Unbelievably Lame

Nonetheless, I'm looking forward to it…let the Canadians have the bad shows - they're used to bad performances by now.

Police drummer rips band's "lame" concert
By Dean Goodman
Fri Jun 1, 3:56 AM ET

The singer in the Police jumps like a "petulant pansy," the drummer is making a "complete hash," and who knows what the guitarist is doing?

Notes from a bitter critic? Actually, it's a disarmingly frank concert review from the aforementioned drummer of the newly reunited rock trio.

A philosophical Stewart Copeland unleashed his vitriol in a posting on his Web site on Thursday, a day after the band played its second show in Vancouver, the Canadian city where it began its first world tour in more than 20 years on Monday.

"This is unbelievably lame," Copeland wrote of Wednesday's show at the GM Place arena. "We are the mighty Police and we are totally at sea."

Most of the 20,000 fans at the venue might not have noticed a series of small flubs, but Copeland, singer/bassist Sting, and guitarist were painfully aware of them.

Copeland started the show off on the wrong foot, literally. He tripped as he took to the stage, and then banged his gong at the wrong time so that "the big pompous opening to the show is a damp squib."

He did not hear Summers' opening riff to "Message In a Bottle," and Sting in turn misheard Copeland's drum intro – "so we are half a bar out of sync with each other. Andy is in Idaho."

They quickly recovered, but then Sting got his footwork wrong as he leapt into the air to signal the end to a shambolic version of their rat-race rant "Synchronicity II."

"The mighty Sting momentarily looks like a petulant pansy instead of the god of rock," Copeland reported.

"And so it goes, for song after song," he wrote, with tunes such as "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic" and "Don't Stand So Close To Me" reduced to ruin.

"It usually takes about four or five shows in a tour before you get to the disaster gig. But we're The Police so we are a little ahead of schedule," he said.

Fortunately, no fists flew backstage as they did back in the Police's heyday. The threesome fell into each other's arms laughing hysterically, Copeland said.

"Screw it, it's only music. What are you gonna do? But maybe it's time to get out of Vancouver."

The band's next show is set for Saturday in Edmonton.

Reuters

i'm starting to think you have something against Canadians.

perhaps i'll develop a general disdain for lawyers.

i know people LOVE the police, but the police are such a bunch of twats. let's be honest, these are not the most complicated arrangements for a competent band to play, let alone the creators of these songs. they'll take the cash though.

I LOVE the Police unabashedly. I understand if others don't. I just hope nothing interferes with the rest of the tour….

Originally posted by le sonick:
perhaps i'll develop a general disdain for lawyers.

how about just the kind with highly-communicable drug-resistant TB who arrogantly expose their disease to hundreds?

Originally posted by le sonick:
perhaps i'll develop a general disdain for lawyers.

There are people who don't have a general disdain for lawyers….?!?

I'm just upset that I don't get one of the shows that the Fratellis open. Meadowlands? Yes. Philly? Yes. The very next night in Hershey? No. Even though the Meadowlands and Philly are both sold out. There are still tickets available for Hershey. I'll bet there are one or two people on the fence who'd appreciate "Chelsea Dagger."

Brian

Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:

Originally posted by le sonick:
perhaps i'll develop a general disdain for lawyers.

There are people who don't have a general disdain for lawyers….?!?

exactly!

Originally posted by yinzer:
i know people LOVE the police, but the police are such a bunch of twats. let's be honest, these are not the most complicated arrangements for a competent band to play, let alone the creators of these songs. they'll take the cash though.

to make a statement like this you must:

a) not play any musical instruments

b) if you do play an instrument, quit soon cos you'll never understand music.

c) if you don't want to quit, move to NORVA and form another cover band, you'll soon play to faithfull masses at the clarendon ballroom where you'll belong.

just saying - they're going to make a STAGGERING amount of loot the rest of '07. it would be nice if they could competently play their own songs. at $250 a ticket, for the bulk of their seats, maybe they should hire a conductor. sting is probably a bit out of sorts from playing a lil' too much adult contemporary for the last decade. i'll keep in mind the fact that the police's music is massively complicated the next time i hear doo doo doo da da da, etc. on the radio the next time. please see how that statement makes no reference as to whether it is any good. that ain't the issue. competence is. brilliance would even be better, at $250 anyway.

quote:
——————————————————————————–
Originally posted by yinzer:
i know people LOVE the police, but the police are such a bunch of twats. let's be honest, these are not the most complicated arrangements for a competent band to play, let alone the creators of these songs. they'll take the cash though.
——————————————————————————–

to make a statement like this you must:

a) not play any musical instruments

b) if you do play an instrument, quit soon cos you'll never understand music.

c) if you don't want to quit, move to NORVA and form another cover band, you'll soon play to faithfull masses at the clarendon ballroom where you'll belong.

