Sting/Tokyo,Japan 6.8.2017

The 2017 Japan tour was a huge success. This is the best live album from the Kanto final performance, “June 8, 2017: Nippon Budokan”. This week, “BUDOKAN 2017 2ND NIGHT” and “OSAKA 2017” will be released in one go from this Japan tour. First, let’s check the position of each title on the tour schedule. ・June 6: Nippon Budokan ・June 7: Nippon Budokan “BUDOKAN 2017 2ND NIGHT” ・June 8: Nippon Budokan [This work] ・June 10: Osaka City Central Gymnasium “OSAKA 2017” This is the schedule for this time. Initially, Nippon Budokan was only for two days, but the “June 8” included in this work was an additional performance. The biggest point of this work is the superb sound. The simultaneously released “BUDOKAN 2017 2ND NIGHT” is also comparable in sound, but the individuality is completely different. While “2ND NIGHT” gave us a total feeling of the hall venue “Nippon Budokan”, this work has an intense direct feeling. The “sound” of the son Joe Sumner’s singing and playing feels like the octagonal Budokan, but in the main part of Sting’s full band, the intense rock sound seems to be slammed in front of you. Of course, it is supposed to be a 100% live audience recording handed over directly from the famous recording artist himself, but even that is unbelievable because it is a sound with zero distance like a sound board. The secret is the position. The recording was made in the very close seats, the fourth row in the center of the arena. Of course, “front seats = good sound” does not necessarily mean, and if the sound goes around, it will be ruined. However, this work has no such flaws, and only the core of the super beautiful musical sound is intense as if it is being pulled. It’s a live album that overflows with the feeling that “Sting is right there.” It’s a sound that is so far removed from the audience, but it’s real. The real feeling of the scene and the sense of presence are also firmly engraved. However, it’s the fourth row. The enthusiasm of the Nippon Budokan does not get between you and the stage, but it feels like you’re carrying it on your back. It’s a live album with a three-dimensional feeling in a different sense from “2ND NIGHT”. When drawn with that quality, the show is even hotter. The three-part structure and basic set are the same as “2ND NIGHT”, but as expected, it’s the third day at the same venue, so there are a few changes to the songs. First, Joe Sumner. He plays “Drink” instead of “Two Sisters”. Even the next day, his fluent Japanese MC has also evolved. After the father-son collaboration in “Heading South On the Great North Road”, he makes the audience laugh by saying “Thank you, Dad” and tickles the hearts of Japanese people by saying “Good evening, Kudanshita!” His pronunciation is so good that people laughed when he said, “After yesterday’s concert…”. He himself said, “So many people asked me, ‘Why, why do you speak Japanese?’ (laughs). That’s why I love Japan and I love Japanese!” And Sting also changed one song. On this tour, he played five songs from his new album “57TH & 9TH”, but on this day he dropped “Down, Down, Down” and played “Seven Days” from “TEN SUMMONER’S TALES”. This song was only played on this day out of all four shows. Although it was only one song, it was a special show. Above all, it was the experience of being in the fourth row. It was a feeling of being on the spot, feeling the voice and performance from the front and the great enthusiasm on your back. Although the special “taste of Nippon Budokan” was left to “2ND NIGHT”, the feeling of Sting being right in front of you was just delicious. It was a live album so intimate that you would want to reach out to the invisible Sting. Live at Budokan, Tokyo, Japan 8th June 2017 TRULY PERFECT SOUND(from Original Masters) Disc 1 (70:57) 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. Drink (Joe Sumner) 6. Jelly Bean (Joener) 7. Maria Sum (The Last Bandoleros) 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 (73:57) 1. Mad about You 2. Fields of Gold 3. Petrol Head 4. Seven Days 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 / A in’t No Sunshine 13. Next to You 14. Every Breath You Take 15. Fragile