luglio | 2013 | Antociranto

arena

Sting – 8 Luglio 2013 – Back to Bass Tour
Splendido concerto di Sting all’Arena di Verona in una cornice sempre estremamente affascinante e con le poltronissime ricche di personaggi dello spettacolo e del mondo dello sport. Il solito problema di questa tipologia di concerti rimane il senso di frustante immobilità causato dal “posto numerato”. Diverso trasporto avrebbe avuto con un parterre “in piedi”. Anche il volume non era da “Arena Rock”. Tutto è stato tecnicamente impeccabile, con toni di sofisticata e precisa performance, quasi fosse intima e da pub. Anche l’invasione di una giovane fan è stato di una tranquillità imbarazzante, nel senso che ha girato sul palco indisturbata tra i musicisti, in maniera discreta, attendendo la fine del brano per salutare Sting e prima di essere gentilmente allontanata. Le cose migliori sentite sono l’iniziale “If I Ever Lose My Faith in You“, la mitica “Fields of Gold“, l’inossidabile “Driven to Tears“, la memorabile “Message in a Bottle“, la sorprendente “The Hounds of Winter“, la mai abbastanza premiata “Wrapped Around Your Finger“, l’immancabile “Roxanne” e la grande sequenza finale con “King of Pain” / “Every Breath You Take” e “Next to You“. Proprio con quest’ultima song, quando tutto il parterre era ormai in piedi ed in preda a danze improvvisate, mi sono venuti letteralmente i brividi lungo tutto il corpo. Del resto, passatemi questa licenza poetica …. quando il Rock si fa duro i “duri” amano il Rock.

La Band è quella solita, affiatata e rodata da anni di dischi e tour: il tastierista David Sancious, il chitarrista Dominic Miller e il batterista Vinnie Colaiuta. Ai tre storici compagni delle avventure da solista di Sting si sono aggiunti anche il giovane violinista Peter Tickell e la cantante Jo Lawry. Al basso naturalmente….. Sting !!!

Non sarà stata una performance degna di un cultore del tantra, ma le sue due ore le ha suonate tutte fino alla fine e senza alcuna perdita di tempo tra una track e l’altra. Praticamente una tirata unica. Certamente sono mancate all’appello alcune canzoni importanti. Una su tutte “Walking on the Moon” che, se proprio necessario, avrei tranquillamente barattato per “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic“. Ma non posso lamentarmi perche il mio album preferito della carriera solo di Sting, “Ten Summoner’s Tales” è stato ben rappresentato con ben 6 tracks. Anche se in realtà è il VHS (in attesa da anni di una riedizione in DVD), con le registrazioni “live” dell’intero album effettuate in due giorni nella tenuta Inglese di Sting, a rimane il vero ed assoluto capolavoro della sua produzione.

Inoltre, rispetto alle precedenti date del tour, all’Arena di Verona ha eseguito da 3 a 5 brani in più. Il Rock Tantrico è stato condizionato dalla nostra penisola? Può essere!
Sicuramente una bel pomeriggio, una fantastica serata e un grande concerto.
Tks Ms. Gordon !!!

SETLIST

If I Ever Lose My Faith in You
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic (Police song)
Englishman in New York
All This Time
Seven Days
Demolition Man (Police song)
Fields of Gold
I Hung My Head
Driven to Tears (Police song)
Heavy Cloud No Rain
Message in a Bottle (Police song)
Shape of My Heart
The Hounds of Winter
Wrapped Around Your Finger (Police song)
De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da (Police song)
Love is Stronger Than Justice (The Munificent Seven)
Roxanne (Police song)
Desert Rose
King of Pain (Police song)
Every Breath You Take (Police song)
Next to You (Police song)
Fragile

(alcuni media provengono dalla rete)

Happy Birthday Sir. Starkey !!!
Ringo Starr, per l’anagrafe Richard Parkin Starkey, nasce a Liverpool il 7 luglio 1940.
Dal 1962 al 1970 è stato il batterista e cantante dei Beatles. Ma cosa ve lo dico a fare?….. lo sanno anche i sassi.

