Sting was breathtaking in Brno. He put on a flawless show in the Moravian metropolis...

British musician Sting is almost at home in the Czech Republic. After his performance at Colours of Ostrava in July, he returned to the country, this time at Brno's Winning Group Arena. He entertained fans with a selection of the best from his career, including hits by The Police, Roxanne and Every Breath You Take.

It's eight o'clock in the evening and Brno's Winning Group Arena is almost full to bursting. The 74-year-old Sting is performing on this tour without a support act, so he has a difficult task. To appear in front of a tense audience and meet all their expectations without someone warming up the full arena. However, he is a seasoned performer and he succeeds right from the start with the song Message In a Bottle.

During the second I Wrote Your Name (Upon My Heart), the audience applauds the musician and the rest of the concert is a relaxed atmosphere.

The setlist consisted of over twenty songs, so there was no time for long speeches, which are the domain of other artists. If I'm not mistaken, the audience only got to hear a longer speech during the song If I Ever Lose My Faith in You, when Sting introduced his band that accompanies him on the tour, and then at the end when saying goodbye. However, the absence of spoken words did not matter, because the concert flowed pleasantly thanks to it.

The songs Englishman in New York and Every Little Thing She Does is Magic gave fans a chance to dance a little, and some of the younger participants happily took advantage of it. The audience also got to see the energetic hit Every Breath You Take, which Sting included at the end of the set and especially at the bridge he really leaned into the well-known song with the band. It was truly a great experience and probably the highlight of the entire evening.

Sensitive and tender moments were provided by songs like When We Dance, Shape of My Heart, and the dramatic Mad About You. They probably evoked strong emotions in everyone who was lucky enough to be in the Winning Group arena. In addition to the feelings already mentioned, Sting could also evoke frustration or anger with the political song Driven To Tears, which deals with the topic of poverty and inequality in the world. The real decoration of this powerful song is its magnificent guitar solo, which is handled on tour by guitarist Dominic Miller, who has been working with Sting for many years. The duo is joined on stage by drummer Chris Maas, who also accompanies Mumford and Sons.

Given the singer's venerable age, one might expect him to show some fatigue during the concert. But that wasn't the case. Apart from a few songs that Sting sang while sitting down, he was in top form and cut all the songs without hesitation. For example, I wouldn't be afraid to call him in his element with the song Roxanne, singing it as an encore throughout the two-hour concert. And in case that wasn't enough for anyone, he also added Fragile, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar and earning a loud ovation.

They performed all the classics that a Sting fan could wish for. The British legend showed that he still has impressive vocal abilities that he's not afraid to show off. The icing on the cake was the fact that the show was excellently sound-wise. But the light show was not left behind either, which enhanced the whole experience with its play of colours.

Sting will soon return to the Czech Republic. Next year in June he will be one of the headliners of the Metronome Prague festival, which will now be held in Prague's Letňany.

(c) iReport.cz by Lucie Všianská

Sting made the audience dance in Brno. He showed off his resonant voice and precise, yet effortless performance...

The 17-time Grammy winner performed on Saturday, October 18th at the Winning Group Arena in Brno. The 74-year-old Englishman visited the Czech Republic for the second time this year, the first time the audience could see him at the Colours of Ostrava music festival. With his supporting musicians as part of their Sting 3.0 tour, they took over the entire sports hall and thrilled not only rock fans.

With a slight delay and to loud applause from the audience, Sting appeared on stage shortly after eight o'clock in the evening. He was accompanied by drummer Chris Maas and guitarist Dominic Miller. Right at the beginning, he only sent a friendly greeting gesture to the crowd and without much hesitation, the first notes of the song Message in a Bottle were heard. Although he started the performance with a song from his former band The Police, the first half of the evening was mostly devoted to pieces from his solo discography, such as Fields of Gold, Englishman in New York or the immortal Shape of My Heart.

The concert was accompanied by no speeches, just a perfectly tuned sound, dominated by Sting's bass guitar, but not unpleasantly so. The great sound was complemented by analog-style projections that took the audience back in time to the era of The Police.

Sting still maintains the quality of his performance at a high level, his voice is still strong and resonant after all these years, to the point where one sometimes cannot help but feel that he has the microphone near his mouth just to avoid scaring the audience. Perhaps only towards the end was there a slight exhaustion in his voice, especially during the hit song Roxanne, which the singer preferred to play a little lower in the choruses.

The fact that Sting, even after years, still has the talent and is not just performing overpriced, well-rehearsed theatre is also proven by the improvised solos, new arrangements of songs and the incredibly friendly response of the audience. People danced, jumped and did exactly what the singer asked them to do with his sharp, captivating gaze.

