Hi Gang, Sorry for the delay, it was a very busy workday for me! 32 songs, and neither Sting nor Paul missed a note or broke a sweat. 32. I am still in awe of the performance last night. It was my first time at the Giant Center in Hershey, PA, and I was very impressed: not a bad seat in the house, as the rows were high enough apart so that no one had an obstructed view. They had two jumbo screens on either side of the stage, and the camera work was excellent. David Sancious was as fabulous as ever, playing accordion (!) much of the night, as was Peter Tickell, who played the most frenetic (and talented!) electric fiddle ever. Jo Lawry was in good voice, although, personally, I could really have done without her howls on Hounds of Winter. I know Sting enjoys that, and he growled a bit at the end, but it didn't add anything. Vinnie Colaiuta, on the other hand, did indeed break a sweat. I can only hope that he had as much fun on the rest of the tour as he seemed to have last night. He looks fantastic -- they all did -- but he was a wild man on the drums, playing with gusto, abandon... and joy! They shared a horn section, three very talented guys. Paul's drummer also played guitar, and his guitarist also played bass saxophone. A very talented bunch! My husband Thom is a longtime fan of Paul Simon's bass player, Bakithi Kumalo, who played the incredible bass line on You Can Call Me Al, and seeing it live was impressive! It was an inspiring performance: these two legends have earned their status. It lasted about 3 hours, and they went from one song right into the next. Sting would leave the stage and Paul would come on and start right up, then Paul would leave and Sting would come back and start right up. You could barely recover from one incredible performance before the next one began! With the exception of I Hung My Head, which I can barely tolerate, the rest of the show was... impressive? Inspiring? Phenomenal? Pick a complimentary adjective or two or six, and apply here. These two performers are among the very few whose music was transformative for me. The first time I heard Paul Simon's Scarborough Fair, I was 12. My uncle had given me the Simon and Garfunkel album for my birthday, and I almost missed my party, as I sat in my room and played that song over and over on my little red Webcor record player. I just sat there in awe at the beauty of that song. The rest of the album was also fantastic, but that song was the one that got me. Later I would hear Joni Mitchell's iconic "Song to a Seagull" album and have a similar reaction. The first time I heard Crosby, Stills, and Nash's "Critical Mass: To The Last Whale", I was practically in shock. I remember thinking how glad I was to be alive when that song was released. Emerson, Lake, and Palmer's first album that featured Keith Emerson's masterful keyboard artistry... well, you get the picture. So forgive me if my praise of these two is effusive. It's not often you get to see two of your musical heroes in the same place at the same time. And the performances were amazing! Wonderful! Fantastic! OK, I'll stop now. The chemistry and friendship between the two of them was so obvious, even the carefully rehearsed "snappy patter" between them was endearing. And when they hugged each other at the end of the show, well... let's just say it was as adorable as anything you've ever seen on I Can Has Cheezburger. True respect and obvious affection; who could ask for anything better? Here's the setlist. I hope many of you got to see the show. I hope there's a recording of it somewhere!! I would order mine right now! Have a great week, everyone! Holly *Setlist:* Brand New Day - Acoustic duet The Boy in the Bubble - Duet Fields of Gold - Duet Every Little Thing She Does is Magic - Sting Englishman in New York - Sting I Hung My Head - Sting (Does he think that if he sings it enough we'll start to like it? Why didn't he give this one to Paul, who could have done something with it?! Note to Sting: stop trying to do country!!) Driven to Tears - Sting Walking on the Moon - Sting Mother and Child Reunion - Paul 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover - Paul Dazzling Blue - Paul Graceland - Paul Still Crazy After All These Years - Paul Me and Julio Down By the Schoolyard - Paul Fragile - Duet (Not the train wreck that was reported in some reviews -- it was actually quite good!) America - Duet (Sting loves this song, you could tell when he sang it. A terrific rendition.) Message in a Bottle - Sting Hounds of Winter - Sting They Dance Alone - Sting, with Dominic doing excellent justice to the Reuben Blades Spanish soliloquy. Roxanne - Sting (Yes, he hit all the notes. As good as ever!) Desert Rose - Sting (He hit all the notes here too. He was in excellent voice!!) The Boxer - Duet That Was Your Mother - Paul Hearts and Bones - Paul (I was pleasantly surprised to hear this one, one of my favorites. Hearts and Bones is one of the most underrated albums ever.) Mystery Train by Junior Parker - Paul The Obvious Child - Paul Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes - Paul You Can Call Me Al - Paul *Encore:* Bridge Over Troubled Water - Duet (Sting did most of this one, including the final sustained note. Excellent cover!) Every Breath You Take - Duet (Paul acquitted himself quite well on this one too! The duets were really, really good!) Late in the Evening - Duet When Will I Be Loved by Phil Everly - Acoustic duet (Just the two of them, on a darkened stage, face to face in close quarters as the Everly Brothers used to do it. Wonderful!!)
