Broken Music
Jun
6
2006
Pembroke, MT
Luxol Parade Groundwith Fiction Plane
Sting stuns the crowd...
Over 18,000 fans sang along with famous rock-star Sting at his concert, forming part of Broken Music Tour, held at the Luxol Grounds on Tuesday night.
In Malta's biggest concert organised so far, Sting played many songs from his Police days and alternated between slow and catchy songs.
He opened the concert with the famous 'Message in a Bottle', and continued with 'Fields Of Gold', 'Roxanne' and 'Englishman In New York'.
'SOS', 'A Day In The Life' and 'Shape Of My Heart' were other favourites with the crowd who received each interpretation with loud rounds of applause.
'Desert Rose' was his first encore, much to the delight of the audience, followed by 'Every Breath You Take'. Once the song was over, the crowds called for another encore and Sting sang one of his latest hits, 'Fragile'.
He rarely spoke throughout the performance but he did say il-lejl it-tajjeb (good night) and grazzi (thank you).
However, he thanked the audience before leaving the stage and said he hoped to visit Malta again.
Fiction Plane, led by Sting's son Joe Sumner, entertained the audience with several of their songs before Sting came on stage.
Fiction Plane is an English pop-rock band with Joe Sumner on lead vocals and guitar, Seton Daunt on guitar, Dan Brown on bass guitar, keyboard, backing vocals, Pete Wilhoit on drums.
Although the gates opened at 6pm, people were still walking in a few minutes before Sting was scheduled to play.
However, there were a few complaints about the seemingly short performance by Sting, which lasted less than two hours.
Parking was a big problem in spite of the fact that many people had the foresight to park their cars in the area in the early afternoon.
Although there was the usual traffic jam before and after the concert, traffic flowed smoothly and the roads were soon clear.
(c) The Malta Independent by Juan Ameen
'Flawless' concert makes Sting very happy...
It was a ''flawless concert'' which Sting gave to a full house at Luxol grounds on Tuesday night.
Nigel Camilleri, from NnG Promotions, told The Times yesterday that Sting had been ''extremely happy'' with the flawless concert and the response of the Maltese crowd. The singer went straight to the airport and left Malta soon after the concert while the crew flew out early yesterday morning.
The former Police singer drew some 18,000 spectators to St Andrew's - the biggest crowd to attend a rock concert in Malta. More tickets were sold than for the concerts of Tina Turner, Eros Ramazzotti and the Autralian Pink Floyd.
A warm-up session by Fiction Plane - the band of Sting's son Joe Sumner - preceded the main concert which started at 8.45 p.m. and lasted some 90 minutes.
Sting took the stage and sang through his most famous classics including 'Fields of Gold', 'Roxanne', 'Englishman In New York', 'Shape Of My Heart', 'Desert Rose', 'Fragile' and others. He interpreted 20 songs without stopping, setting the crowd ablaze throughout, especially with his more famous numbers.
(c) Times of Malta
Sting rocks Luxol...
''Il-lejl it-tajjeb'' (Good evening) Sting read from a piece of paper. He didn't say much more. But words were not what thousands of Maltese flocked to Luxol Grounds for. In 90 minutes of magic, the Englishman delighted the crowds with over 20 back-to-back legendary hits.
He didn't stop to chat between songs. He didn't stop for a drink or to change his bass guitar. He didn't move much. He just played, and played. 'Roxanne', 'Englishman In New York', 'Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic', 'Desert Rose', 'Every Breath You Take', and 'Fragile' are just a few of the hits he sang during Tuesday's concert at Pembroke.
Now, all music lovers' eyes are set on NNG Promotions' next mega concert - Roger Waters on 10 July. Tickets for this concert will be on sale as from Friday.
Sting flied to Malta at 1600hrs with his private jet. From there, straight to Luxol Grounds. His 30-member crew arrived on Monday from Lisbon on board a cargo plane loaded with Sting's gear for the concert. Two forty-foot trailers of equipment were unloaded from the plane. After the concert, Sting didn't stay long at Luxol. Soon he was back in the air on board his jet.
