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On Sunday morning, I did something I have wanted to do since 1983.
I bought tickets to see The Police.
Not just Sting, whom I've seen perform live several times in different venues but always with lamentation for the absence of his two bandmates, each of whom is as uniquely talented a musician as the frontman who went on to sell millions of records on his own.
The three of them together? Magic. I remember being 7 or 8 years old and hearing my father sing along to "Roxanne" on the car radio; my mother loved the song, as well, and I suppose that's what introduced me to the trio that would become my favorite group. I remember giggling at the absurdity of "De Do Do Do De Da Da Da" (absolutely hilarious to a 9-year-old, I must say).
In 1983, I entered junior high school and developed a mad crush on Jamey, the class cutie, with whom I had one major thing in common: we both loved The Police. Jamey and I would pass notes to each other in class, replete with Police lyrics that we each tried to explicate from the complex, raw corners of our prepubescent minds. Jamey once wrote me a Valentine's Day poem culled entirely from various Police lyrics. I'd proudly post it here, were it still in my possession.
I used to practice tracing the digital Japanese lettering from the Ghost in the Machine album onto the crumpled brown covers of my textbooks. As a harried 7th grader, my daily ritual upon returning home from school was to play the Synchronicity album in its entirety on my cherished white plastic Grundig phonograph (with detachable speakers, very high-tech for 1983). Jamey in mind, I always began my DJ shift with "Every Breath You Take."
I quickly wore down the stylus with my relentless rotation of Police albums, breaking only occasionally to give some play to poor, neglected Duran Duran. When I was given my first CD player, as a high-school graduation present, one of the first discs I bought was Synchronicity (along with Dream of the Blue Turtles, Sting's first--and still greatest--solo album). To this day, the only CD boxed set in my possession is the Police retrospective issued in the early '90s.
In the late '80s, I briefly dated (or what passed for "dating" when you're 17) a guy whom I considered breaking up with after he found me engrossed in a VHS tape of Bring on the Night and admitted he was not familiar with the group it centered around. I was never sure what he thought about the other two Police tapes I frequently watched, but he wasn't around long enough to find out.
There are countless groups and artists whose music has been pivotal at various moments in my life, but none as deeply or enduringly as The Police. I am tremendously excited for the concert, my long-awaited chance to deeply inhale that rare amalgamation of musical talents that so electrifies music lovers like myself.
And I imagine that Jamey, wherever he is, has tickets in hand as well.
Posted by ayelet at February 28, 2007 11:56 AMAmalgamation won't be the only thing you will be inhaling there!
Posted by: Jess at March 18, 2007 03:20 PMIt's a Big Enough Umbrella...
In one hour the sale opens for the concert in Denmark (where I'm from).
Surfed and found our story. I guess some things are universal. Wish you a great Police concert.
Over here I'm just as excited as you after waiting for 20some years!
Claus
Posted by: Claus Holm at March 16, 2007 01:04 AMThere has to be an Invisible Sun. So cool! I saw them on the Grammys a couple weeks ago and they still rock. Have a great time.
Aaron
Posted by: Aaron at March 7, 2007 08:36 PMI would love to see The Police live, having never seen them in concert ever.
I think they remain such an influential and revered band because they broke up at their pinnacle, which only served to fuel their myth and heighten the anticipation of their reunion. The only thing that could realistically and possibly trump this is a full-on Smiths reunion, and even then there's no guarantee that The Smiths would be able to capture the same magic.
However, seeing The Police perform at the Grammys was very cool. I don't know if I'll get the chance to see them live, but at least I can understand what all the fuss is about. Notwithstanding their horrid remake of "Don't Stand So Close To Me" in the mid-Eighties, their legacy is untarnished and still relevant.
They were-- and are-- simply a great rock band.
Posted by: james at March 3, 2007 04:10 AMRoxelet,
I have always been a Police fan. Unfortunately, (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), I am old enough to remember seeing The Police twice in Phoenix in the early 80's. Once, sharing the bill with The Go-Go's (whoo!) and secondly, on a stifling hot, humid miserable desert 100 degree August night in a baseball stadium where they shared the bill with The Thompson Twins, and Madness!! I remember there was a backstage camera which showed the boys pouring themselves glasses of ice cold water while we broiled under the glaring stadium lights, causing the crowd to boo uncontrollably! They were great, though!
Posted by: Rob "Iceman" Izenberg at March 1, 2007 01:53 PMI read your blog and felt compelled to comment...
Even though it has been many years since we last saw each other, and you have never had the opportunity to meet the love of my life, Adam, he is equally as huge a Police fan as you. It has also been his life-long dream to see them get back together and perform again. We have been hearing rumblings for months and are so happy it is actually happening. In fact, it turns out that we are going to be in Spain when the Police will be in L.A., so we decided to pick another city and fly there to see them. Therefore, we will be flying to Denver to see them there!!! I read your blog to Adam, and his comment was that I'm lucky I met him first, or else he would have married you! I'm so excited you guys are both finally getting to see your favorite group.
I saw the Police twice--the Ghost in the Machine tour when I still lived in Florida, and the Synchonicity tour, which was the first concert I saw after my move to California.
I bet the tickets won't be $10.50 on this tour.
http://www.80srockconcerts.com/?p=11
Have fun....