The Police - Reunion Tour 2007

SOURCE	AUD	SOUND QUALITY	A+	FORMAT	Mp3	BITRATE	128	TRACKS #	14
LOCATION / VENUE		Turin, Italy		Stadio delle Alpi		DATE		02–10–07

The Police - Reunion Tour 2007

Judging from the reviews and forum chatter surrounding the opening weeks of the long-awaited and much-hyped Police reunion, the first 12 shows have been a mixed bag, at best. Even this critic, an admitted fan of the band who's been waiting more than 20 years for a reunion, walked out of their second show in Seattle (the fifth performance of the fledgling tour) shaking his head: While few could argue that the reunion itself was anything less than magic, the delivery sometimes felt like little more than a slight of hand.
Such was far from the case at the Honda Center in Anaheim. On the second of the band's three sold-out performances in Southern California (Los Angeles dates included the Staples Center the night before and a Dodger Stadium extravaganza two nights later), The Police delivered a set that not only lived up to the promise of a reunion years in the making, but did so via performances indicative of musicians finally hitting their stride as a band.
The argument that they should have found their stride before the tour commenced May 28 is a valid one, especially when ticket prices exceed $250 for premium seats and $50 for nosebleed and obstructed view, but the difference the two weeks made between Seattle and Anaheim was nothing short of profound.
At the Honda Center, from the first notes of opener "Message in a Bottle," through the rattling timbre of "Synchronicity II" and into the bubbling bounce of "Walking on the Moon," frontman/bassist Sting, guitarist Andy Summers and drummer/percussionist Stewart Copeland were firing on all cylinders. Even more impressive, they had all cylinders firing in line.
On a stage as stripped-down and minimalist as their music, they performed with cunning regard for their songs, despite an at-times staunch disregard for nostalgia. Clocking in at just under two hours, the 19-song set dissected the band's catalog, from the punk rock tenacity of closer "Next To You," from their 1978 debut "Outlandos d'Amour," to the adult-contemporary, Top 40 goliath that preceded it in the set, "Every Breath You Take," from the band's fifth and final studio album five years later, "Synchronicity."
Just as the setlist has seen some modifications over the opening weeks ("Murder by Numbers" and "Spirits in the Material World" have been trimmed as of late), so has the delivery, the band tightening their performance throughout. What started out as the Sting show, with Summers and Copeland merely along for the ride (in Seattle, the three often sounded as if they were in different vehicles altogether), has evolved into an Anaheim performance where the ghosts of their decades apart are finally appearing to work their way out of the machine.
Of note, Copeland dispensing a thick backbeat for Summers to sizzle over in "Driven to Tears," the drummer painting a lush, Middle Eastern tapestry of percussion on "Wrapped Around Your Finger," and the guitarist leaning into "Can't Stand Losing You" and lighting a fire atop the song's easy going swagger. Sting, meanwhile, lived up to every bit of his iconic presence.
The tin strings and calypso rhythm of "The Bed's Too Big Without You" and the toned-down delivery of "The Truth Hits Everybody" were far from mid-set highlights (especially in the absence of more deserving nuggets from their catalog), "Roxanne" unraveled in a bit of a jumble, and Sting's vocals showed signs of wear in encore opener "King of Pain," but none overshadowed an otherwise formidable set.
The night's only "heavier" moment came in the form of hunger relief videos during "Invisible Sun," which ironically followed the evenings lightest moment, Sting singing "De, Do Do Do," and the more than 19,000 in attendance singing "De, Da Da Da" back in unison. It was an exchange that suited many of the parents in attendance quite well.
Such was the dichotomy of The Police in Anaheim. With roots in punk rock and hits in the world of pop, this night offered a juxtaposition of both; what time may have taken away, maturity has reinterpreted. The songs sounded fresh and the delivery was honest, two of the hardest things to attain on a reunion of this stature.
Other than cheaper ticket prices, could we ask for anything more?

 

Source

SDB

Sound Quality

A+

Format

mp3

Bitrate

320

Tracks

23

the Police - Reunion tour 2007

On January 24, 2007, Rock101, a radio station in Vancouver, British Columbia, reported that the trio was coming together again and had in fact begun tour rehearsals in Vancouver. There were numerous sightings of the group and their entourage in the Vancouver area as expectation built of such a tour.
The reunited Police performed at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards on February 11, 2007 in Los Angeles. On February 12th, The Police held rehearsals and a press conference for the media at the Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles, where they confirmed that they would be undertaking the world tour starting in Vancouver in May. It was also announced that the opening act for the North American leg of the tour would be Fiction Plane, a pop-rock band from England featuring lead singer and bass guitarist Joe Sumner, the son of Sting. In Philadelphia, Scottish rock band The Fratellis also joined Fiction Plane as an opening act. In addition, in Miami, Maroon 5 joined the bill. Tour sponsorship is from Best Buy. A portion of ticket sales is being donated to WaterAid. Since concert tickets went up for sale worldwide, some concert dates were sold out in just minutes. Tickets for the entire British tour, the band's first in 24 years, sold out within 30 minutes. The first concert was held in Vancouver on May 28, 2007 in front of 22,000 fans at one of two nearly sold-out shows. Opening with "Message in a Bottle," the band performed for roughly two hours, playing mostly chart hits with a smattering of other favorites popular among fans of The Police. While the Vancouver concerts received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics, drummer Stewart Copeland in a forum posting (on his official site) called the band's May 30 performance "lame" and took humorous pokes at himself and his bandmates, calling one of Sting's song-ending leaps that of a "petulant pansy" and suggesting guitarist Andy Summers was "in Idaho" when he was half a bar out of sync with Copeland's drumming. In spite of these glitches, however, he says he is enjoying himself and after the set he and his bandmates fell into each other's arms backstage, laughing.