Originally posted by yinzer:
i know people LOVE the police, but the police are such a bunch of twats. let's be honest, these are not the most complicated arrangements for a competent band to play, let alone the creators of these songs. they'll take the cash though.

This news is kinda a blower, seeing as how I've planned a NICE part of my summer/year around seeing The Police. (Hershey, Bonnaroo, MSG, VFest, maybe Atlantic City, MSG again for New Year's) There's gonna be some kinks to work out for sure, though. I'm glad they popped up now as opposed to later.

And as far as this fellow implying The Police are not a "competent band" with "not the most complicated arrangements", that REALLY makes me question your knowledge of music. You're talking about a solid bass player (I can't really vouch for Sting's catalog the past 10 years or so), one of the better guitar players of the past 20+ years, and one of the better post-Bonham drummers of our generation. Lemme know who your connect is, cause what you're smoking, yinzer, has gots to be KILLER.

P.S. Bags, PM me, I have an 8th row floor DEAD CENTER opportunity you may be interested in. :D

Just noticed this is one of the acts during my va-ca next week; anyone know if they're any good?
Crescent Street Grand Prix of Canada Festival
Saturday, June 9, 2007 6:30 pm Budweiser presents Synchronicity (The Police Tribute) in concert

copeland = great.

if you want to advocate on behalf of a band that is getting a cool g for 4 at face value and stinking up the joint then maybe you can take those skills and be an attorney.

this looks like a Fredo move by copeland.

Originally posted by TheDirector217:
This news is kinda a blower, seeing as how I've planned a NICE part of my summer/year around seeing The Police. (Hershey, etc…

I'm going to the Herhsey show, too! I gotta meet you, TheDirector217. The rumour is you have a large SOMETHING and Charlie Nakatestes,Japanese Golfer called me obese so at least we'll have something to talk about…

I think this whole thing is much ado about nothing. Copeland and Sting are a lot like the Gallagher brothers on a bad day. Isn't there an infamous story about what Copeland had written on his drum heads during the Synchronicity tour? (Hint: It wasn't pleasant if you're Gordon Sumner.) I think Stewart Copeland is really enjoying three things on this tour:

1.) Playing with The Police again.
2.) The money.
3.) Pissing off Sting at every conceivable opportunity.

Brian

That's why I hate seeing these big bands in even larger venues. All they do is play their regurgitated set list, say, "Thank you <insert city name>, goodnight!", and leave.

I like The Police but do I really need to hear Roxanne or Message In A Bottle live? No.

Not sure what all the hullabaloo is all about, it's just another 80's band reunion tour.

The Police were once categorized by one magazine as 'blue eyed reggae' which I found pretty accurate, and in the words of the great one 'reggae is vile' then he continued to say "it's music for the mentally deranged" I believe. So it is rather uncomplicated music, that's why these shitty pub bands cover them so much. "walking on the moon - Da doo doo da da diddy diddy - Roxanne etc."

Having said all that, I like some reggea, Steel Pulse, Marley (of course) and of course UB40 when they're performing their own songs.I thought the first two Police albums were excellent, then I got rather bored with them.

Originally posted by yinzer:
let's be honest, these are not the most complicated arrangements for a competent band to play,

That's one of the more ridiculous things I've read on the board in a while.

Originally posted by le sonick:
i'm starting to think you have something against Canadians.

perhaps i'll develop a general disdain for lawyers.

Just busting your chops a little extra during the Stanley Cup.

As for lawyers, you're talking to one of the most non-traditional lawyers in history. I was never even sworn in after passing the bar because of the current state of the profession.

Fuck The Police.