Sting's Chicago, IL concert

May 18, 2001

Review by Marisa Meisters.

As the house lights dimmed, the full band took the stage, followed by Sting, for "A Thousand Years". I had not noticed before, but Jeff Young (keyboard), Chris Botti (trumpet), and Kipper (keyboard) all sang backing vocals for this, and several other songs.

"After the Rain Has Fallen" received a positive response from the crowd, as did "We'll Be Together" which inspired an audience clap-along. Dominic also had his first of many mini solos during the song.

"Perfect Love...Gone Wrong" received an exceptionally warm reception from the audience, especially drummer Manu Kache's rap solo midway through the song. Botti and Young were also featured on some minor solos throughout the song.

Sting took a brief pause, stating that there were a lot of pretty women in the Chicago audience which was a segue for him to crack his Ally McBeal joke: "If you saw Ally McBeal last week, you cannot sue me for looking at your wife." He then introduced the band, and continued with "All This Time." He altered the song slightly by singing the very last line twice.

Sting continued with "Mad About You," and described it as having a Middle Eastern flavor. Both Sting and Botti hummed/played the opening instrumental bars in unison.

"Seven Days" featured Botti on more solos throughout, and a slightly faster speed for the song's ending.

"Fill Her Up" and "Fields of Gold" were followed by "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" which inspired the audience to echo Sting's "e-o-o" chant near the end. Sting also appeared to be in a pretty good mood: When the song ended, someone threw their jacket on stage for Sting. He shook his head and laughed, throwing it back. "Now, underwear I keep," he joked.

"Moon Over Bourbon Street" followed, with Botti and Sting battling it out to see which one of them could hold a note longer - Botti's solo came near the end of the song, while Sting held onto the last word of the song for as long as he could. The audience loved the interplay. Sting also gave his famous howl at the end.

The audience loved "Brand New Day" and clapped along throughout the song, and also clapped along on "Englishman in New York" at the end, where Sting repeats the lines, "Be yourself, no matter what they say."

Sting received a note from someone in the audience at this point, and read it out loud. The note said, "What will it take to get you to sing at my wedding?" Sting responded, "That's very sweet. I can sing for you right now." He and the band proceeded to "Roxanne," which included the audience Roxann-o echo at the end, and Sting's usual signature jump at the end.

"Desert Rose" was also warmly received. Sting hummed Cheb Mami's introduction, and even attempted what could only be described as a belly dance move with his bass a couple times during the song.

"Bring on the Night / When the World Is Running Down" included Young's keyboard solo near the end of the song, and vocal echoes back and forth between Sting and Kipper.

For the first encore, Sting and the band played "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You," featuring some small Botti solos throughout, and "Every Breath You Take." Next followed another introduction of the band members.

For the second encore, Sting returned for an acoustic version of "Message in a Bottle," during which the whole audience sang the song in unison with Sting. The audience would sing, "message in a bottle," and Sting would echo, singing it back in a different pitch. Finally, Sting and the band capped off the night with "Fragile."

This was another truly memorable Sting concert. For me, personally, it was one of the best I've attended in a large part because it was my first time at a Sting concert with my boyfriend. :-)