Sting, a resounding success at Parma's Parco Ducale...

Sting's show was pure magic, a painful and long-awaited kind of magic. It was just what we needed.

In his only Italian performance of this scorching summer, the charismatic gentleman from Newcastle wowed the approximately 6,500 spectators at the Parco Ducale, who had flocked to see him from all over Italy and Europe.

The event, the most important of the "Parma Italian Capital of Culture" program for summer 2020, was initially scheduled for the Cittadella. It was organized by Puzzle Srl of Parma and Intersuoni Srl of Turin, in collaboration with the Fondazione Teatro Regio di Parma, with the patronage and collaboration of the Municipality and the "Parma io ci sto!" (Parma, I'm here!) movement.

Then Covid arrived, and the risk of everything being cancelled was palpable, as was the case with many other events.

A long wait, lasting almost two years, marked by uncertainty and hope.

And finally, on the evening of July 19th, the fear of cancelling a concert so eagerly awaited gave way to the cheers of joy and applause that accompanied the legendary Gordon Matthew Sumner, known for over forty years as Sting, "The Sting," on stage from the very beginning.

He was supported by a highly respected, well-oiled line up: along with his lifelong right-hand man, guitarist Dominic Miller, many talented young musicians, such as Zack Jones on drums, backing vocals Gene Noble and the beautiful Melissa Musique, Chewy Sager on harmonica, keyboardist Kevon Webster, and Rufus Miller on guitar.

The evening opened with Joe Sumner, Sting's eldest son, who, at 9:15 PM, welcomed the lucky audience with the iconic Message in a Bottle. This was followed by "Englishman in New York," "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic," and "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free": a truly impressive hat trick! The stories of The Police and Sting as a solo artist are inexorably intertwined, evoking a glorious past studded with timeless hits that inspire the dreams of both young and old. This is timeless music, which only the experience of Sting can enliven with ever-new and enjoyable arrangements: this is the essence of the album My Songs.

There's no doubt that it's the old hits that make the audience leap out of their seats, unstoppable even for the stewards; but the more current songs also win everyone over: such is the case with "If It's Love" and "Rushing Water," two singles from the new album, "The Bridge," released last November.

And we go back in time with "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You" and the evocative "Fields of Gold," two gems from the 1993 masterpiece Ten Summoner's Tales. Sting thanks them (in Italian), and continues his run of successes with "Brand New Day," a song recorded in 1999 with the "help" of a certain Stevie Wonder on harmonica. And, after the romantic "Shape of My Heart," we return to the hits of the Police's golden age with "Wrapped Around Your Finger," "So Lonely" (enriched by a medley of Bob Marley's "No Woman No Cry"), and "Walking on the Moon": the audience is literally in raptures, especially because the sensual "Desert Rose" comes next.

"King of Pain" is the gem from Synchronicity, an album that has influenced entire generations of musicians; it contained an absolute masterpiece, The Police's signature song, "Every Breath You Take," perhaps the most anticipated by the Parma audience, now at the feet of King Sting.

The concert closed with the inevitable "Roxanne" and "Fragile."

(c) MessinaWebTV