"Sting had his bass turned up SO loud compared to the rest of the band that i could feel every note in my chest in the first row of the balcony, crushing my lung capacity, like Joe Frazier was hammering away eventually trying to take me down."
Since when does the band on stage control the audio mix in the venue?
"Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”
~ Muhammad Ali
From President Obama: "Over the years, musicals have been at the forefront of our social consciousness, challenging stereotypes, shaping our opinions about race and religion, death and disease, power and politics."
I have to say, I don't always enjoy Sting's work, but I respect it. He's an artistic solipsist- entertaining the audience hasn't been high on Sting's priorities list in decades. Instead, he focuses on finally achieving his art-school ideal from the old days of figuring out how far the boundaries of "the mainstream" can be pushed towards intellectual art before one of them breaks.
I suspect this creation of a musical is not Bono trying to create a great musical that people will enjoy, but another of his endless stylistic experimentations. If so, good for him, but questionable for us. (This philosophy of his, and his refusal to pander ever, makes me think the inclusion of a few Sting songs in the score is less a jukebox thing, and more likely that these songs somehow inspired him in his creation of the piece. Making an easy move like that doesn't sound much like Sting.)
However, if you want dour, Sting is your man. Even at the most fun, Sting and the Police have always been marked by the square-jawed joylessness of their essential philosophy.
"If Sting wants his bass turned up, believe me it will be turned. Up."
But this ignores a key point. He is also the singer. So, why would he want his bass to drown out his vocals? Surely his ego would be more precious about people hearing his words, no?
If someone wants to make a bad audio mix on seeing them one night into a metaphor for Sting's ego, I suppose that is their right, but having listened to many live recordings, bootlegs, and seeing them on their last reunion swing, that never seemed to be the case.
