Concert Review: The Police At Wrigley Field

Photo by Al
With the world turning circles running 'round my brain
I guess I'm always hoping that you'll end this reign
But it's my destiny to be the king of pain -- The Police, "King of Pain"
For more on last night's game check out the diaries by NittanyCub and Chris.
Being at Wrigley Field last night for the concert by the band that, from 1978 to 1984, was the #1 rock band in the world, was somewhat surreal. Everything surrounding the neighborhood and the ballpark was the same... only different. The feel of the crowd was different, although certainly many, besides myself, attend Cubs games there. People were dressed differently, much more "dressy" than for a ballgame -- there were a few people, though not many, wearing Cub clothes, including, at the very end of the set, Police drummer Stewart Copeland, who came out for the encores wearing a Cubs home jersey with "COPELAND 07" on the back.
Those of us who had field seats (the photo above is taken from my seat, right about the spot where Alfonso Soriano patrols left field -- they did ban cameras, and I didn't see any, except for camera phones, which is how I took the photo) entered through the bleacher gate, then went down the LF concourse and directly through the area where the ground crew stores all the Turface that they use during rain delays (there was, instead of the Turface, a large store of grass seed which will be used to help restore the field). The entire field was covered with plastic, which hopefully will allow the grass to breathe somewhat, although the case with almost every concert that's been on a grass spots field has been that the grass has been pretty severely damaged. Let's hope that's not the case here.
You could walk right up to the edge of the infield and peer into the dugouts; security, though omnipresent (both Police-hired security and Cubs security), was pretty laid-back.
The opening act was FictionPlane, a British band fronted by Sting's son Joe Sumner. They're pretty hard-rocking, and finished their set with a song laced with F-bombs, which I thought somewhat inappropriate for a crowd that was filled with the forty- and fifty-something fans of the Police and their kids (there were MANY kids in attendance). Sumner said that FictionPlane's drummer Pete Wilhoif, who was wearing a 1980's era Cub road jersey, was "a longtime Cub fan" -- don't know if this is true or not.
Both bands kept pretty much on schedule, because of the local noise ordinances which prevent concerts from going on much past 10 pm (the last encore ended about 10:10); the Police finally came out about 8:25, and played what everyone wanted and expected -- all their hits. It struck me that every single song of the (approximately, I didn't count) 20-song set was a monster hit on both sides of the Atlantic, and the Police, for their six or seven year reign, was every bit as big a band on the world stage as, say, U2 is today.
Despite the reportedly acrimonious breakup of the Police in the mid-1980's, all three of them at least looked like they were having a good time, particularly Stewart Copeland, who is an absolute wizard on the drums -- and everything else he puts his sticks to. Wearing the Cubs jersey was a nice touch, though he could have had it on the entire evening rather than just for a fifteen-minute encore. Sting is now almost 56 years old and on some songs his voice didn't hit the high registers that he was so well-known for -- except on "Roxanne", the final song before the encores, where he hit the high notes perfectly.
Early in the show Sting mentioned that the last time they had played in Chicago was in 1983 -- at the old Comiskey Park. That brought boos from many of the Cub fans in the crowd, and I don't think Sting really understood why. He also mentioned that they had played at the old Riviera at Lawrence & Broadway in 1978.
And as I looked around at the crowd surrounding me, many of whom weren't even born when the Police were the #1 band in the world, listening to all the great music of my youth, I realized that this is a way of connecting generations, because the music of the Police still resonates, more than twenty years after they broke up. If you're going tonight, you'll have a terrific time. At one point Sting asked for the crowd to "get loud", and they did. But it was still louder when Aramis Ramirez hit the walkoff HR last Friday.
0 recs |
205
comments
Comments
Thanks Al!
by NO100 on Jul 6, 2007 8:40 AM CDT 0 recs
Those are a little far away...
by Al on
Jul 6, 2007 8:42 AM CDT
up
0 recs
Wow you got to wave at Sting
by Joe on
Jul 6, 2007 11:41 AM CDT
up
0 recs
hey Al,
by Matt Allison on
Jul 6, 2007 12:01 PM CDT
up
0 recs
Sorry I missed this earlier.
by Al on
Jul 6, 2007 2:30 PM CDT
up
0 recs
Riviera
How big was the crowd? Were there parts of the stands that were empty (i.e. bleachers)? I'm guessing the number of on-field tickets sold was limited.
What were the concessions like?
by JohnM on Jul 6, 2007 8:42 AM CDT 0 recs
The bleachers...
