LIVE: Costello And Police In Buffalo Bring Back Memories, But Not Much Excitement
Tuesday May 06, 2008 @ 04:00 PM
By: ChartAttack.com Staff

May 3, 2008
HSBC Arena
Buffalo, NY
by Steve McLean

Elvis Costello started his set five minutes early, but I got to my seat during his first song, one of a handful from his new Momofuku album. Though I don't know any of the titles, and Costello didn't mention them (aside from the acoustic ballad "My Three Sons," which unfortunately had no Uncle Charlie references), I enjoyed them all and look forward to hearing the new rock-oriented LP.

The rest of the performance was filled with familiar songs from the earlier part of his expansive 30-year career, which was a fine fit for current band The Imposters (composed of original Attractions members Steve Nieve on keyboards and Pete Thomas on drums, along with former Cracker bassist Davey Faragher, while the black suit-clad Costello handled all the guitar parts). Nieve's keyboard genius was especially evident and his flourishes were the musical highlight of most songs.

"(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea" was slower and funkier than the original. A reggae vibe was present in "Everyday I Write The Book" and it's always been there in "Watching The Detectives." Things ended on a high with energetic runs through "Radio Radio," "Pump It Up" and "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding."

I made the trip across the border to see Costello as much as The Police, since a 2005 performance I caught was one of the most memorable shows I've attended. I was under the impression that he'd play more than the 55 minutes we got, but the sharpness of the set list overcame the disappointment resulting from the relative brevity and somewhat muddy sound early on.

Few people were standing for Costello, but everyone in the packed arena got on their feet when The Police took the stage and opened with "Bring On The Night." Sting was playing classical guitar, which made me edgy, but at least it wasn't a lute. But the unshaven frontman switched to his familiar bass for the rest of the performance, and his tight sleeveless shirt made it obvious that he keeps himself in good shape. Andy Summers didn't look particularly athletic, but I appreciated his South Park guitar strap, and if you close your eyes you'll have trouble believing that he became eligible to start receiving an old-age pension on Dec. 31. Headband-rocking drummer Stewart Copeland was a force throughout, and he added a few extra touches by playing a bunch of suspended cymbals on "Wrapped Around Your Finger" and tinkling the vibes at the beginning of "King Of Pain."

"Voices Inside My Head" transitioned into "When The World Is Running Down, You Make The Best Of What's Still Around" with an extended rock (thankfully not jazz) jam in the bridge. When Sting asked the crowd to accompany his voice on "Hole In My Life," the biggest sheep did. There was no need to request audience participation for "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic," which had lots of people dancing and singing along. "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" got my foot tapping and soccer moms doing their dance where they rock back and forth with their hands in the air.

"Invisible Sun" came complete with photos of sad children from around the world being shown on the large video screen at the back of the stage. The photos changed to smiling children from around the world toward the end of the song. Perhaps the kids heard that SuperSting almost single-handedly saved the Amazon rainforest.

The crowd went nuts when Sting mentioned "Buffalo, New York" during a very well-done version of "Can't Stand Losing You," which ended the main set.

"Roxanne" wouldn't make my top 10, or maybe even top 20, list of favourite Police songs, but it's become one of their signature tunes, so it was no surprise that it was the first encore number when the band (and me) returned from a pee break. Summers unleashed an impressive solo during "So Lonely," and the first encore ended with "Every Breath You Take."

The second encore was comprised entirely of "Next To You," which was slower than the original and not as good.

It was all over after 105 minutes. I knew every song and loved most of them when they were released. Since I had never seen The Police before, I should have been excited. But I wasn't. Perhaps it was because it was an arena show, which I very rarely attend because I prefer the intimacy of clubs. And while the crowd ate it up, it's concerts like this that remind me that most people my age go to two or three shows per year, not per week like I often do. So perhaps I'm just spoiled and jaded.

The second stop on a four-bar post-concert pub crawl was The Soundlab, where I caught a sparsely attended free show by Vancouver's Ladyhawk. While I couldn't sing along to any of their songs, and their performance was solid but far from mind-blowing, I felt much more at home standing at the bar downing a couple of Yuenglings than I did sitting in a folding chair around where the centre red line would have been if the Sabres had made it to the second round of the NHL playoffs.

Here's The Police's set list:

• "Bring On The Night"
• "Demolition Man"
• "Walking On The Moon"
• "Synchronicity II"
• "Voices Inside My Head"
• "When The World Is Running Down, You Make The Best Of What's Still Around"
• "Don't Stand So Close To Me"
• "Driven To Tears"
• "Hole In My Life"
• "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic"
• "Wrapped Around Your Finger"
• "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da"
• "Invisible Sun"
• "Message In A Bottle"
• "Can't Stand Losing You"
• "Roxanne"
• "King Of Pain"
• "So Lonely"
• "Every Breath You Take"
• "Next To You"