Sting/Tokyo,Japan 6.7.2017

Sting has returned to Japan with his rock album “57TH & 9TH,” which is even whispered to be “the first since SYNCHRONICITY.” This is his latest and best live album. In fact, it’s been a long time since we’ve had such a rock solo show. He came to Japan in 2011, but he brought an orchestra with him. This is his first straight rock show in 12 years, since THE POLICE in 2008 and his first solo show since 2005. The biggest point of this work is the quality of the rock show, which was recorded without leaving anything out, but first let’s check its position in the schedule for his visit to Japan. – June 6th: Nippon Budokan – June 7th: Nippon Budokan [This work] – June 8th: Nippon Budokan “BUDOKAN 2017 3RD NIGHT” – June 10th: Osaka City Central Gymnasium “OSAKA 2017” All four performances. This week, “BUDOKAN 2017 3RD NIGHT” and “OSAKA 2017” will be released at once, but this work is a live album from the second day “June 7, 2017: Nippon Budokan” performance. And the quality is also excellent. Since it is a master directly handed over from the recording artist himself, who is said to be a master, it is definitely an audience recording, but the bone-thick and thick musical sound is line recording class. It is a masterpiece that neatly captures everything from the shining treble to the deep bass that resonates in your stomach. On top of that, the “octagonal reality” that is slightly wrapped around it is wonderful. In fact, the position of this work is the front of the stand seats. If you have ever seen a live performance in the front stand seats of Nippon Budokan, you will know the pin, but in the middle of Nippon Budokan, there is a gaping space. The space is surrounded by the stage in front, the arena below, and the stands around. In fact, the most delicious sound at Nippon Budokan is in this space. The musical tones emitted from the stage roar without any obstructions, and the enthusiasm from the lower arena and the surrounding stands is also poured in. The “front of the stand” is a position where you can directly touch the space where all of them are ideally fused together. In fact, this work has a clear musical tone with zero obstructions and a three-dimensional effect where the applause from the lower arena boils up like steam. Of course, it would be ruined if it came out due to the sense of distance, but it is the work of a highly acclaimed recording artist. The exquisite equipment setting captures the “core” beautifully, and it is finished into a 3D dynamic sound. The show drawn with such superb quality is also wonderful. This “57TH & 9TH TOUR” is a joint tour with Sting’s son Joe Sumner and THE LAST BANDOLEROS worldwide. The style is followed even in the Japan tour, and it is a three-part structure of “Joe Sumner” → “THE LAST BANDOLEROS” → “Sting”. This work contains the entire work. Moreover, this is not just an opening act. Sting also appears in the opening song “Heading South On the Great North Road,” and the father-son duo performs together. We have been reporting on these shows with numerous live albums since the tour began, but the Japan tour is different from anywhere else. This is what really makes it clear to us in Sumner’s Japanese MC. I thought that Japanese MCs are not uncommon these days, but Joe’s Japanese is unusually good. Although he has some foreign accents, he speaks Japanese fluently and naturally. His singing voice reminds us of Sting’s younger days, and he interjects questions in his free Japanese, such as “Are you good at Japanese?”, “Are you OK?”, and “Today’s concert was amazing.” Previous live albums have given us a taste of his wonderful voice and melody, but this work is a masterpiece that is extremely fun even on a global level. And the main character is Sting. This is another dazzling greatest hit. Compared to overseas performances, “I Hung My Head” and “Pretty Young Soldier” were dropped, but instead “Mad about You” from “THE SOUL CAGE” was set in. From his time with THE POLICE to his latest album “57th & 9th”, this album will get you pumped with a rush of his signature songs that sum up his career. During this tour, his cover of David Bowie’s “Ashes To Ashes” became a hot topic, and he performed it in Japan as well. Sting brought along his son Joe Sumner and gave us a long-awaited rock show. This is a masterpiece of a live album, with superb sound, including the opening act. Of the releases in this rush, this is the one that gives you the most realistic feel of the “taste of Nippon Budokan”. Live at Budokan, Tokyo, Japan 7th June 2017 TRULY PERFECT SOUND(from Original Masters) Disc 1 (70:46) 1. Intro. 2. Heading South On the Great North Road 3. Looking For Me Looking For You (Joe Sumner) 4. Don’t Change The Love (Joe Sumner) 5. Two Sisters (Joe Sumner) 6. Jelly Bean (Joe Sumner) 7. Maria (The Last Band oleros) 8. River Man (The Last Bandoleros) 9. I Don’t Want To Know (The Last Bandoleros) 10. Where Do You Go? (The Last Bandoleros) 11. Take Me To It (The Last Bandoleros) 12. Intro 13. Synchronicity II 14. Spirits in the Material World 15. Englishman in New York 16. I Can’t Stop Thinking About You 17. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic 18. One Fine Day 19. She’s Too Good for Me Disc 2 (74:33) 1. Mad about You 2. Fields of Gold 3. Petrol Head 4. Down, Down, Down 5. Shape of My Heart 6. Message in a Bottle 7. Ashes to Ashes 8. 50,000 9. Walking on the Moon 10. So Lonely 11. Desert Rose 12 . Roxanne / Ain’t No Sunshine 13. Next to You 14. Every Breath You Take 15. Fragile