I'd guess there were 5000-7000 seats on the field and about an equal number of "regular" seats unsold. Thus the total crowd would equal a Cub sellout of about 40,000.
by Al on
Jul 6, 2007 8:43 AM CDT
up
0 recs
Concessions...
by Al on
Jul 6, 2007 8:44 AM CDT
up
0 recs
With the beer..
by wicubfan on
Jul 6, 2007 8:58 AM CDT
up
0 recs
Poison and Ratt
Al - look through last nights commentary. Most negative and unbelieving fans I've run across since the prepubes on ESPN message boards. Where's the 'never say die' attitude that defines the true Cubs fan?? I'm new to the board...do they do this every game?
by iluvryno on Jul 6, 2007 8:43 AM CDT 0 recs
Sigh.
by Al on
Jul 6, 2007 8:44 AM CDT
up
0 recs
Last nights game...
The Nats are REALLY bad (which makes me sad), although we do love our Meat Hook. Good teams - and the Cubs are one of them - POUND really bad teams. On to Pittsburgh!
by flyingdonut on
Jul 6, 2007 8:49 AM CDT
up
0 recs
I can understand trailing or on a losing streak...
I will be around to lend my positive thoughts.
Thanks for the awesome site by the way - this is the standard as far as I'm concerned.
by iluvryno on
Jul 6, 2007 8:50 AM CDT
up
0 recs
Welcome to the board during gametime
by rlpete on
Jul 6, 2007 9:21 AM CDT
up
0 recs
You should have heard them
by billybuck on
Jul 6, 2007 9:41 AM CDT
up
0 recs
I doubt anyone
/likes to commiserate on the boards during games because wins are better and loses easier when you expect the least
by cubsirishkillme on
Jul 6, 2007 11:03 AM CDT
up
0 recs
The biggest fans in the world....
I'll admit that I was a little negative last night because the Cubs "B" team was playing... Lots of people would say the same thing with JJ, Izturis, and Ward in the lineup... If they ran the same team out there tonight, or in a week, I'd probably say all of the same things.
I was pleasantly surprised last night with the victory, but I just want to see the best possible team out there each and every night!!
by BillHoldenFan on
Jul 6, 2007 11:06 AM CDT
up
0 recs
Did it ever occur to you
by cubsbak on
Jul 6, 2007 11:14 AM CDT
up
0 recs
I got it....
by BillHoldenFan on
Jul 6, 2007 12:45 PM CDT
up
0 recs
Uh, that's not
by cubsbak on
Jul 6, 2007 12:49 PM CDT
up
0 recs
1978 to 1984
Hope you had a good time!
by brianp88 on Jul 6, 2007 9:01 AM CDT 0 recs
Van Halen??
by Al on
Jul 6, 2007 9:06 AM CDT
up
0 recs
I have to rule in Al's favor
by Thelonious on
Jul 6, 2007 9:10 AM CDT
up
0 recs
Pink floyd was bigger during the last...
I'm sure I'm going to come up with a few other bigger acts after I leave.
by Thelonious on
Jul 6, 2007 9:16 AM CDT
up
0 recs
Wasn't Pink Floyd...
by Al on
Jul 6, 2007 9:18 AM CDT
up
0 recs
I'm with you Al
by rlpete on
Jul 6, 2007 9:24 AM CDT
up
0 recs
you might want to double check
And I'm not a pink floyd fan. My prog tastes lean heavily toward king crimson.
by Thelonious on
Jul 6, 2007 9:28 AM CDT
up
0 recs
Maybe my bias
by rlpete on
Jul 6, 2007 11:34 AM CDT
up
0 recs
yes
So around 1978-1979 Pink floyd was indeed bigger than the police.
by Thelonious on
Jul 6, 2007 9:25 AM CDT
up
0 recs
It's not just all about sales, though.
I'd say the Police were, during their six year run (1978-84).
by Al on
Jul 6, 2007 9:30 AM CDT
up
0 recs
If we change the nature of this discussion
I'm simply saying that PF was bigger in the last 2-3 years of the 1970s. I thought the police really peaked around 81-83.
by Thelonious on
Jul 6, 2007 9:33 AM CDT
up
0 recs
Pink Floyd
by jshipp on
Jul 6, 2007 10:01 AM CDT
up
0 recs
BIG TIME
by brianp88 on
Jul 6, 2007 10:09 AM CDT
up
0 recs
Wow.
by Al on
Jul 6, 2007 11:53 AM CDT
up
0 recs
That's probably the best way to frame it
by rlpete on
Jul 6, 2007 11:37 AM CDT
up
0 recs
1984
I also remember that I had both Sting and David Lee Roth posters on the wall along with my FAVORITES at the time....Nick Rhodes and Simon LeBon of Duran Duran.
