quality always tends to fluctuate in an outdoor venue such as this (a huge football stadium) but the instrument balance is good even if the vocals are a little high in the mix. Andy Summers' playing is excellent & his tone (from a selection of Fenders) is nice & clean; "When The World Is Running Down" in particular featured some superb guitar work. "Wrapped Around Your Finger" was a wonderful showcase for Copeland's percussion skills, his varied beats anchoring & defining the song beautifully.

All tracks are performed well, though I couldn't help but feel I was witnessing some "going-through-the-motions" (especially from Sting who often appeared to be phoning in his performance) which is not surprising I suppose as these guys know what they can get away with to still satisfy the crowd & collect their not-insubstantial paycheck.

On a more positive note "Invisible Sun" was a genuine highlight as was the 1st encore "King Of Pain". In addition to the aforementioned tracks the set list was somewhat predictable (to be expected) with "Roxanne", "Every Breath You Take", "Don't Stand So Close To Me", "Can't Stand Losing You" et al all trotted out to the delight of the, mostly older, crowd. All in all this was a good show, though not a great one for my money. I was glad to have had the opportunity to see this band though I doubt that I would choose to again.