Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - August 29, 1983, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free press August pages group offers overweight people new Graffiti explodes in Brave acoustics to cheer police if that what you have to do to see it was Worth by Randal Millroy just said the anxious fart on the there in there r get now they1 were Andy Summers and Stewart Bette r known As the there was the Winnipeg and the unknown gaffs anticipation typified the attitude of the Esti mated people having paid a jammed the Arena saturday night to see the police in a dedicated the fans endured dreadful a Mudd sound and the withering heat inside tiie Arena to hear the and came out cheering at the there a preshow Survey showed the fans wid Range of mostly teenagers or in their Early from lond sting Carbon copy to the Punky wave Bri Gade were already convinced the Long awaited concert would be a Suc Joanne and her sister were among those who bought their tickets the Day they went on what do they like about the police the songs they and like Many of the they were hoping to hear every breath you the bands latest Jon Pesochin and his Friend Gordie both also scored their tickets on the first they wanted to hear the latest Trevor on the other wanted to hear King of and jokingly cited stings hair Cut As one of his favorite features of the seventeen Earold Mark Leigh took More of a historical the old material is some of the Best music Ever he enthused he wanted to hear Roxanne and message in a from the first and second albums re the new stuff is pretty Mike the Best stuff is from the first he adding that while he hoped to hear songs from the outlands Danour he suspected the band would concentrate on the and latest Leigh want deterred by the crowds and the big crowds Are always Good for a it makes the people really and it makes the groups More to walk through one of the entrances was like walking into a Wall of heat musician Keith offered a practical reason for his initial inter est in the we were in a three piece and we were looking for a three piece there was heavy traffic outside the performance area during the Thomp son twins opening even though the English based bands mix of electronic and percussive dance music had More than one fan bopping in the much of the action centred around the Sou Venir where fans could and did buy a police Jersey for a shirt for a program for at the lower buttons for every cent you make the shirts in particular proved Handy in the heat two Young male eschewing pro changed into their new garb in the to walk up through one of the entrances was to walk into a Wall of and it want unusual to see overheated patrons sitting and panting in the Robin Rupe and his were two police fans who we rent about to accept the heat As part of the this is Angie referring to the Many concerts they saw in los she said bitterly that in that people didst pay a ticket to sweat it in sure the police Are going to be Robin Rupe but he was angry at the apparent Lack of air conditioning in the we get an Opportunity to see the police and then we have to see them under these that pretty he but if the heat was wearying before the big event it want evident when the police took to the a mighty Roar welled As the musicians bathed in red and yellow a reference to the color design on the Qew album off with the first of 21 songs in a1 set that lasted nearly two thousands answer Call to change shape of building with singalong every move they made was televised on a huge screen suspended above this proved particularly effective when band members moved away from the As when drummer Stewart Copeland quit his regular kit during walking in your footsteps to work on a rear platform filled with assorted percussion in the transmission was lost after the 10th song spirits in the material world and was not re for some possibly the Arenas notoriously unsympathetic the sound was loud and which made it difficult to recognize even the most popular police until sting began to Fortun the band concentrated on its radio from the first Rox Anne to the breath you which earned the wildest re at one the band quoted from the old Standard jamaican fare which May or May not have been a pointed allusion to the bands move away from jamaican reggae the finer Points of stings Bass play ing lost in the although frontman sting led the crowd in several he made few attempts at conversation with the when he exhorted the crowd to use its chorus voice to change the shape of the thousands joined although the Arenas Dimen appeared unmoved by this show of mass nobody was least of All locally based promoter Bruce Rathbone the Man who represents concert producers Perry scope productions in this asked after the concert if he was Happy with the he replied i think ecstatic is the the he will leave everyone with a Nice similar sentiments were expressed outside Tjie Arena by Kim Wilson and Justine both who reeled off words such As and terrific to describe the the two who said they were among the first to buy said the police played All their but what did they think of the heat it was Shields admit but if that what youve got to do to see it was Worth police Bass player sting Battles the Arenas Muddy Nacous but loses the finer Points of his playing in the police easily lives up to expectations by Frain Cory charming the masses has never appeared to be one of the polices Musi Cal ambitions probably because it has become the easiest thing in the world for the band to in this the masses translates into unofficially the largest paid at Tendance Ever to watch an indoor con Cert in a sellout crowd of at the Arena bore witness to a Rock and Roll performance that Al though not any More monumental than those of other High Quality extremely satisfying in the sense that it seemed to meet with everyone Posi Tive the police has come to represent the agreeable Side of super popular from All the band has remained justifiably self righteous and altogether uncompromising its general approach to recording and each of its five albums has exhibited honest efforts to evolve and divert stylistic Al and certainly to other task a band undertakes validates its remaining in business As much As its showing an review the Winnipeg honest desire to change and hopefully make musical although not everyone agrees the polices sound and ideas embody a positive the fact that the transformation remains important to the Trio almost guarantees they will continue to be Worth consideration As Long As they exist As a artistic integrity int the Only Factor involved in becoming commercially successful and it is not some thing that can be quantified in dollars and when it comes right Down to whether a band like the police de serves All the things such As musicianship and Charisma become As everyone saw saturday neither of these qualities is in Short despite being nowhere near Ideal acoustically no concert in the Arena has even come the sound was adequate for most of the crowd considering How Well stings vocals came anyone wished to appreciate the instrumental abilities of guitarist Andy drummer Stewart Copeland and bassist he or she was in the wrong the police opened with synchronicity a song besides epitomize no the bands gradual withdrawal from what started out As almost a fixed regard for reggae rhythmic proved to be an excellent vehicle for heightening the crowds already elevated Energy two songs As sting guided the band and the audience along through walking in your the vocalist seemed intent upon evoking a mood and visual Persona distinct and com More drummer Stewart awash in pilots the police through the 21song Paible with each successive footsteps was both and strangely logical in terms of its abstract yet was in no Way in danger of becoming just another piece of heavy handed stings levitating vocal delivery and the exultant chorus More than took care of soon of my god reverted to the frenetic pacing and thematic of the opening although in a much funkier do do do do Dada a operated along the same buoyant Only to be followed by the hyper sensitive and genuinely distressing Balladry of wrapped around your Fin this grim tale of despair featured undoubtedly stings finest singing performance of the just As the song might be the Best example of bold humanism the band has whether he Felt it or the emotionalism sting brought Forth put the concept of romantic misery combined with de senselessness in relatable the More familiar hit King of pain was the polices Choice for the finale and nearly achieved a comparable de Gree of lyrical and instrumental Sensi in this the moodiness and anguished strains of Summers guitar playing became the keynote of a self but believably unhappy sting introduced the first dont stand so close to As a piece of history As the Trio made a successful attempt at recreating the sense of mystery and scandalous Ness which is so much a part of the record also included in the Hal dozen encores that were a part of a 110mi Nute set were the big every breath you and an impassioned and almost nostalgic Reading of a song that seemed so Many stylistic turns Back the Thompson twins opened the show with a vibrancy and aggression that somehow belied the i expressive that arose from arid production work on their album Side vocalists Tom Alannah Currie and particularly Joe leeway created a Whir of physical movement on All the while managing to handle their respective keyboard while lies their current single and love on your Side proved to be especially definitive examples of the twins Dan it was in the name of love that gave Best account of the relative merits of finding a Well carved Percus Sive your full service boutique brings you Complete Lyew Eor for Only our selection of High fashion frames is Blower than even and if our very Best Price for single vision prescription Eye Wear Complete with first Quality frames and Glass shopper optical is a full service optical boutique and we think the prices we charge for this Quality 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