There were over 700 persons working during the concert. These included security officers, doctors, police officers, bar staff and first aid personnel. After the concert 9 exit points were opened and the crowds walked out without many difficulties.
Yet, traffic management in the roads around Luxol Grounds was not as satisfactory, maltastar.com noticed. All roads leading to Luxol Grounds were practically blocked with traffic for quite some time after the concert. The problem seems to be that the roads in the area are not adequate for such a large number of cars.
Following Sting's concert, the stage will not be dismantled. In a month's time, Roger Waters will be giving Malta's Pink Floyd lovers the treat of their life on this same stage and in the same venue that is fast becoming synonymous to the biggest live concerts venue in Malta. But it is only the stage that will remain the same. Roger Waters will be bringing with him an exclusive light show. A special sound system will make the Pink Floyd album 'Dark Side of the Moon' even more magical than it already is. In the second part of his concert in Malta, Roger Waters will be playing this entire celebrated album.
During Sting's concert, the first tickets for the 10 July Waters concert were sold at a reduced price. A considerable number of tickets were sold already. Tickets will go on sale on Friday from Vodafone and Matrix outlets. The tickets for the Golden Circle will be on sale from Sandro Azzopardi Gioielleria.
(c) The Malta Star
Every little thing he does is magic...
Stripped down and raw with two guitars, a bass and drums, Sting lived up to the hype last night, blasting through a 90-minute set list of classics at the Luxol grounds.
A tireless and receptive crowd, the largest ever for a rock concert in Malta, sang along to practically every one of the 20 songs he belted out in his unique high pitched voice.
Looking trim in dark suit, slacks and black T-shirt, Sting and his band took to the uncluttered stage at 8.45 p.m. and drove straight into hyperdrive with the Police classic 'Message In A Bottle'.
Backed by a tight band, Sting interspersed soothing and at times feet stomping songs ranging all over his songbook, from 'Fields Of Gold' to 'Roxanne' to 'Englishman In New York'. Two of the highlights were his rendition of the Beatles' 'A Day In The Life', 'Shape Of My Heart' and 'Roxanne'.
The crowd went berserk when Sting marched on for his first encore to deliver 'Desert Rose', one of his biggest and more recent hits. The fans did not want the concert to end, but the curtain fell on a flawless event with arguably his finest solo recording, 'Fragile'.
The only disappointment was Sting's lack of interaction with the crowd. However, at one point he did stop to practise his Maltese by saying Il-lejl it-tajjeb (Good night).
Sting's Broken Music tour has been an instant hit with fans, especially since it is providing a showcase to the music that turned him into an icon.
The 54-year old icon left Malta after the concert en route to Israel where he will be playing tomorrow.
Apart from the queues outside the entrances before the concert and clogged traffic in Swieqi and Ta' l-Ibrag afterwards, the flow of people to and from the venue was smooth and no accidents were reported.
(c) The Times of Malta by Herman Grech
Sting engages crowd in phenomenal concert
Thousands of fans rocked to Sting's inimitable sounds on Tuesday evening in what can only be described as a phenomenal concert. Rock band, Fiction Plane, headlined by Sting's son Joe Sumner, were the supporting act, and they also gave a great performance.
People began flocking to Luxol Grounds from around 1800 CET to be sure to savour every moment of the concert, despite the fact that the live music was not scheduled to begin before 1930 CET. Fiction Plane began playing and getting the crowd ready for the main act with their popular rock music. By this time people were entering the grounds in a steady flow and soon the place was packed.
Sting did not disappoint when he appeared on stage as the crowd began cheering and clapping, and as soon as the familiar instrumental notes of 'Message in a Bottle' began, the fans went wild. People sang along to the songs, especially the more popular ones such as 'Roxanne', 'Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic' and 'Fields of Gold'.
The concert ended with a beautiful rendition of Fragile which sent the fans into overdrive; however, their request for more was not granted as Sting exited the stage ready to be whisked off to Tel Aviv where he will be performing next as part of his Broken Music Tour 2006.
