Nowadays, Sting's band includes guitarists and long-time collaborators Dominic Miller and Shane Fontayne, as well as drummer Josh Freese, who has performed with rock bands A Perfect Circle and The Vandals. For those who have been keeping score over the past 20 years, that's the smallest band Sting has performed with since The Police. Freese provided some insight into why Sting decided to go with such a configuration at this point in his career.
"If anything, there's more energy," he said. "It's stripped down in the way that Sting had The Police, which was a trio. During his whole career as a solo artist, he's had upwards of 10 to 12 people onstage. This production is just not as elaborate. It's a lot more rock 'n' roll than it has been."
The band isn't the only thing that's different for this tour, though. Freese said the show's set list has changed a bit since the first show, and the group likes to keep things interesting in its interpretations of Sting's classic tunes.
"There's a couple of things we do differently," he said. "Some might sound exactly like the record, but other ones, we want to kind of breathe new life into them. Fans get to hear the song, but there's little twists and turns to keep them creative."
Another unique feature of this tour is Sting's decision to take it only to smaller cities and colleges in which he hasn't performed for several years, which Freese said is the singer's attempt to keep things exclusive and fresh.
Stripped down or not, though, there seems to be a marked difference between Sting's work with The Police and his solo projects. Sting fan Bill Staley (junior-landscape architecture) said
he realizes he might be a
minority in preferring the artist's solo material, but he has his reasons.
"I'll always be a fan of The Police," he said. "Stewart Copeland was a great drummer. But the solo material is different. It's more pure in a way, since Sting is the main creative influence."
Freese said the current group covers a "good mix" of Sting's work from the past 27 years and fans of either the solo stuff or The Police-work can find something to enjoy in the show.
Unlike some concert-goers who might just be seeking a live version of a "Sting's Greatest Hits" compilation, Staley said he would like to hear a mix of both the obscure and recognizable songs at a Sting performance.
"There are so many great songs to choose from," he said. "The title track from his album The Soul Cages is a driving song. There are also a few tracks
from Ten Summoner's Tales that are awesome odd-time songs. But then there are the standards he will undoubtedly play, too,
like "Shape of My Heart,"
and "Fields of Gold," and "Roxanne," from his days with The Police."
For Freese, Broken Music isn't about playing recognizable hits as much as its "back to basics" mentality. He said the show's emphasis on rock is what has made it a success.
"People are always going to freak out when you play the mega blockbuster hits, but the reaction overall has been very positive," he said. "As a fan, even if I wasn't involved, if I heard about this show, I'd say 'That's a great idea.' I think it's just more fun, getting back to what he did 20 years ago with The Police."