Good times.
by iluvryno on
Jul 6, 2007 9:21 AM CDT
up
0 recs
The numbers don't lie
Van Halen I - 1978 - 10.3 million copies sold, hit # 19 on the charts and spent 169 weeks on the charts.
Van Halen II - 1979 - 5.7 million copies sold, hit number 6 on the charts and spent 47 weeks on the charts.
Women and Children First - 1980 - 4.3 million copies sold, hit # 6 on the charts spent 31 weeks on the charts.
Fair Warning - 1981 - 3.4 million copies sold, hit # 5 on the charts and spent 23 weeks on the charts.
Diver Down - 1982 - 4 million copies sold, hit # 3 on the charts and spent 65 weeks on the charts.
1984 - 1984 - 10 million copies sold, hit # 2 on the charts, spent 77 weeks on the charts.
The Police -
Outlandos d'Amour - November, 1978 - # 23 - US sales 1 million records sold
Reggatta de Blanc - October, 1979 - #25 - US sales: 1 million records sold
Zenyatta Mondatta - October, 1980 - #5 - US 2 million records sold
Ghost in the Machine - October, 1981 - US #2 - three million records sold.
Synchronicity - June, 1983 - #1 8 million records sold
Impressive numbers for both bands. But, if you compare sales for the Police vs Van Halen's first five records, Van Halen out sold 'em 26 million to 15 million. Not to mention I rounded down Van Halen's numbers and didn't even include Van Halen's 1984 numbers.
I'm not dissing the Police. But calling them the biggest band from 1978-1984 is, well, inaccurate.
Van Halen was a lean, mean, fighting machine back in those days. And, they're coming back: http://www.eonline.com/news/article/index.jsp?uuid=40546757-6d25-4d0c-92f1-7d0550a7cec0&entry=in dex&sid=rss_topstories&utm_source=eonline&utm_medium=rssfeeds&utm_campaign=rss_topst ories
by brianp88 on
Jul 6, 2007 9:33 AM CDT
up
0 recs
Even so
I'd check your stats. Just 1.8 million sales for Synchronicity? Sounds way low to me.
by danimal15 on
Jul 6, 2007 9:41 AM CDT
up
0 recs
Synchonicity
Every Breath You Take is a great song. A timeless song. I'm not dissing The Police one bit. Very cool band.
All I'm saying, is for that six year time period the Al cited in his post (1978-1984) when taken altogether, Van Halen was the bigger band. They sold more records and were a bigger concert draw than the Police were. Not to take anything away from the excellent band that The Police are.
by brianp88 on
Jul 6, 2007 9:46 AM CDT
up
0 recs
Thanks
by danimal15 on
Jul 6, 2007 10:13 AM CDT
up
0 recs
What about
by Kinky Reggae on
Jul 6, 2007 11:23 AM CDT
up
0 recs
Nooooooo!
And besides, there's always Freebird!
With all the numbers people are throwing around between the Police and VH, I can't help but think we're missing some other giant acts spanning those same years, notably KISS. In the late 70s, I was not quite 10, and I was stuck on "oldies" radio. I knew the songs on rock and Top 40 stations, but I don't remember paying too much attention to them.
by Kegler on
Jul 6, 2007 11:42 AM CDT
up
0 recs
KISS
The band that everyone is forgetting about in the 1978 to 1984 time frame is Blondie. Four #1 hit singles in four years in the US and five in the UK. And plenty of smaller hits too.
But the way the imploded at the end of that time frame kind of explains it. And I'm trying to stay out of this argument. Because comparing The Police to Van Halen is like comparing apples to mangoes. You could make a better comparison argument with The Police and Blondie, as they both came out of the New Wave. Van Halen is so far from Blondie and The Police that they might as well be from a different planet.
by Josh77 on
Jul 6, 2007 2:23 PM CDT
up
0 recs
If you're going to throw in punk bands from that
by Jettero2112 on
Jul 6, 2007 3:04 PM CDT
up
0 recs
Talking Heads...
Hmmmm...
I don't know, on that one.
That would be a real stretch in most views and to many rock historians/critics.
But I was a big fan.
by TheEman on
Jul 6, 2007 3:45 PM CDT
up
0 recs
Depends on
The Talking Heads are covered in the Mojo Magazine coffee table book "Punk: The Whole Story" that I got for Christmas. The Heads are included in "No Thanks! The 70's Punk Rebellion" CD box set that I got for Christmas.
People used to make a distinction between "Punk" and "New Wave" to describe counter-culture music that emerged in the seventies. But recently, most music historians seem to be using them interchangeably.
