Heat battle at Sting...

22 hits in 35-degree heat: At global superstar Sting's fourth concert at the Sparkassenpark, the crowd sweated and steamed over beer and free drinking water. Only the artist himself was served hot tea on stage.

When Sting sings "Sending Out an S.O.S." for the first time that evening, the crowd inside the Sparkassenpark swells back and forth. Hundreds of arms somehow wave to the beat of the "Police" classic "Message in a Bottle," and it almost seems as if steam is rising from the stadium's boiler. It's hot, humid, and stuffy, but it's Sting. You just have to go with it. And when even this ascetic and now 67-year-old Mr. Gordon Sumner, wiry from yoga, grabs a towel and dabs his forehead with it during the very short breaks between songs, then it's okay to sweat a little. "Hello Munich, how are you?" He chats in German with virtually no accent during a short break in the song and is met with cheers.

It was the hottest evening of the year so far in Mönchengladbach, and certainly also in the Sparkassenpark. Around 13,000 fans gathered to witness the veteran star's fourth visit to Mönchengladbach. Oh, the veteran star. The songs may be a few decades old, but Sting himself isn't half as worn as his legendary Fender bass. He plays his way through his own discography for almost two hours, which is full of classics like "Englishman in New York" (where he lets the audience sing along to the chorus), "Every Little Thing Does Is Magic," "Walking on the Moon," "So Lonely," "Every Breath You Take," the astonishingly driving "Desert Rose," and, of course, "Roxanne."

Sting still hits every note, no matter how high, and thumb-plucks his bass with expert timing. The band pushes the songs hard; the new recordings from his album "My Songs," released a few weeks ago, sound rawer than the originals anyway; they have more drive. Sting forgoes a big show, no light spectacle, no fireballs. Where others need a lot of technical gimmicks to captivate a stadium, Sting's songs – each one a hit –, his fantastic band, and the charisma of this exceptional artist are enough.

The audience appreciates this. This time, every song is celebrated, as if it were a way to escape the heat. There are miserably long lines at the concession stands, the grill masters at the food stalls are suffering, and many visitors in the stands are fanning themselves. Free drinking water is distributed at the entrances, and fresh water is also supplied to the first few rows in front of the stage. Water is sprayed from behind the stage; somehow, it all helps a little. Drink vendors carry fresh beer through the crowd. Strained faces are everywhere. Anyone who isn't dripping on this evening isn't sweating.

The sun slowly sets behind the west stand of the stadium, and then it becomes cosy. "Fields of Gold" features a wonderful acoustic guitar by Rufus Miller (who, incidentally, is the son of long-time Sting guitarist Dominic Miller). Before "Demolition Man," Sting has a roadie, who usually lugs heavy speakers, serve him a cup of tea (it must have been tea, at least, at an Englishman's) and a glass of water on a tray. He grabs the hot beverage, sits down, and calmly drinks it, then forgoes the water and begins his six encores.

Late in the evening, Sting returns to the stage with his band. The fans have demanded an encore, and he delivers: "Fragile," plucked on his wonderful nylon-stringed guitar. He only plays the song when he feels like it, and on this evening, that was clearly the case. He thanks everyone: "Thank you, Munchengladbach! Goodbye." One might be inclined to take that as a promise and not make too many plans for 2021. As Sting and the band stroll down the aisle next to the stage toward the waiting limousines, he waves once more, gives a final cheer, and then the concert is over. But the heat remains.

(c) RPOnline