Della lunga carriera di Ringo, focalizzo i seguenti miei assolutamente personali ricordi storici determinanti: Beatles, The Concert for Bangladesh, Ringo Album, Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band. Il comune denominatore di questi ricordi è … “Amicizia”.
Sicuramente bravo ma non particolarmente dotato ed estroso come musicista, mediocre come compositore e discretamente brillante come attore, quello che ha sempre reso Ringo unico è la sua estrema simpatia che ha alimentato la sua eterna forza …. l’Amicizia. Questo approcio “act naturally” ha sicuramente determinato il suo successo come artista solista, culminato nel 1989 con la brillante illuminazione … la “Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band”. Questa genialità vive tuttora con artisti diversi che si alternano nella line up. Tutti Amici che seguono Ringo in Tour proponendo il proprio momento Musicale. Una festa del Rock, della pace e della fratellanza.
Di seguito le varie “All Star Band“.

First All-Starr Band (1989)
* Ringo Starr – drums, vocals
* Joe Walsh (Eagles and James Gang) – guitar, piano, talkbox, vocals
* Nils Lofgren (E Street Band) – guitar, accordion, vocals
* Dr. John – piano, vocals
* Billy Preston – keyboards, vocals
* Rick Danko (The Band) – bass, vocals
* Levon Helm (The Band) – drums, harmonica, vocals
* Clarence Clemons (E Street Band) – saxophone, tambourine, percussion, vocals
* Jim Keltner – drums
Guests
* Garth Hudson (The Band) – accordion (several shows)
* Zak Starkey – drums (on songs where Ringo was not on drums)
* Bruce Springsteen – guitar (During one show played on “Get Back” sung by Billy Preston, “Long Tall Sally”, “Photograph”, “With a Little Help From My Friends”)
* John Candy: tambourine

Second All-Starr Band (1992)
* Ringo Starr – drums, vocals
* Joe Walsh (Eagles and James Gang) – guitar, keyboards, talk box, vocals
* Nils Lofgren (E Street Band) – guitar, vocals
* Todd Rundgren (Nazz, Utopia and The New Cars) – guitar, percussion, vocals
* Dave Edmunds (Rockpile and Love Sculpture) – guitar, vocals
* Burton Cummings (The Guess Who) – keyboards, guitar, tambourine, harmonica, vocals
* Timothy B. Schmit (Poco and Eagles) – bass, guitar, vocals
* Zak Starkey – drums
* Timmy Cappello – saxophone, percussion, vocals
Guests
* Harry Nilsson – vocals (Performed “Without You” at one show only, it was his last public appearance)
* Nick Lowe – bass (filled in for Schmit at several shows)

Third All-Starr Band (1995)
* Ringo Starr – drums, vocals
* Randy Bachman (Bachman-Turner Overdrive and The Guess Who)- guitar, vocals
* Mark Farner (Grand Funk Railroad) – guitar, harmonica, vocals
* Billy Preston – keyboards, vocals
* Felix Cavaliere (The Rascals) – organ, keyboards, vocals
* John Entwistle (The Who) – bass, vocals
* Zak Starkey – drums
* Mark Rivera – saxophone, percussion, guitar, vocals
Guest
* Joe Walsh came in one show to play “Rocky Mountain Way”
* Nils Lofgren (E Street Band) – guitar, vocals (left before tour started, replaced by Mark Rivera)
* Clarence Clemons (E Street Band) – saxophone, tambourine, percussion, vocals (left before tour started, replaced by Mark Farner)

Fourth All-Starr Band (1997–1998)
* Ringo Starr – drums, vocals
* Peter Frampton (Humble Pie) – guitar, talk box, vocals
* Gary Brooker (Procol Harum) – keyboards, organ, vocals
* Jack Bruce (Cream) – bass, keyboards, guitar, vocals
* Simon Kirke (Free and Bad Company) – drums, vocals
* Mark Rivera – saxophone, guitar, organ, keyboards, percussion, vocals
* Scott Gordon – harmonica (1998)
Guests
* Ginger Baker – drums (at several shows)
* Dave Mason (Traffic and Fleetwood Mac) – guitar, vocals (left before tour started)

Fifth All-Starr Band (1999)
* Ringo Starr – drums, vocals
* Todd Rundgren (Nazz, Utopia and The New Cars) – guitar, percussion, vocals
* Gary Brooker (Procol Harum) – organ, keyboards, vocals
* Jack Bruce (Cream) – bass, keyboards, vocals
* Simon Kirke (Free and Bad Company) – drums, vocals
* Timmy Cappello – saxophone, keyboards, harmonica, guitar, vocals
Guests
* Ginger Baker – drums (at several shows)
* Joe Walsh (Eagles and James Gang) – guitar, talk box, vocals (left before tour started, but came on some shows to play on song Such as “Photograph” (Los Angeles)

