Review: The Police Concert At the Palace of Auburn Hills

On Tuesday night at The Palace of Auburn Hills, The Police took to the stage as part of their 30th Anniversary Reunion Tour. Because the trio last went on tour nearly 25 years ago, this reunion has been one of the most anticipated in quite some time. However, with that anticipation comes the risk of tearing a legacy to shreds. What's a legendary rock trio to do?

Leading up to the concert, me and the friend I went with speculated as to which song they would perform to open the show. We both guessed that "Synchronicity" would be the tune to get things started. (Cue the "wrong answer" buzzer)... they opened with "Message In A Bottle", which worked out just as well. The Police decided not to use supporting musicians or backup singers. It was just vocalist/bassist Sting, guitarist Andy Summers, and drummer Stewart Copeland rocking the Palace.

During the nearly 2-hour set, The Police delivered most of their hits (with the exception of "Spirits In the Material World"). Along with the hits they also performed key album tracks such as "Truth Hits Everybody", "Driven To Tears", and "Walking On the Moon". The trio displayed just the right touch, making changes here and there to the tunes we know and love... but not enough to render them unrecognizable. For example, there were parts of "Don't Stand So Close To Me" that were done in a slightly different key. They also extended the instrumental breaks on many of the songs as well, giving the show a jazz/rock improv vibe.

As a vocalist, Sting was in superb form. He can still hit those high notes and "ee oh" just like it was 1981. Also, the musicianship displayed by the three of them was sharp throughout the show. As a bonus, Summers delivered some killer guitar solos and Copeland used several other percussion instruments on a few songs ("Wrapped Around Your Finger", "Walking In Your Footsteps", and "King of Pain") in addition to his regular drum kit.

Although we had mid-level seats that faced the stage, the big screen monitors called to our attention things we wouldn't have noticed otherwise. We could see that Sting's bass appeared to have some mileage on it (the paint was worn off in spots). However, we took that to mean that it's broken in just the way he likes it. I also pointed out to my friend that Andy Summers must be a fan of "South Park" (his guitar strap said "Oh my God, they've killed Kenny!"). Another thing that I noticed is the 55 year old Sting's excellent physical condition (note to self... get book on Tantric Sex).

After they finished "Roxanne", The Police performed two encores. The first one surprisingly ended with "Every Breath You Take". Since this was their biggest hit, the predictable thing would have been to use this to close the show. However, Sting and the Boys came out and closed the show with one of my favorite tunes by them ("Next To You", from their debut album "Outlandos D'Amour").

As one might expect, the audience mostly consisted of people who could probably name the five original MTV VJs (give yourself a gold star if you can too). However, the 30 and under crowd were in attendance as well. The Police had most of the Palace crowd singing and dancing for most of the night. As we left, one guy complained about 3 young ladies who in his words, "stood up through the whole fuckin' show!"

Overall, The Police concert had a nostalgic feeling without becoming an oldies show. I felt as if I was being taken on a musical journey. It was fun trying to guess in which direction they were going to take the songs. To me, that's one of the best things about the concert experience. Otherwise, I can stay home and listen to the CD. The performance by The Police last night made me grateful that I was at The Palace to witness it.

My rating: 4 out of 4 stars!