The Police are back and almost perfect...

It's almost criminal.

Two decades after splitting up, The Police are back - and they're already displaying signs of greatness.

Whew.

As the clock ticked closer to the start of the trio's tour kick-off on Monday, you could feel the anticipation build in Vancouver's GM Place.

Would Sting and his bandmates be any good? Would the old chemistry still be there?

Twenty years of waiting, of quiet frustration, of unspoken fear dissolved as soon as the opening strains of Message in a Bottle filled the hockey arena.

More than 20,000 fans roared with unbridled joy - and shed a few tears of gratitude - as Sting, drummer Stewart Copeland and guitarist Andy Summers then played 'Synchronicity II', 'Spirits in the Material World' and other hits from their five albums.

Happiness was also written all over Sting's face as the trio ripped through furious renditions of 'Voices Inside My Head' and 'When the World Is Running Down'.

The Police are still far from perfect. 'Spirits in the Material World' sounded ragged and Summers stumbled trying to do a knee bend during 'Synchronicity II', but Copeland more than made up for any deficiencies.

He truly is the world's best drummer.

Monday's sold-out show was the first of two in Vancouver.

On Sunday, about 5,000 fans were treated to a dress rehearsal in the hockey arena. No journalists or photographers were allowed into the exclusive event.

Edmonton mom Shauna Stawnichy and her husband, Randy, won tickets through a local radio station. "I felt lucky to have seen it," she said after the two-hour rehearsal. "You wouldn't think they hadn't played in a long time," he added.

Sunday's run-through was a casual and friendly affair, according to the Stawnichys. The set list included 'Don't Stand So Close To Me', 'Every Breath You Take', 'So Lonely' and 'Next To You'.

© The Edmonton Journal by Sandra Sperounes
Photo by Dave & Wendy

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