Getting our red lights turned on

The Police (Dodger Stadium)

June 23rd, 2007

Ever since the Police announced their reunion tour in February I toyed with the idea of seeing them live. Their music left a big mark on my teenage years and I was always told that they generated a great energy live. The deal was sealed when my very persausive friend held out some good tickets in front of my face. Not one to turn down a good concert, nor a chance to be with friends; I decided to go. After all, this could be the only time that I ever get a chance to hear "Invisible Sun" live.

So I set out with three life long friends to the sunny and mild clime (relative to Phoenix) of Southern California. We would spend the day at the beach and then pass the evening at the concert. Our expectations weren't too high; the real treat was listening to the songs with the same kids that made them special to me.

The evening didn't get started with the band that we'd hoped. That can be blamed on the bumper to bumper gridlock that we were subjected to for about two hours. My heart goes out to the poor people who have to deal with LA on a regular basis. I mean, 25 miles in two hours? The insanity. We were stuck on this elaborate concrete labyrinth and every route we took was frought with Toyotas and Hondas. Luckily our dash board navigation system helped us find a surface street that shaved 30 minutes off the tail end of the drive. With our spirits bouyed we parked our car in the red light district and made the trek up to Chavez Ravine, home of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Since it is LA every thing was behind. We were suprised that we only missed the first half of the Foo Fighters performance. I kind of feel bad for the band. You are a grammy winning band and you are playing in front of a half full stadium of people who came to see some old guys sip geritol and play hits from 25 years ago. I did enjoy the three songs that we heard and I didn't feel too bad because I've already seen those guys live.

It was time to start the show. With our $6 dodger dogs in hand we prepared for the grand entrance. Finally the lights dimmed and our experience commenced. I believe that they started off with "Don't Stand". I'm not certain because I was distracted by the gossiping, pot-smoking chicks behind us. There were alot of those kinds of people around. The Police are "in" right now. Being "in" attracts that kind of crowd.

The band played through hit after hit without changing instruments or making stops. Pretty suprising considering their age. They sounded fairly tight and kept the songs basic. I noticed that they changed the key and tempo of many songs. I didn't mind too much but I believe that some nearby purists were upset. Too be honest, I wasn't exceptionally impressed with the new arrangements. Sting still managed to get the crowd to sing the chorus on just about every song.

The concert ended after approximately two hours. Long enough to cover most hits but too short to delve into some of their obscure stuff. My expectations were met. I wasn't expecting to be blown away and I wasn't. But I did enjoy my time and the company. Now I can say that I've seen the Police. I do hope that this is only a one time tour and that they don't milk a few more milllion dollars out of fans for years to come. In my opinion you are only entitled to one "greatest hits" tour. I would feel completely ripped off if they keep touring without any new material. Damn, the Stones, Neil Diamond, and the Eagles for setting such a bad example.