However, it should be mentioned that the accompanying musicians also contributed to the quality of the concert. Drummer Chris Maas changed the faces of individual songs with cleverly chosen accents and a polished, perfectly tuned and sounded Ludwig drum kit, equipped with the famous, proven Sabian HHX cymbals. His playing also resonated with the audience, who clapped along with him during his solos (unfortunately, not everyone managed to keep up with the rhythm, like the audience next to me).

Dominic Miller played his Fender Stratocaster, perhaps coincidentally the same colour as Sting's bass, with such ease that it was hard to tell whether he was touching the strings or just playing magic with his fingers over them. His long-term collaboration with Sting ensured that they appeared on stage as a perfectly coordinated duo, gracefully playing solos between each other without the need for words. Everything is very precise, but at the same time it seems light and effortless.

Towards the end, the band was called back by the delighted audience once again and started a block of hits such as Desert Rose or from The Police's discography Every Breath You Take. Sting then ended the entire evening poetically - with an electro-acoustic guitar and his song Fragile.

The singer and his entourage offered an incredible experience on Saturday evening and is already planning another performance in the Czech Republic for his fans who missed it. He will play at the Metronome Prague festival this year on June 21st, just one day after another star, Nick Cave and his band The Bad Seeds.

(c) Aktuálně.cz by Kris Zákora

Sting in Brno: Without pomp, but with perfection in every note...

Sting returned to the Czech Republic, this time to Brno, with an intimate concert version of his tour. Without a large band, just a trio, he performed a two-hour lesson in musical elegance, technical precision and personal charm. It was a modest but absolutely sovereign performance by a legend who probably never ages.

Legendary musician Sting has made another magnificent return to the Czech Republic. This time, however, as part of his current "3.0 Tour", he presented himself in a more intimate way, only in a trio with guitarist Dominic Miller and drummer Chris Maas, without a large choir and other accompanying musicians. He offered a show that returned to his roots and showed that even in a minimalist concept, his music can be absolutely captivating.

I admit that I had doubts about how the attendance would be. After all, he performed with the same program a few months ago at Colours of Ostrava, and the concert had almost no promotion - for example, I didn't see a single poster in the city - and the entrance fee was definitely premium. However, the musician ended up completely filling the hall. In this respect, it was a pleasant surprise, especially compared to the similarly conceived Bryan Adams show, where despite a larger promo, the space in the back of the area remained free for standing.

Both performances were also connected by the absence of an opening band - at eight in the evening, Sting and his two bandmates took the stage. After the first songs, it was clear that this was going to be an extraordinary experience. The sound was absolutely brilliant - clean, legible, precise down to the last note. Of course, it's not blaring rock, but every plucking of the strings, the drummer's thump, every detail could be heard perfectly - at least from the stands where I was sitting. I can say that Sting's concert offered the best sound of all the events I've ever been to in the largest hall in Brno.

Sting seems as if time has stood still for him. At seventy-four, he looks as vital as he did twenty years ago, he still performs in tight clothes, and his sinewy athletic figure makes him a real action-packed retiree.

I was never a devoted fan of his - I know his greatest hits, but I always perceived The Police as a slightly overrated band. Great playing, but a bit cold and artificial. I always preferred the rawer guitar world of Black Sabbath or Led Zeppelin to the art rock surfaces of Yes and Pink Floyd. But maybe it's also the sound of the early 80s, which I don't really need. Nevertheless, I can admit that The Police's work sounded great live - and even made up about half of the setlist.

A big surprise for me was Sting's bass playing. He is appreciated for it, but it doesn't really stand out from his pop songs. However, he demonstrated perfect trained precision and confidence live. The trio worked perfectly together, each instrument had its own space and complemented each other sound-wise. And thanks to the broadcast on the giant LED screens, we were able to enjoy the musicians' performances in detail.

The audience reacted very positively - in some places they even got up from their seats, sang, applauded and created a pleasant, friendly atmosphere that perfectly matched the spirit of the evening. Sting offered him a representative cross-section of his entire career - from The Police to his solo hits (the only thing missing was "Brand New Day").

The evening pleasantly surprised me on several levels - the only problematic thing remains Sting's singing, or rather his articulation. Yes, I'm referring to that legendary scene from the TV series "Family Guy". It's hard to say if it's the Northern English to Scottish accent, but especially at the beginning of the concert it was ripe for a speech therapist. For example, in the chorus of the famous arch-hit of the same name, one could only hear "Oooooh... mumbling mumbling mumbling... I am an Englishman in New York".

But we can't do anything about that. Even so, it was a great, straightforward concert without unnecessary speeches or gestures. Two hours of music, during which Sting and his small band offered the maximum possible - in short, an honest evening full of hits that co-created the history of pop-rock.

(c) Musicserver by Marek Odehnal