Ahem. I love "I Hung My Head"! On March 10, 2014 7:51:39 PM PDT, Holly Mollo <hollywhhs@gmail.com> wrote:
Hi Gang, Sorry for the delay, it was a very busy workday for me! 32 songs, and neither Sting nor Paul missed a note or broke a sweat. 32. I am still in awe of the performance last night. It was my first time at the Giant Center in Hershey, PA, and I was very impressed: not a bad seat in the house, as the rows were high enough apart so that no one had an obstructed view. They had two jumbo screens on either side of the stage, and the camera work was excellent. David Sancious was as fabulous as ever, playing accordion (!) much of the night, as was Peter Tickell, who played the most frenetic (and talented!) electric fiddle ever. Jo Lawry was in good voice, although, personally, I could really have done without her howls on Hounds of Winter. I know Sting enjoys that, and he growled a bit at the end, but it didn't add anything. Vinnie Colaiuta, on the other hand, did indeed break a sweat. I can only hope that he had as much fun on the rest of the tour as he seemed to have last night. He looks fantastic -- they all did -- but he was a wild man on the drums, playing with gusto, abandon... and joy! They shared a horn section, three very talented guys. Paul's drummer also played guitar, and his guitarist also played bass saxophone. A very talented bunch! My husband Thom is a longtime fan of Paul Simon's bass player, Bakithi Kumalo, who played the incredible bass line on You Can Call Me Al, and seeing it live was impressive! It was an inspiring performance: these two legends have earned their status. It lasted about 3 hours, and they went from one song right into the next. Sting would leave the stage and Paul would come on and start right up, then Paul would leave and Sting would come back and start right up. You could barely recover from one incredible performance before the next one began! With the exception of I Hung My Head, which I can barely tolerate, the rest of the show was... impressive? Inspiring? Phenomenal? Pick a complimentary adjective or two or six, and apply here. These two performers are among the very few whose music was transformative for me. The first time I heard Paul Simon's Scarborough Fair, I was 12. My uncle had given me the Simon and Garfunkel album for my birthday, and I almost missed my party, as I sat in my room and played that song over and over on my little red Webcor record player. I just sat there in awe at the beauty of that song. The rest of the album was also fantastic, but that song was the one that got me. Later I would hear Joni Mitchell's iconic "Song to a Seagull" album and have a similar reaction. The first time I heard Crosby, Stills, and Nash's "Critical Mass: To The Last Whale", I was practically in shock. I remember thinking how glad I was to be alive when that song was released. Emerson, Lake, and Palmer's first album that featured Keith Emerson's masterful keyboard artistry... well, you get the picture. So forgive me if my praise of these two is effusive. It's not often you get to see two of your musical heroes in the same place at the same time. And the performances were amazing! Wonderful! Fantastic! OK, I'll stop now. The chemistry and friendship between the two of them was so obvious, even the carefully rehearsed "snappy patter" between them was endearing. And when they hugged each other at the end of the show, well... let's just say it was as adorable as anything you've ever seen on I Can Has Cheezburger. True respect and obvious affection; who could ask for anything better? Here's the setlist. I hope many of you got to see the show. I hope there's a recording of it somewhere!! I would order mine right now! Have a great week, everyone! Holly
*Setlist:* Brand New Day - Acoustic duet The Boy in the Bubble - Duet Fields of Gold - Duet Every Little Thing She Does is Magic - Sting Englishman in New York - Sting I Hung My Head - Sting (Does he think that if he sings it enough we'll start to like it? Why didn't he give this one to Paul, who could have done something with it?! Note to Sting: stop trying to do country!!) Driven to Tears - Sting Walking on the Moon - Sting Mother and Child Reunion - Paul 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover - Paul Dazzling Blue - Paul Graceland - Paul Still Crazy After All These Years - Paul Me and Julio Down By the Schoolyard - Paul Fragile - Duet (Not the train wreck that was reported in some reviews -- it was actually quite good!) America - Duet (Sting loves this song, you could tell when he sang it. A terrific rendition.) Message in a Bottle - Sting Hounds of Winter - Sting They Dance Alone - Sting, with Dominic doing excellent justice to the Reuben Blades Spanish soliloquy. Roxanne - Sting (Yes, he hit all the notes. As good as ever!) Desert Rose - Sting (He hit all the notes here too. He was in excellent voice!!) The Boxer - Duet That Was Your Mother - Paul Hearts and Bones - Paul (I was pleasantly surprised to hear this one, one of my favorites. Hearts and Bones is one of the most underrated albums ever.) Mystery Train by Junior Parker - Paul The Obvious Child - Paul Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes - Paul You Can Call Me Al - Paul *Encore:* Bridge Over Troubled Water - Duet (Sting did most of this one, including the final sustained note. Excellent cover!) Every Breath You Take - Duet (Paul acquitted himself quite well on this one too! The duets were really, really good!) Late in the Evening - Duet When Will I Be Loved by Phil Everly - Acoustic duet (Just the two of them, on a darkened stage, face to face in close quarters as the Everly Brothers used to do it. Wonderful!!)