On the Boardwalk with Sting

Despite blog post appearances to the contrary, I have been doing more this summer than putting a new face on my kitchen.  (And in case you were wondering, having a newly-redone kitchen has not induced me to cook any more often than I did before, in spite of the gorgeous new granite counter tops.)

In June, my friend Rachel and I met up in Atlantic City for an epic concert--nay, an EVENT.  We got tenth-row tickets to see the one and only STING in concert.  Sting!  Tenth row!

Sting is my favorite artist/musician/singer/rock star, okay, favorite person ever.  Of all time.  In history.  His creative melodies and poetic lyrics feel like the embrace of an old friend.  I swoon every time I see him on-stage, and I swooned even more at this concert to see him from such a near distance.  He was so close, we could see the little patches of sweat forming on his shirt as the concert progressed and see the veins bulge in his neck when he held a note long. It was awesome!

See how close he is in this picture?  He was actually even closer than the camera shows!

He played all the fan favorites from his entire career, spanning his days with the Police up through his later albums, from "Roxanne," "An Englishman in New York," and "King of Pain" to "Shape of My Heart," "Hounds of Winter," and "Heavy Cloud, No Rain."  He saved for an encore my personal favorite, the soulful, longing-filled, semi-stalkerish love anthem, "Every Breath You Take." The whole crowd--or maybe it was just Rachel and me, I couldn't hear over the noise of the band--sang along to every song, got up and danced to the beat, and put our hands in the air.  It was a fantastic concert.

Just when we thought it couldn't get any better, Sting introduced a special musical guest.  He prefaced the introduction by telling us he had a neighbor at his apartment in New York City who was an artsy/musician type and kept bugging Sting to listen to his music and collaborate on a song.  Finally Sting relented and said they could do a song together.  "He's here tonight," Sting continued in his dreamy British accent, "and I think you might like him."  He then ushered on stage none other than the legendary Paul Simon!

Rachel and I turned to each other, mouths gaping, eyes huge with amazement and glee.  My first thought: "That means the concert will go even longer!  Yes!"  Rachel's comment:  "Two for the price of one!" 

Paul Simon strode out onto the stage, guitar already strapped diagonally across his front, and proceeded to sing a Simon and Garfunkel song, with Sting playing his guitar and singing along in the background.  Then they sang a Sting favorite together, "Fields of Gold," beautiful harmonies dripping from their mouths and fingers with every note.

(I tried to get a picture of them on stage together but they just came out looking like two blobs of light every time.)

Paul Simon told a story about a time when he was stopped by a fan while walking near Central Park in New York's Upper West Side.  The woman said that her young son was his biggest fan--which rather surprised him--and that his favorite song was "The Boxer," which they sang him every night before he went to bed.  She went on to say that they changed the line "all the whores down on 7th avenue" to "all the toy stores on 7th avenue."  Ha!

At the end of the concert--after an incredible THREE encores--Sting wished us all a good night by saying that he hoped everyone got lucky that night, both at the casino and at home.  He he he.  Ah, Sting, how I love thee!  

The next morning, Rachel and I spent a few hours wandering leisurely along the Atlantic City boardwalk.  We saw all manner of people, shops, restaurants, and hotels, from the tacky and tasteless to... well, there wasn't much variety. 

Early-morning mist over the ocean burned off by lunchtime, leaving a bright, sunny day with a mild ocean breeze, the kind of day that makes you want to put on a little extra sun screen and stay outdoors all afternoon.  Strolling along the boardwalk with my dear long-time friend, still on a high from the previous night's concert, I felt utterly and completely relaxed.  Splendid!

 

We finally pulled ourselves away from the boardwalk after lunch and headed back to our normal lives, she to NYC and I to WDC, humming Sting tunes all the way down I-95.

Every breath you take
Every move you make
Every smile you fake....