It has been a long time since I've been to a big, outdoor show. Last night, The Police came through town and my wife and I were able to get a baby sitter and head off to the show. It was fantastic. The crowd there varied from people twenty years my senior to people twenty-plus years my junior.
There was one guy I watched for about a half hour. He was and older man, dancing on the edge of the grass near the stairs leading out to the exit. He was singing along, dancing with an syncopated off-time rhythm. He was a big fan, that much was obvious. His band t-shirt was stretched tight over the bulk of his belly, his cheeks were reddened by the glow of the sun and his own excitement, and the smile that pressed the corners of his mouth revealed a glowing set of straight teeth.
He got the lyrics wrong on more than one song but his enthusiasm was obvious and he made my night. Yeah, Sting, Andy Summers, and Stuart Copeland helped make the night amazing, but watching a grown man having such a good time with little or no regard to anything beyond that moment was refreshing.
The band played so cleanly. Their voices, guitars, and drums blending into a glorious tribute to a time that, for me, was simpler, more free, and playful. What was amazing about this concert was that they played every song that I wanted them to play. Have you ever been to a concert where they played the songs from the new album and not the songs you wanted to hear? This was the opposite of that. They played all of the songs that made them famous, gave them a new spin, and absolutely rocked the house. What a refreshing night it was.
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