The Police Review at Wrigley Field

Midway through their North American tour, The Police made a stop in the city of Chicago for two nights on July 5th and 6th. Most concerts that have come through the windy city have usually played at the likes of places such as the United Center, First Midwest Amphitheatre, or Soldiers Field. With the exception of Jimmy Buffett in 2006, Wrigley Field has had limited if any other concerts performed there, so it was intriguing to hear that this 80’s super group chose to play in the friendly confines. The combo of growing up as a teenage Police fan in the 80’s and being an avid Wrigley Field fan as well, made this show a must to see!

The show started around 7PM and my seats were located in terrace section 220 about halfway up. Even though it seemed that I was far away, the seats were perfect, in that they were dead center behind home plate, with no obstructions! The stage was straight away in centerfield, and had a collage of big screens and lights behind and around. The club and field boxes directly below us were appropriately roped off due to possible obstructions from various structures on the field. Like Chicago Cubs games, there were the familiar sounds of beer vendors walking around and advertising what they had to sell. At first I was worried that these vendors might be a distraction, but they did vanish once the music began. The opening act was called “Fiction Plane”, and as they played I noticed that the lead singer sounded a lot like Police front man, Sting. Low and behold I found out later that the singer was actually Sting’s son. I never heard of this group so just as most in the crowd, I gabbed away with fellow Police fans as I listened. Just to say something , the group was tight and provided an enjoyable background sound to my conversations.

At about 8:15, the moment came. With most fans in their seats, a large roar from the crowd applauded, as Stewart Copeland, Andy Summers, and Sting finally took the stage together. For being in their 50’s the trio looked great as they waved and smiled out to the crowd that so anxiously awaited their reunion. The group opened up with “Message in a Bottle”, and everyone was on there feet. More songs followed such as “Synchronicity II”, “Walking on the Moon”, “Voices Inside My Head”, and “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic”. Overall most of the songs were played perfectly, but there were a couple that seemed flat. In the 80’s, The Police put out two versions of “Down Stand so Close to Me”, neither of which did they emulate. Sting never hit the high notes in the chorus that defined both versions, which made the song seem out of key. In “Wrapped Around Your Finger”, Sting alone, sang the chorus. Over the last 25 years, listening to that song a thousand times, it was almost the equivalent of Sting the teacher, standing in his classroom and running his finger nails down the chalkboard.

Again except for a couple of hiccups, the band was great. Summers guitar rifts were right on, Copeland’s beats were forceful and explanatory as always, and Sting worked the crowd with plenty of ohh-ee-ohhs. The big screens added to a great visual effect and the sound was excellent. The combo of seeing The Police at Wrigley Field was definitely an enjoyable experience!

Gary Ketchum
CEO TicketAmerica.com

Gary Ketchum is The CEO of Ticketamerica. Gary has traveled all over the United States and has attended various concert, sports, and theatre events in most major cities. Since TicketAmerica.com specializes in entertainment, Gary Ketchum makes it a point on dining at various restaurants and attending local clubs to find out just where hidden gems for entertainment are located. Gary sells tickets @ http://www.ticketamerica.com and provides numerous entertainment reviews @ http://www.ticketamericablog.com You can email Gary at gary@ticketamerica.com