Sting 3.0

A lovely day, our 38th wedding anniversary, filled with memorable moments, whether it was a lunchtime destination of the Oakley Arms in Brewood, where we had our wedding breakfast all of those years ago, or then joining friends who were at our wedding to see Sting in concert at Forest Live on Cannock Chase.

Even the continuing travails of a summer cold could not dampen the pleasure of the day. We were even treated to a couple of glasses of prosecco by the management of the pub to celebrate the day.

We arrived at the concert venue at 5 pm. Parking was a breeze (which is more than can be said for the traffic management at the end of the evening) and we were soon in the arena with chairs to sit on and wait for the performances to begin. I have plenty of of experience of outdoor concerts, having been involved in the V Festival at Weston Park on many occasions. This location is ideal, with the stage at the bottom of a gently sloping clearing in the forest, it provides a bowl effect similar to the Hollywood Bowl, though very much more rustic.

The two support acts, Sophie Grey and Imelda May, came and went while we waited for the main event. Sting duly came to the stage just before 9 pm and produced a set of memorable songs from both his individual career and with The Police, lasting for an hour and three-quarters. The seats were abandoned right from the start and there was plenty of audience anticipation in the singing. 

At the end of the evening we had two encores, Which I'm pretty sure everyone had guessed. Roxanne is a crowd pleaser, but I was also chuffed that he ended with Fragile, which is one of my favourite songs. If you haven't heard it before the version by Freddie Hubbard, a late jazz trumpeter, is very atmospheric. The most poignant performance was one that took place in Tuscany, Italy, where he was performing to a select audience and on a webcast (remember them?). It took place on the evening of September 11th, 2001.