Sting – Live at the Olympia Paris
Eagle Rock Entertain
http://www.sting.com/discography/album/415/Videos+%26+DVDsment

Rating: B

Sting has released a new concert film that showcases his songwriting and performing talents. This is a great concert with a stage full of amazing musicians and vocalists. His fans will lap it up...yet there is one bone of contention: The set list.

Sting has won 16 Grammy's so he can perform any damn set he wants, I suppose. On this one he even pleases fans of The Police performing many of their greatest hits. Other than “Englishman in New York” and “Fields of Gold” however, he dismisses many of his classic early solo songs. Instead, Sting slaps in lesser known tunes and songs off of his latest release 57^th & 9^th. While the single from that album “I Can't Stop Thinking About You” is in the ilk of classic Police, you need to keep your remote handy to skip through some of the other songs as they are boring.

As mentioned, fans of The Police will be smiling as Sting and band pump out pretty true-to-the-original classics “Synchronicity II,”“Spirits in the Material World, “Message in a Bottle,” “Roxanne,” “Every Breath You Take” and “The Beds Too Big Without You.” During “Roxanne” the band slips in the classic rock staple “Ain't No Sunshine.” There are times in each classic that Sting changes things up and gets jazzy...but not to the extent he has done so in the past.

The concert film includes a slew of fun bonus songs listed below...not to gripe too much but a few bonus rare early solo tunes or Police classics would have been better received...but this is okay as well. In fact, it shows Sting smiling and enjoying himself performing music he usually does not perform.  Gotta admit…band member Joe Sumner does a damn fine Sting impersonation as well. 

It is great to see a concert film that features music over lights and video screens. It is wonderful to watch a true musical performance without distraction.

So...even though the set list could have been more 'greatest hits' oriented...what we are left with is still more than fine.

Set List
Synchronicity II
Spirits In The Material World
Englishman In New York
I Can't Stop Thinking About You
One Fine Day
She's Too Good For Me
I Hung My Head
Fields Of Gold
Petrol Head
Down, Down, Down
Shape Of My Heart
Pretty Young Soldier
Message In A Bottle
Ashes To Ashes
50,000
Walking On The Moon
So Lonely
Desert Rose
Roxanne/Ain't No Sunshine
Next To You
Every Breath You Take
Fragile
Bonus Track: Heading South On The Great North Road (Sting & Joe Sumner)
Bonus Track: Looking For Me, Looking For You (Joe Sumner)
Bonus Track: Don't Change The Love (Joe Sumner)
Bonus Track: Jellybean (Joe Sumner)
Bonus Track: Maria (The Last Bandoleros)
Bonus Track: Riverman (The Last Bandoleros)
Bonus Track: Take Me To It (The Last Bandoleros)
Bonus Track: I Don't Want To Know (The Last Bandoleros)
Bonus Track: Where Do You Go? (The Last Bandoleros)

By Jeb “Wrapped Around Your Finger” Wright