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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I was at the Madison Square Garden on March 4 with my friend James Norman (Andrea and Fred, it was great to meet you!), and I have to say I agree both with Ross - in that I love I Hung My Head too! - and Holly, in the gig being one of the most inspiring and unforgettable musical experiences of my life: Sting is of course my top songwriter, Paul Simon is # 3 (# 2 being Paul McCartney), so the very idea of seing them together on stage was more than enough for me to fly all the way from Italy and spend a fabulous week in NY that was capped by the show. I personally think that Sting fitted into Paul's songs better than Paul did into Sting's: the highlights for me were America and Bridge Over Troubled Water, but I also loved how they took turns in singing the verses of songs such as Brand New Day, The Boy in the Bubble and Late in the Evening (the crowd went nuts at Sting's gesture while singing "smoked myself a j"). And yet, I do have some criticism to make. 1) 10 duets out of 32 songs doesn't seem much to me for a show that promised "Paul Simon & Sting TOGETHER on Stage". (By the way, did you notice how the tour's logo switched from Paul Simon & Sting to Sting & Paul Simon? To be honest, that didn't seem fair to me.) The highlights were obviously the "together" moments, so, as a fan who has already seen both of them on stage way more than once, I wished there had been more of that. 2) Except for Brand New Day, Walking on the Moon and They Dance Alone, Sting played the same songs (with the same arrangements) he has been playing for years with the Back to Bass Tour. With a repertoire like his, why not pick some more forgotten gems (I think The Lazarus Heart would have made a perfect duet with Paul, for one)? 3) Sting didn't play a single song from The Last Ship: why? I understand it may be because of the musical's US premiere next fall, but to me it just doesn't seem enough to justify such a decision. The Last Ship is the "folkiest" album he's ever done, and as such the closest to Paul Simon's music: just think of August Winds and all the other acoustic or classical guitar-driven numbers. I would have loved to see Sting and Paul dueting on a few of those songs, and in this respect I was kind of disappointed. All in all, though, that didn't spoil my excitement in the least: it was, and will always be, one of the most memorable moments in my life as a music fan. Cheers, Michele -- www.michelepiumini.it
Hi Michelle, Wow! I just traveled 90 miles; you win! ;) I seem to be alone on the "I Hung My Head" debate. I just feel like it's a genre he clearly isn't comfortable with -- he said as much on stage -- and since I am no fan of country music, it has no appeal for me. As far as the logo, I thought that was hilarious: when you have two superstars performing together, who gets top billing? So the fans who were predominantly there to see Paul bought the t-shirt where his name was first; Sting fans bought the other one (as did I, although Paul was my first (musical) love!). And the reversible program, where one side was Sting first and the other side Paul first... I just chuckled. I guess it was the fairest way to do things, although I have NO DOUBT that, at the end of the tour, they'll add up the numbers and see whose t-shirt sold better!!! [?] In the interview in the program, it says that he and Paul decided to do "hits", although I wouldn't call Hounds of Winter, Dazzling Blue, or the aforementioned I Hung My Head, hits! I think they did songs they enjoy doing, and that they knew would get a response from the audience. The Last Ship, which I think is marvelous, is not mainstream enough to get the energetic feedback from the audience that they were clearly looking for. So it was a considered decision. I saw Back to Bass, and it was indeed similar, but the addition of Paul's band did change it up somewhat. And I can't say enough about Peter Tickell's magnificent electric fiddling and Vinnie's ecstatic drumming. Both made the experience that much better. Best concert ever? I'll have to think about that! But it's certainly in the top 2!! Holly On Tue, Mar 11, 2014 at 9:49 AM, Michele Piumini <michelepiumini2@gmail.com>wrote:
I was at the Madison Square Garden on March 4 with my friend James Norman (Andrea and Fred, it was great to meet you!), and I have to say I agree both with Ross - in that I love I Hung My Head too! - and Holly, in the gig being one of the most inspiring and unforgettable musical experiences of my life: Sting is of course my top songwriter, Paul Simon is # 3 (# 2 being Paul McCartney), so the very idea of seing them together on stage was more than enough for me to fly all the way from Italy and spend a fabulous week in NY that was capped by the show.
