Setlist

01	Message In A Bottle
01	Walking On The Moon
02	Demolition Man
03	Voices Inside My Head
04	When The World Is Running Down
05	Don't Stand So Close To Me
06	Driven To Tears
07	Hole In My Life
08	Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
09	Wrapped Around Your Finger
10	De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da
11	Invisible Sun
12	Can't Stand Losing You
13	Roxanne
14	King Of Pain
15	So Lonely
16	Every Breath You Take
17	Next To You

Police bring on the might: Amp up intensity at Fenway Park...

Time has been good to The Police.

On their first tour in more than 20 years, the newly reunited trio delivered a performance at Fenway Park on Saturday night that proved the only thing worn and weathered about the band is Sting's bass guitar.

Among the night's themes were frequent tempo changes, long guitar interludes and masterful percussion work from drummer Stewart Copeland, who resembled a man possessed during drumming sequences when his gloves and headband clearly came in handy.

Guitarist Andy Summers played the sturdy and occasionally inspired counterpart to front man Sting, whose bass lines, vocals and considerable charisma helped carry the show; his blue eyes, wide-mouthed grin and sizable biceps certainly didn't hurt.

At 55, Sting isn't the oldest rock star to still be rocking, but he is possibly the most chiseled.

The sold-out crowd was full of middle-aged fans obviously giddy with excitement to relive their teenage years, and they still know all the lyrics to hits including the set opener 'Message In A Bottle', 'Synchronicity II' and the otherworldly, reggae-inspired 'Walking On the Moon', one of many songs to get an extended treatment.

The peppy carelessness of 'De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da' was balanced by the intensity of 'Roxanne', which got the red light treatment, along with upbeat hits 'Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic' and 'Don't Stand So Close To Me'.

In addition to the night's musical peaks, there were the slowish, entertaining-but-not-quite-explosive numbers including 'Driven to Tears', 'Voices Inside My Head' and the hard-to-find rhythmic template of 'The Bed's Too Big Without You'.

The action took place on a mammoth stage in front of the Green Monster, a fitting historic location for a band that crammed an unusually high number of accolades - five No. 1 albums and six Grammy awards - into just seven years of work.

The show lasted for roughly two hours and featured a double encore that included 'King Of Pain', and 'Every Breath You Take', the monster hit off 'Synchronicity', the Police's most successful album.

It was the first of two shows in Boston on the band's six-continent reunion tour; the second is tonight.

Opening act Fiction Plane played to more empty seats than actual people, but those in attendance got a preview of things to come as the English rock group was fronted by Joe Sumner, Sting's son.

© The Boston Herald by Lauren Carter

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