The artist got great rounds of applause when he uttered the phrases il-lejl it-tajjeb and Grazzi Malta, and his pledge to return to the island.
This was the first concert this summer of great artists, with people eagerly anticipating more intense music with the likes of Bob Geldof and Roger Waters in the coming weeks.
(c) MaltaMedia Online Network by Giselle Borg Olivier
Sting promises to be back after great performance...
Thousands of people flocked to the Luxol Grounds in Pembroke for what was billed as the biggest concert to be held in Malta to date, Sting's date forming part of his Broken Music Tour.
Although the weather on the night was quite chilly, the crowd - estimated at around 18,000 persons - soon warmed up as the international superstar started to delight with hits from his own repertoire and that of his former band The Police.
Sting took the stage wearing a dark suit and holding a guitar and together with the other three members of his band started to play one of his most renowned hits, 'Sos', followed by 'Walking on the Moon'.
He then addressed the crowd in Maltese, albeit reading from a paper, and augured ''Il-lejl it-tajjeb'' (good evening) to all those present.
The people were soon applauding and singing along, while those who were sitting down were soon up on their feet to cheer Sting, who then went on to sing 'Englishman in New York'.
The crowd however had an even better reception when the artist and his band performed two of his greatest hits, 'Fields of Gold' and 'Roxanne'.
The stage, which was practically bare except for a number of grates on which light effects were being created, was in this case lit up with the colours that matched the lyrics of these songs, namely gold and red.
The band left the stage following the performance of the latter song, but the people had not yet had enough as they screamed for more.
Sting obliged, and returned on stage to sing 'Desert Rose' and 'Every Breath You Take' much to delight of the public who had been expecting the two songs with anticipation.
The band left the stage once again but nevertheless returned for another encore, performing a further two songs.
Sting concluded the show by saying that the audience was very nice, and he promised that he would be back!
The performance lasted for around an hour and a half and was preceded by another performance from Fiction Plane, the band led by Sting's own son Joe Sumner, whose resemblance with his own father was quite noticable.
(c) di-ve.com by Chris Galea
Over 18,000 fans sang along with famous rock-star Sting at his concert, forming part of Broken Music Tour, held at the Luxol Grounds on Tuesday night.
In Malta's biggest concert organised so far, Sting played many songs from his Police days and alternated between slow and catchy songs.
He opened the concert with the famous 'Message in a Bottle', and continued with 'Fields Of Gold', 'Roxanne' and 'Englishman In New York'.
'SOS', 'A Day In The Life' and 'Shape Of My Heart' were other favourites with the crowd who received each interpretation with loud rounds of applause.
'Desert Rose' was his first encore, much to the delight of the audience, followed by 'Every Breath You Take'. Once the song was over, the crowds called for another encore and Sting sang one of his latest hits, 'Fragile'.
He rarely spoke throughout the performance but he did say il-lejl it-tajjeb (good night) and grazzi (thank you).
However, he thanked the audience before leaving the stage and said he hoped to visit Malta again.
Fiction Plane, led by Sting's son Joe Sumner, entertained the audience with several of their songs before Sting came on stage.
Fiction Plane is an English pop-rock band with Joe Sumner on lead vocals and guitar, Seton Daunt on guitar, Dan Brown on bass guitar, keyboard, backing vocals, Pete Wilhoit on drums.
Although the gates opened at 6pm, people were still walking in a few minutes before Sting was scheduled to play.
However, there were a few complaints about the seemingly short performance by Sting, which lasted less than two hours.
Parking was a big problem in spite of the fact that many people had the foresight to park their cars in the area in the early afternoon.
Although there was the usual traffic jam before and after the concert, traffic flowed smoothly and the roads were soon clear.
(c) The Malta Independent by Juan Ameen
'Flawless' concert makes Sting very happy...
It was a ''flawless concert'' which Sting gave to a full house at Luxol grounds on Tuesday night.
