Sting at the Hollywood Bowl: A little bit of classical, a little bit of rock ‘n’ roll
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Sting’s Symphonicity tour hit the Hollywood Bowl Tuesday night. He was joined by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, and in between sharing friendly updates on the Lakers-Celtics game, he performed classical (or classical-ish) renditions of his biggest hits and his lesser-known songs.
Times pop music critic Ann Powers took in the show. An excerpt of her review:
First, Sting’s collaboration with conductor Stephen Mercurio should give pause to the many rockers lapping up the current trend for hooking up with a string section (or more). These efforts can be exciting but just as often come off as under-rehearsed and conceptually half-baked. Not so this show; an all-star cast of arrangers reworked the songs, and time clearly had been spent making sure the pop musicians and orchestral players onstage would work together to create a genuinely hybrid sound. Sometimes, the drums and percussion overtook everything. But I feel that’s appropriate, since rhythm is a central element in Sting’s songwriting, even when he’s reeling out a ballad.
You can read the full review here.
And come back to Culture Monster on Thursday for Powers’ review of L.A. Opera’s ‘Götterdämmerung’ and for a report on Sting’s next concert in Southern California -- Wednesday at Irvine’s Verizon Wireless Amphitheater.
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