Main Square Festival: Sting, a pleasant but unremarkable best-of concert...

The Englishman headlined the second evening of the 16th Main Square Festival in Arras. Flanked by seven musicians, Sting gave a sort of communion concert that brought together several generations. Quite effective. But as for magic, we'll pass...

It's hard to be harsh on Sting. The English singer, who performed this Friday evening during prime time on the Main Square main stage, commands sympathy. At over 70, time seems to have no effect on his slim, slender figure or diminished his good nature. His voice is still powerful and accurate. It's obvious: by delivering two huge hits right from the start, Message in a Bottle (by The Police) and Englishman in New York, the Englishman stands out as a sort of elegant pop shepherd, one of the last guardians of the rock temple.

He arrives in a canary-yellow jacket under a setting sun, his ever-worn bass guitar slung over his shoulder. Behind him, the seven-piece band unfurls a precisely tuned soundscape, over which all he has to do is place his voice. With his headset, he resembles a magician on stage, quick to pull treasures from his sleeve. Sting has no shortage of them! What a repertoire. He draws on the hits of his first band (The Police) and returns to more recent, often equally well-known tracks.

He's a delight, and the audience wants more: there are forty-somethings, fifty-somethings, and older, but also young people. Like Yasmine, 23, who came from Cholet with a friend. Their first Main Square performance. "He's a timeless artist who has transcended the ages," she smiles. Stéphanie and Claudio, both in their forties, don't miss a thing either. “Sting is iconic, he has such a career behind him,” says Stephanie. “We listen to him religiously, with respect.”

No matter how deep a catalog of songs, a good concert doesn't necessarily make for a good one. Sting plays the songs in a linear, professional tone. He gets the audience to sing along when necessary without ever addressing them. It's clean, but it lacks substance and perspiration. Roxanne, which he sings as an encore alone on acoustic guitar, doesn't redeem the rest of the concert: the sounds of the Green Room show partially mask Sting's final notes.

(c) La Voix du Nord by Fabien Bidaud