There is a subculture of hardcore fans who scream that anything that doesn't sound like the Dead Kennedys and Black Flag isn't punk. It's best to ignore such people.
But back to the original point, Blondie, unlike those other bands, was churning out chart-topping singles, which was really weird to people who knew them from their "X Offender" days. (Although "X Offender" is a really catchy tune.)
The Talking Heads only had one top ten single with "Burning Down the House." Not that I judge a band by their singles position, but if you're going to say who is the biggest band around, I think you have to.
by Josh77 on
Jul 6, 2007 7:39 PM CDT
up
0 recs
what's with the "u.s. sales"?
by buckmulligan on
Jul 6, 2007 3:13 PM CDT
up
0 recs
I think it depends.....
by BeerCub on
Jul 6, 2007 9:50 AM CDT
up
0 recs
I think it depends.....
by BeerCub on
Jul 6, 2007 9:50 AM CDT
up
0 recs
Ha ha ha
by lovejones72 on
Jul 6, 2007 10:38 AM CDT
up
0 recs
stewart copeland is great
He was entertaining in his brief stint with "Oysterhead", as well.
by Thelonious on Jul 6, 2007 9:04 AM CDT 0 recs
That's a good band
by DTJchris on
Jul 6, 2007 12:40 PM CDT
up
0 recs
my thoughts
by tony412 on Jul 6, 2007 9:04 AM CDT 0 recs
July 5, 1983
By the time the Police played at the glorious old Comiskey Park on July 23, 1983 the Sox were in first with a one game lead. And while the Police were jamming at old Comiskey the Sox lost to the Brewers in Milwaukee.
In the end, the Sox won the AL West Division title handily with 99 wins. Finishing with a 20 game lead.
On July 5, 2007 the Cubs are 43-41, 4.5 games out of first.
What does this Police concert at Wrigley portend for the Cubs?
Have fun!
by DrCrawdad on Jul 6, 2007 9:04 AM CDT 0 recs
Interesting coincidences!
by Al on
Jul 6, 2007 9:07 AM CDT
up
0 recs
Sting may have forgoten...
A brief but nice mini-reunion, though that day belonged to U2 and Peter Gabriel.
by bison on
Jul 7, 2007 12:56 AM CDT
up
0 recs
Looking at the Tribune Front Page...
Kasey

by kaseyi on Jul 6, 2007 9:04 AM CDT 0 recs
I'm thinking he must have known someone.
by Al on
Jul 6, 2007 9:07 AM CDT
up
0 recs
It almost looks like
by brianp88 on
Jul 6, 2007 9:08 AM CDT
up
0 recs
wow
by Me and Lou WS 07 on
Jul 6, 2007 3:04 PM CDT
up
0 recs
Hey, Al...
by carrie muskats writers block on Jul 6, 2007 9:10 AM CDT 0 recs
Actually, no.
by Al on
Jul 6, 2007 9:11 AM CDT
up
0 recs
LOL
by lovejones72 on
Jul 6, 2007 10:45 AM CDT
up
0 recs
Comiskey Concert Memories
Ministry (pre-industrial, synth-pop days -- remember "Work for Love"?)
The Fixx
A Flock of Seagulls
Joan Jett
I think Martha Quinn was an MC and they showed videos between the bands -- it was the first time I'd seen the English Beat.
I saw the reunion tour last Friday here at the Toyota Center. It sounds like Sting attempted more high notes at Wrigley, he certainly seemed to be playing it safe here. I especially enjoyed hearing "Bed's Too Big" and "Invisible Sun". They moved around pretty well. I was especially surprised to see Andy Summers jump off the drum riser at the end of the show -- he's 64 now!
by DaveinHouston on Jul 6, 2007 9:28 AM CDT 0 recs
Me too!
The Flock of Seagulls hair style didn't look very good in the light of the day.
I enjoyed seeing the Police for a few bucks in a huge stadium. No way was I going to shell out hundreds of dollars for a stadium concert by three old guys (even though I'm older too).
by DrCrawdad on
Jul 6, 2007 9:46 AM CDT
up
0 recs
Older guys
by brianp88 on
Jul 6, 2007 9:52 AM CDT
up
0 recs
Take out the Journey part
by lovejones72 on
Jul 6, 2007 10:47 AM CDT
up
0 recs
And after that concert...
They had to completely rip it up and resod it before the following season.
by Al on
Jul 6, 2007 11:54 AM CDT
up
0 recs
Or perhaps
by danimal15 on
Jul 6, 2007 12:57 PM CDT
up
0 recs
Joan Jett
shudder
I QUICKLY played Joan Jett and the Blackhearts's version for her.
much better...