I personally think that Sting fitted into Paul's songs better than Paul did into Sting's: the highlights for me were America and Bridge Over Troubled Water, but I also loved how they took turns in singing the verses of songs such as Brand New Day, The Boy in the Bubble and Late in the Evening (the crowd went nuts at Sting's gesture while singing "smoked myself a j").
And yet, I do have some criticism to make.
1) 10 duets out of 32 songs doesn't seem much to me for a show that promised "Paul Simon & Sting TOGETHER on Stage". (By the way, did you notice how the tour's logo switched from Paul Simon & Sting to Sting & Paul Simon? To be honest, that didn't seem fair to me.) The highlights were obviously the "together" moments, so, as a fan who has already seen both of them on stage way more than once, I wished there had been more of that.
2) Except for Brand New Day, Walking on the Moon and They Dance Alone, Sting played the same songs (with the same arrangements) he has been playing for years with the Back to Bass Tour. With a repertoire like his, why not pick some more forgotten gems (I think The Lazarus Heart would have made a perfect duet with Paul, for one)?
3) Sting didn't play a single song from The Last Ship: why? I understand it may be because of the musical's US premiere next fall, but to me it just doesn't seem enough to justify such a decision. The Last Ship is the "folkiest" album he's ever done, and as such the closest to Paul Simon's music: just think of August Winds and all the other acoustic or classical guitar-driven numbers. I would have loved to see Sting and Paul dueting on a few of those songs, and in this respect I was kind of disappointed.
All in all, though, that didn't spoil my excitement in the least: it was, and will always be, one of the most memorable moments in my life as a music fan.
Cheers, Michele
-- www.michelepiumini.it
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I agree about I Hung My Head....but at least it is different for him. Such a big talent with all those talented friends. Surprised he hasn't moved on. And no, Broadway is NOT moving on for Sting, it is merely looking back. Now he's getting all of his old crap (uhhhh, excuse me) material out of the way, Sting, let's try something NEW. THANX for these detailed reviews. I feel like I was there. ________________________________ From: Holly Mollo <hollywhhs@gmail.com> To: Michele Piumini <michelepiumini2@gmail.com>; SDFT <police@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2014 10:27 AM Subject: Re: [Police] Sting and Paul Simon Hi Michelle, Wow! I just traveled 90 miles; you win! ;) I seem to be alone on the "I Hung My Head" debate. I just feel like it's a genre he clearly isn't comfortable with -- he said as much on stage -- and since I am no fan of country music, it has no appeal for me. As far as the logo, I thought that was hilarious: when you have two superstars performing together, who gets top billing? So the fans who were predominantly there to see Paul bought the t-shirt where his name was first; Sting fans bought the other one (as did I, although Paul was my first (musical) love!). And the reversible program, where one side was Sting first and the other side Paul first... I just chuckled. I guess it was the fairest way to do things, although I have NO DOUBT that, at the end of the tour, they'll add up the numbers and see whose t-shirt sold better!!! In the interview in the program, it says that he and Paul decided to do "hits", although I wouldn't call Hounds of Winter, Dazzling Blue, or the aforementioned I Hung My Head, hits! I think they did songs they enjoy doing, and that they knew would get a response from the audience. The Last Ship, which I think is marvelous, is not mainstream enough to get the energetic feedback from the audience that they were clearly looking for. So it was a considered decision. I saw Back to Bass, and it was indeed similar, but the addition of Paul's band did change it up somewhat. And I can't say enough about Peter Tickell's magnificent electric fiddling and Vinnie's ecstatic drumming. Both made the experience that much better. Best concert ever? I'll have to think about that! But it's certainly in the top 2!! Holly On Tue, Mar 11, 2014 at 9:49 AM, Michele Piumini <michelepiumini2@gmail.com> wrote: I was at the Madison Square Garden on March 4 with my friend James Norman (Andrea and Fred, it was great to meet you!), and I have to say I agree both with Ross - in that I love I Hung My Head too! - and Holly, in the gig being one of the most inspiring and unforgettable musical experiences of my life: Sting is of course my top songwriter, Paul Simon is # 3 (# 2 being Paul McCartney), so the very idea of seing them together on stage was more than enough for me to fly all the way from Italy and spend a fabulous week in NY that was capped by the show.
