A Police State of Mind

I bore witness to the apocalypse on August 3, when The Police took the stage at Madison Square Garden.
As a child of the 1970s, I was too young to appreciate the pop/rock trio the first time around ... but that didn't stop me from lip-syncing to "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" or singing along to "Every Breath You Take" whenever I heard it on the radio. During their heyday, they scored more than a dozen hits and won five Grammys before breaking up at the height of their popularity in 1984 due to creative differences. (Band members Sting, Andy Summers, and Stewart Copeland went on to pursue solo careers.)
When the group announced their world tour in February, I bought a ticket to one of their shows. Unfortunately, my seat was behind the stage -- which meant I was forced to look at Copeland's gray hair and Summers' back(side). However, the vantage point allowed me to see the gig through their eyes -- like when they fed off the energy of the crowd.
Going to a concert is about experiencing the bond between the artist and the audience, and the most important element of that relationship is the performance. Unlike most reunion tours, the Police didn't come across as being a nostalgia act; Sting sounded great, and Summers and Copeland brought out the best in each other. After opening the show with "Message in a Bottle," they spent the next two hours reinterpreting classics like "Wrapped Around Your Finger" and "Can't Stand Losing You" before closing the show with "Next to You."
Among the highlights were "When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What’s Still Around," when Summers played a guitar solo that made Eddie Van Halen look like an amateur. And when they performed "Roxanne," it felt like I was eavesdropping on a jam session.
Over the years, I've developed a preference for small concert venues -- not to mention low ticket prices -- but I made an exception for the Police because an event like this doesn't happen often. The cost of my ticket was money well spent, for the music they created is best heard live.