Source

AUD

Sound Quality

A+

Format

mp3

Bitrate

224

Tracks

24

the Police - Reunion tour 2007

Source

AUD

Sound Quality

A+

Format

mp3

Bitrate

160

Tracks

19

the Police - Reunion tour 2007

This is fair sounding recording with a few pops from a loose connection when bumped by people coming and going from the section... the worse coming during the last encores mass exodus?and last track "next to you" cuts in... the rest is complete..... recorded from top of section 128 pepsi center ....enjoy

SETLIST

Message In A Bottle
Synchronicity II
Don't Stand So Close to Me
Voices Inside My Head>When The World Is Running Down
Spirits In The Material World
Driven To Tears
Walking On The Moon
Truth Hits Everybody
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
Wrapped Around Your Finger
The Bed's Too Big Without You
De Do Do Do De Da Da Da
Invisible Sun
Walking in Your Footsteps
Can't Stand Losing You
Roxanne
King Of Pain
So Lonely
Every Breath You Take
Next To You (cuts in)

 

Source

AUD

Sound Quality

A+

Format

mp3

Bitrate

256

Tracks

20

the Police - Reunion tour 2007

 

Source

AUD

Sound Quality

A+

Format

mp3

Bitrate

224

Tracks

22

the Police - Reunion tour 2007

Source

AUD

Sound Quality

A++

Format

mp3

Bitrate

174

Tracks

22

NOTES: Very good sound quality. Would be excellent recording had it not been for the group of annoying Spanish-speaking idiots directly behind the tapper chatting throughout much the show.

Respect to Desertsky for taping the show

the Police - Reunion tour 2007

The Police - Live In Vancouver 5/28/07

It wasn’t more than two songs into the Vancouver B.C. debut of the Police reunion tour, that Sting felt comfortable enough with his old bandmates to make a joke. “We haven’t played together in twenty-five years,” he laughed, “and I want to introduce the band.” Of course, no introduction was necessary for the most anticipated rock tour of the summer, one that reunites Sting, guitarist Andy Summers, and drummer Stewart Copeland. “Andy,” Sting said, smiling at the 64-year-old Summers, “meet Stewart.” Unlike the Police’s last tour, in 1983, where inter-band tensions abounded, this quip brought smiles from all.
They hadn’t played a full official Police concert since the Synchronicity tour, if you exclude their Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame induction, but from their opening ramped-up “Message in the Bottle” one might have imagined they never broke up. Perhaps to befit the reunion, Sting wore an ancient holey white t-shirt that he must have had since the eighties — all the better to show off his yoga-toned abs. Copeland wore a headband, while Summers was dressed in the slacks and shirts of a professional jazz musician.
And if professional musicianship was always the hallmark that made the Police a success, it was again evident as they gave new life to well-known hits, removing the reggae-lilt of “Roxanne,” and replacing it with a slowed jazzier tempo. That they felt comfortable enough to re-imagine a well-known catalog shows the confidence of seasoned veterans. While it wasn’t exactly “the Police unplugged,” the frantic punk edge of early hits like “Can’t Stand Losing You” and “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” was swapped for more room for Copeland’s improvisations, and Summers tasty Wes Montgomery-style guitar solos. The extended songs also gave Sting space to widen the choruses, and he turned “Roxanne” into a call-and-response with the audience that could have come straight from the Van Morrison repertoire. Sting sang “The Bed’s Too Big Without You” as if he meant it, despite the fact that his wife was obvious in the middle of the eighth row.
Most successful of all the reinterpretations was the re-imagining of “Wrapped Around Your Finger,” turned into the kind of haunted and plaintive ballad that Sting’s solo catalog is known for. The show only included hits from the Police cannon, skipping solo or new material, though the night felt more celebratory than nostalgic. The Police were always a populist band, which was exactly why fans, including Eddie Vedder and Penelope Cruz, had so coveted tickets for this tour debut. Some of the tension that propelled early Police tours — when the band was imploding internally and Copeland was writing swear words on his drums — was missing in a set that was both generous and predictable. Still, when the Police encored with “King of Pain,” “Every Breath You Take,” and a finale of “Next to You,” these familiar but resurrected hits were delivered with the kind of conviction that originally made the Police the sincere rock band you could love without guilt.

SETLIST

01. Message in a Bottle
02. Synchronicity II
03. Don't Stand So Close to Me
04. Voices Inside My Head
05. When the World Is Running Down...
06. Spirits in the Material World
07. Driven to Tears
08. Walking on the Moon
09. Truth Hits Everybody
10. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
11. Wrapped Around Your Finger
12. The Bed's Too Big Without You
13. Murder by Numbers
14. De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da
15. Invisible Sun
16. Walking in Your Footsteps .............................. New files ... New Link
17. Can't Stand Losing You
18. Roxanne
19. King of Pain
20. So Lonely
21. Every Breath You Take
22. Next to You