Rock Show At The Hollywood Bowl--Super Deluxe Update

The Police blew me away Wednesday night! But in a good way--I didn't die!
Wednesday night's show was incredible. I think I will place it in my top 5 of all time shows.
I will be the first to admit I was never a big Police fan. Sure I liked the songs KROQ played (remember Richard Blade's fawning admiration of the band?!?) but I pretty much dismissed them as just another pretty-boy new wav-y band. Only after Dale enlightened me as to WHY they were actually a great band did I take another listen. But then I was more of a Stewart Copeland fan than anything. Then last year I saw Stewart's "home movie" and I finally "got it".
So, when I heard The Police would be playing with Elvis Costello, I got pretty excited. Elvis is one of my favorite live performers and that the Police were sharing the bill was a bonus.
The show started pretty weirdly.....five minutes early and a half-full house...and I hear "hey everybody" and Elvis just starts playing. No into, no nothing. OK. After about the fourth song, he warmed up a bit and talked about his new album, "Momofuku". (Which I have not heard and I also wonder why it is named after the inventor of Cup Noodles). THEN he invited the audience to a "secret" midnight show that night at the El Rey (which is really dinky). The new songs sounded good and then Sting came out and sang along on "Alison". Of course, he finished up with (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding. A solid performance, everyone sounded great and anytime I get to see Elvis perform is an OK day to me.
So then The Police come out.......wow. Just a un-frikking-believeable set. Even visually, it was breathtaking. They had a high-def screen of some sort in back of the drum riser. It had to be 20x30 FEET. Real time, multi camera, like a Jumbotron, but so dang hi-res and clear. A definite addition to our viewing pleasure.
They played song after song. Awesome musicianship. Stewart was in his own little world, just banging away.
The crowd was enthusiastic, singing along for most of the songs. But then again, Sting sort of makes those kind of lyrics that make it easy to do.... do do do...da da da eeeee yooo ooh.
It was a younger crowd than I would have thought....maybe 35-40-ish. So they might have been a young-to-mid teen in 1984 (the hey-day of The Police). Is this a nostalgia band to them? Or are these Sting's New Age fans? Either way, we ALL had a great time!
Here's a set list I snagged from the OCReader:
The Police
Main set: Bring on the Night / Message in a Bottle / Walking on the Moon / Demolition Man / 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 Doo Doo Doo, De Da Da Da / Insivible Sun / Can’t Stand Losing You (with bits of Regatta de Blanc)
Encore 1: Roxanne / King of Pain / So Lonely / Every Breath You Take
Encore 2: Next to You
Elvis Costello & the Imposters
Stella Hurt / Pump It Up / Everyday I Write the Book / American Gangster Time / Radio Radio / Flutter and Wow / No Hiding Place / Turpentine / Watching the Detectives / Alison (with Sting) / (What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding


About my "supporting" photos....Dale was cleaning out his "archives" the other weekend and came across a treasure trove of old music mags. It was great fun to read about the "good ole' days" of the beginning of punk.