Sting Newcastle City Hall 9th January 1986
“The Dream of the Blue Turtles” is the first solo album by Sting, released in 1985, a year after The Police disbanded. The album made No 3 on the UK Albums Chart, and includes Sting’s first post-Police hit “If You Love Somebody Set Them Free” and the well-known tracks “Fortress Around Your Heart”, “Russians”, and “Love Is the Seventh Wave”. The album was a big success in the USA, earning Sting several Grammy nominations including Album of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. This is the only time that I have that I’ve seen Sting as a a solo performer, to be honest I much prefer the power, and the classic singles, of his work with the Police. I, like many others, wondered how Sting the soloist would work on record and on stage. In fact, he of course turned out to be as successful as The Police. Sting explains his thinking in the programme, displaying his usual strong self-belief: “I knew I needed to find musicians who complemented me on some level, and I know I’m right in doing this thing. But I’m doing it for reasons I still don’t really understand. This risk is both more logical and more in tune with what my instincts well me…I know I’m right in doing this, it hasn’t taken any personal courage at all. My voices are just saying ‘You’re absolutely right, Sting. Go for it'”.
The tour was sponsored by Levis 501 and my programme contains a great flyer advertising the jeans: “There are two ways to get a perfect fit – use the washing machine or wear them in the bath!”. Sting is pictured wearing Levi 501s in the programme. Sting was massively popular at this time, and sold out three nights at the City Hall. I attended the first of the three nights. The set was a mix of his solo material and Police tracks. Sting was accompanied by a band of black jazz-oriented musicians, including Daryl Jones who nows plays bass for the Stones.
Setlist: Shadows in the Rain; Driven to Tears; Consider Me Gone; Children’s Crusade; One World (Not Three); Love Is the Seventh Wave; We Work The Black Seam; Bring on the Night; When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What’s Still Around; Another Day; Moon Over Bourbon Street; Fortress Around Your Heart; Low Life; I Burn for You; If You Love Somebody Set Them Free
Encore: Roxanne; Tea in the Sahara; Every Breath You Take; Need Your Love So Bad; The Dream of the Blue Turtles; Demolition Man
Encore 2: Russians; Message in a Bottle
21 Sep
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