The last time the Police came to Philadelphia it was February 1984, and I was 2 years old. Due to inner turmoil, the band broke up so Sting (Gordon Sumner) could pursue a solo career. Stewart Copeland (drummer) and Andy Summers (guitarist) both wanted a Police reunion, but it was Sting that had other plans. History aside, the band is back and better than ever.

The news organizations in the Philadelphia were claiming the severe weather with lightning, hail, and Noah's Ark floating. Being an outdoor stadium show, weather was clearly going to be a factor. But God loves three-piece bands and the rain never came. It was actually a fantastic summer evening.

The concert took place at Citizens Bank Park which is an odd place for a concert. I generally hate stadium shows due to the mostly terrible sight views and awful sound. But I had a great view of the stage and I couldn't care less about the other 43,645 people in attendance. The sound was spot on too. It was well-mixed and the echo was kept to a minimum.

Onto the performance. The band kicked the set off with Message in a Bottle. The band came out hungry and ready to prove they still had it after all these years. And boy, do they ever. People consider the Police a three piece band and they would be correct, but I consider Sting's voice the fourth instrument. He sounded fantastic. His voice was crystal clear and hasn't lost any of the range. The sound this "four piece" was able to create was nothing short of amazing. I continued to look around on stage for backup musicians and listening for backing tracks, there were none. It was only the band on stage playing the hits and sounding like a five piece.

Synchronicity II was the second song in the set and my first foray into the Police experience. The Police are not just a rock band, they are three, studio quality musicians and to go out and play the same song that is on the album would bore them.

The band has played with the songs a bit. It is a good mix of the song you know and an added twist. Some songs were slowed down to emphasize lyrics as with Don't Stand So Close to Me and King of Pain. Other songs were very different from the album version like Invisible Sun. I actually didn't recognize Invisible Sun at first.

Sting says about the musical changes:

"The songs have to evolve. Twenty-odd years later we have to be better musicians than we were. So we've slowed it all down, looked at where we are, and how the songs are now happening by listening to ourselves play them."

Another concert first for me, the band had almost no instrument techs. I am sure the loyal readers have been to a concert where before the band takes the stage many guitar, bass, and drum techs are out tuning and testing the instruments. The Police didn't have that. The only people on stage were those stage hands switching the stage set and testing the microphones. Another first, the band played the same instrument the entire time. The band did the tuning by themselves. What a novel concept! Musicians tuning their own instruments!

I could continue to gush about how great they were and how great it is to see them return to the stage as the Police, but that would bore everyone else. If you get the chance to go to a Police show, do it. It has been 23 years since the world heard the Police and it was a terrible place (Kajagoogoo, Culture Club, Milli Vanilli, MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice, Spice Girls, Paris Hilton).

Set list:

Message in a Bottle
Synchronicity II
Walking On the Moon
Voices Inside My Head
When the World Is Running Down
Don't Stand So Close To Me
Driven to Tears
Truth Hits Everybody
Bed's Too Big Without You
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
Warpped Around Your Finger
De Do Do Do De Da Da Da
Invisible Sun
Walking In Your Footsteps
Can't Stand Losing You
Roxanne

—Encore—
King Of Pain
So Lonely
Every Breath You Take
Next To You

The answer to the obvious question is: Yes, yes Sting's ego was in check.