Nigel Camilleri, from NnG Promotions, told The Times yesterday that Sting had been ''extremely happy'' with the flawless concert and the response of the Maltese crowd. The singer went straight to the airport and left Malta soon after the concert while the crew flew out early yesterday morning.
The former Police singer drew some 18,000 spectators to St Andrew's - the biggest crowd to attend a rock concert in Malta. More tickets were sold than for the concerts of Tina Turner, Eros Ramazzotti and the Autralian Pink Floyd.
A warm-up session by Fiction Plane - the band of Sting's son Joe Sumner - preceded the main concert which started at 8.45 p.m. and lasted some 90 minutes.
Sting took the stage and sang through his most famous classics including 'Fields of Gold', 'Roxanne', 'Englishman In New York', 'Shape Of My Heart', 'Desert Rose', 'Fragile' and others. He interpreted 20 songs without stopping, setting the crowd ablaze throughout, especially with his more famous numbers.
(c) Times of Malta
Sting rocks Luxol...
''Il-lejl it-tajjeb'' (Good evening) Sting read from a piece of paper. He didn't say much more. But words were not what thousands of Maltese flocked to Luxol Grounds for. In 90 minutes of magic, the Englishman delighted the crowds with over 20 back-to-back legendary hits.
He didn't stop to chat between songs. He didn't stop for a drink or to change his bass guitar. He didn't move much. He just played, and played. 'Roxanne', 'Englishman In New York', 'Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic', 'Desert Rose', 'Every Breath You Take', and 'Fragile' are just a few of the hits he sang during Tuesday's concert at Pembroke.
Now, all music lovers' eyes are set on NNG Promotions' next mega concert - Roger Waters on 10 July. Tickets for this concert will be on sale as from Friday.
Sting flied to Malta at 1600hrs with his private jet. From there, straight to Luxol Grounds. His 30-member crew arrived on Monday from Lisbon on board a cargo plane loaded with Sting's gear for the concert. Two forty-foot trailers of equipment were unloaded from the plane. After the concert, Sting didn't stay long at Luxol. Soon he was back in the air on board his jet.
There were over 700 persons working during the concert. These included security officers, doctors, police officers, bar staff and first aid personnel. After the concert 9 exit points were opened and the crowds walked out without many difficulties.
Yet, traffic management in the roads around Luxol Grounds was not as satisfactory, maltastar.com noticed. All roads leading to Luxol Grounds were practically blocked with traffic for quite some time after the concert. The problem seems to be that the roads in the area are not adequate for such a large number of cars.
Following Sting's concert, the stage will not be dismantled. In a month's time, Roger Waters will be giving Malta's Pink Floyd lovers the treat of their life on this same stage and in the same venue that is fast becoming synonymous to the biggest live concerts venue in Malta. But it is only the stage that will remain the same. Roger Waters will be bringing with him an exclusive light show. A special sound system will make the Pink Floyd album 'Dark Side of the Moon' even more magical than it already is. In the second part of his concert in Malta, Roger Waters will be playing this entire celebrated album.
During Sting's concert, the first tickets for the 10 July Waters concert were sold at a reduced price. A considerable number of tickets were sold already. Tickets will go on sale on Friday from Vodafone and Matrix outlets. The tickets for the Golden Circle will be on sale from Sandro Azzopardi Gioielleria.
(c) The Malta Star
Every little thing he does is magic...
Stripped down and raw with two guitars, a bass and drums, Sting lived up to the hype last night, blasting through a 90-minute set list of classics at the Luxol grounds.
A tireless and receptive crowd, the largest ever for a rock concert in Malta, sang along to practically every one of the 20 songs he belted out in his unique high pitched voice.
Looking trim in dark suit, slacks and black T-shirt, Sting and his band took to the uncluttered stage at 8.45 p.m. and drove straight into hyperdrive with the Police classic 'Message In A Bottle'.
Backed by a tight band, Sting interspersed soothing and at times feet stomping songs ranging all over his songbook, from 'Fields Of Gold' to 'Roxanne' to 'Englishman In New York'. Two of the highlights were his rendition of the Beatles' 'A Day In The Life', 'Shape Of My Heart' and 'Roxanne'.