Sixth All-Starr Band (2000)
* Ringo Starr – drums, vocals
* Dave Edmunds (Rockpile and Love Sculpture) – guitar, vocals
* Eric Carmen (Raspberries) – keyboards, guitar, bass, vocals
* Jack Bruce (Cream) – bass, keyboards, vocals
* Simon Kirke (Free and Bad Company) – drums, vocals
* Mark Rivera – saxophone, harmonica, vocals
Guests
* Andy Summers (The Police) – guitar (one show only, played guitar on “Theme for an Imaginary Western” with Jack Bruce)
* Billy Squier – guitar, vocals (left before tour started)
* Ray Davies (The Kinks) – guitar, vocals (left before tour started)

Seventh All-Starr Band (2001)
* Ringo Starr – drums, vocals
* Roger Hodgson (Supertramp) – guitar, keyboards, vocals
* Ian Hunter (Mott The Hoople) – guitar, keyboards, vocals
* Howard Jones – keyboards, vocals
* Greg Lake (Emerson, Lake & Palmer and King Crimson) – bass, acoustic guitar, vocals
* Sheila E. – drums, vocals
* Mark Rivera – saxophone, percussion, guitar, bass, harmonica, flute, vocals

Eighth All-Starr Band (2003)
* Ringo Starr – drums, keyboards, vocals
* Colin Hay (Men at Work) – guitar, vocals
* Paul Carrack (Ace, Squeeze and Mike + The Mechanics) – keyboards, guitar, vocals
* John Waite (The Babys and Bad English) – bass, vocals
* Sheila E. – drums, vocals
* Mark Rivera – saxophone, flute, bass, guitar, vocals

Ninth All-Starr Band (2006)
* Ringo Starr – drums, vocals
* Billy Squier – guitar, vocals
* Richard Marx – guitar, keyboards, vocals
* Edgar Winter – keyboards, saxophone, vocals
* Rod Argent (The Zombies and Argent) – organ, keyboards, vocals
* Sheila E. – drums, vocals
* Hamish Stuart (Average White Band) – bass, vocals

Tenth All-Starr Band (2008)
* Ringo Starr – drums, vocals
* Billy Squier – guitar, bass, vocals
* Colin Hay (Men at Work) – guitar, vocals
* Edgar Winter – keyboards, saxophone, vocals
* Gary Wright (Spooky Tooth) – keyboards, vocals
* Hamish Stuart (Average White Band) – bass, guitar, vocals
* Gregg Bissonette (David Lee Roth) – drums, vocals

Eleventh All-Starr Band (2010–2011)
* Ringo Starr – drums, vocals
* Wally Palmer (The Romantics) – guitar, harmonica, vocals
* Rick Derringer (The McCoys, Johnny Winter, the Edgar Winter Group) – guitar, vocals
* Edgar Winter – keyboards, saxophone, vocals
* Gary Wright (Spooky Tooth) – keyboards, vocals
* Richard Page (Mr. Mister) – bass, vocals
* Gregg Bissonette – drums, vocals
Guests
* Mark Rivera – saxophone, percussion, vocals (at 2011 Latin America Tour only)

Twelfth All-Starr Band (2012–2013)
* Ringo Starr – drums, keyboards, percussion, vocals
* Steve Lukather (Toto) – guitar, vocals
* Gregg Rolie (Santana and Journey) – organ, keyboards, vocals
* Todd Rundgren (Nazz, Utopia and The New Cars) – guitar, harmonica, bass, percussion, keyboards (only shows where “Love Is the Answer” was played), vocals
* Richard Page (Mr. Mister) – bass, acoustic guitar, vocals
* Mark Rivera – saxophone, percussion, keyboards, acoustic guitar, vocals
* Gregg Bissonette – drums, percussion vocals
Guests
* Joe Walsh (Eagles and James Gang) – guitar, talk box, vocals (played at several shows only)
* Joe Walsh, Brendan Benson, Kix Brooks, Gary Burr, Vince Gil, Brad Paisley, Felix Cavaliere and Richard Marx (vocals at the Ryman shows only)

Un piacevole ricordo il concerto all’Arena Civica di Milano del 2011 e DVD acquistato con l’esatta setlist e line-up della serata.

Considerato quanto detto non si poteva che scegliere come suo “must” la song dei Beatles “With a Little Help from My Friends”.
Buona MusicA … “Friend” a tutti !!! …. e come direbbe Ringo … “Peace & Love”!!!

Ringo Starr at the Ryman – With A Little Help From My Friends / Give Peace A Chance