I personally think that Sting fitted into Paul's songs better than Paul did into Sting's: the highlights for me were America and Bridge Over Troubled Water, but I also loved how they took turns in singing the verses of songs such as Brand New Day, The Boy in the Bubble and Late in the Evening (the crowd went nuts at Sting's gesture while singing "smoked myself a j").
And yet, I do have some criticism to make.
1) 10 duets out of 32 songs doesn't seem much to me for a show that promised "Paul Simon & Sting TOGETHER on Stage". (By the way, did you notice how the tour's logo switched from Paul Simon & Sting to Sting & Paul Simon? To be honest, that didn't seem fair to me.) The highlights were obviously the "together" moments, so, as a fan who has already seen both of them on stage way more than once, I wished there had been more of that.
2) Except for Brand New Day, Walking on the Moon and They Dance Alone, Sting played the same songs (with the same arrangements) he has been playing for years with the Back to Bass Tour. With a repertoire like his, why not pick some more forgotten gems (I think The Lazarus Heart would have made a perfect duet with Paul, for one)?
3) Sting didn't play a single song from The Last Ship: why? I understand it may be because of the musical's US premiere next fall, but to me it just doesn't seem enough to justify such a decision. The Last Ship is the "folkiest" album he's ever done, and as such the closest to Paul Simon's music: just think of August Winds and all the other acoustic or classical guitar-driven numbers. I would have loved to see Sting and Paul dueting on a few of those songs, and in this respect I was kind of disappointed.
All in all, though, that didn't spoil my excitement in the least: it was, and will always be, one of the most memorable moments in my life as a music fan.
Cheers, Michele
--
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On Mar 11, 2014, at 10:27 AM, Holly Mollo wrote:
Hi Michelle, Wow! I just traveled 90 miles; you win! ;) I seem to be alone on the "I Hung My Head" debate.
Nooooo, you are NOT alone... can't stand that "song" I did go to YouTube to watch some videos of the tour... bad sound but wow, first album I ever bought was PSRT... most I ever paid for a concert was to see Simon and Garfunkel recent tour.. person I have gone to most concerts by is Sting Did think it kind of sad they don't do all if not most songs together! Love that they do The Boxer together! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt5YSZOqyUg
Thank you! Our experiences seem to be very similar. PSRT is still a great favorite of mine. A good new thread might be, which songs *should* they have sung together? ;) I'll vote right now for one that should have been included: Paul's "American Tune". I'll have to go through my musical memories and see what else I can come up with! On Mar 11, 2014 1:54 PM, "Paula Mickevich" <kazimira@verizon.net> wrote:
On Mar 11, 2014, at 10:27 AM, Holly Mollo wrote:
Hi Michelle, Wow! I just traveled 90 miles; you win! ;) I seem to be alone on the "I Hung My Head" debate.
Nooooo, you are NOT alone... can't stand that "song"
I did go to YouTube to watch some videos of the tour... bad sound but wow, first album I ever bought was PSRT... most I ever paid for a concert was to see Simon and Garfunkel recent tour.. person I have gone to most concerts by is Sting
Did think it kind of sad they don't do all if not most songs together!
Love that they do The Boxer together!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt5YSZOqyUg
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participants (5)
-
Diggiedog -
Holly Mollo -
Michele Piumini -
Paula Mickevich -
Ross