The crowd went berserk when Sting marched on for his first encore to deliver 'Desert Rose', one of his biggest and more recent hits. The fans did not want the concert to end, but the curtain fell on a flawless event with arguably his finest solo recording, 'Fragile'.
The only disappointment was Sting's lack of interaction with the crowd. However, at one point he did stop to practise his Maltese by saying Il-lejl it-tajjeb (Good night).
Sting's Broken Music tour has been an instant hit with fans, especially since it is providing a showcase to the music that turned him into an icon.
The 54-year old icon left Malta after the concert en route to Israel where he will be playing tomorrow.
Apart from the queues outside the entrances before the concert and clogged traffic in Swieqi and Ta' l-Ibrag afterwards, the flow of people to and from the venue was smooth and no accidents were reported.
(c) The Times of Malta by Herman Grech
Sting engages crowd in phenomenal concert
Thousands of fans rocked to Sting's inimitable sounds on Tuesday evening in what can only be described as a phenomenal concert. Rock band, Fiction Plane, headlined by Sting's son Joe Sumner, were the supporting act, and they also gave a great performance.
People began flocking to Luxol Grounds from around 1800 CET to be sure to savour every moment of the concert, despite the fact that the live music was not scheduled to begin before 1930 CET. Fiction Plane began playing and getting the crowd ready for the main act with their popular rock music. By this time people were entering the grounds in a steady flow and soon the place was packed.
Sting did not disappoint when he appeared on stage as the crowd began cheering and clapping, and as soon as the familiar instrumental notes of 'Message in a Bottle' began, the fans went wild. People sang along to the songs, especially the more popular ones such as 'Roxanne', 'Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic' and 'Fields of Gold'.
The concert ended with a beautiful rendition of Fragile which sent the fans into overdrive; however, their request for more was not granted as Sting exited the stage ready to be whisked off to Tel Aviv where he will be performing next as part of his Broken Music Tour 2006.
The artist got great rounds of applause when he uttered the phrases il-lejl it-tajjeb and Grazzi Malta, and his pledge to return to the island.
This was the first concert this summer of great artists, with people eagerly anticipating more intense music with the likes of Bob Geldof and Roger Waters in the coming weeks.
(c) MaltaMedia Online Network by Giselle Borg Olivier
Sting promises to be back after great performance...
Thousands of people flocked to the Luxol Grounds in Pembroke for what was billed as the biggest concert to be held in Malta to date, Sting's date forming part of his Broken Music Tour.
Although the weather on the night was quite chilly, the crowd - estimated at around 18,000 persons - soon warmed up as the international superstar started to delight with hits from his own repertoire and that of his former band The Police.
Sting took the stage wearing a dark suit and holding a guitar and together with the other three members of his band started to play one of his most renowned hits, 'Sos', followed by 'Walking on the Moon'.
He then addressed the crowd in Maltese, albeit reading from a paper, and augured ''Il-lejl it-tajjeb'' (good evening) to all those present.
The people were soon applauding and singing along, while those who were sitting down were soon up on their feet to cheer Sting, who then went on to sing 'Englishman in New York'.
The crowd however had an even better reception when the artist and his band performed two of his greatest hits, 'Fields of Gold' and 'Roxanne'.
The stage, which was practically bare except for a number of grates on which light effects were being created, was in this case lit up with the colours that matched the lyrics of these songs, namely gold and red.
The band left the stage following the performance of the latter song, but the people had not yet had enough as they screamed for more.
Sting obliged, and returned on stage to sing 'Desert Rose' and 'Every Breath You Take' much to delight of the public who had been expecting the two songs with anticipation.
The band left the stage once again but nevertheless returned for another encore, performing a further two songs.
Sting concluded the show by saying that the audience was very nice, and he promised that he would be back!
The performance lasted for around an hour and a half and was preceded by another performance from Fiction Plane, the band led by Sting's own son Joe Sumner, whose resemblance with his own father was quite noticable.
(c) di-ve.com by Chris Galea
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