At the Zénith d'Auvergne, 7,000 people came to sing with Sting...

7,000 people responded to Sting's invitation on Wednesday, November 2nd, at the Zénith d'Auvergne, in Cournon (Puy-de-Dôme).

Almost extra time. Sting has been on stage for about 90 minutes. Every breath you take brings the Zénith 7,000 fans to their feet, some of them from the very beginning, that of The Police.

Soon everyone will be leaving singing Rooooxane in their cars - it's a must, right? You've done it, say so. Just as you hummed Walking on the Moon, Shape of My Heart, Brand New Day, Message in a Bottle, Englishman in New York, and even the Marley hit that followed, "So Lonely." So many hits, part of the world pop-rock heritage, paraded, that's the word, in tight ranks on Wednesday evening, November 2nd.

Otherwise? A no-frills stage design, the songs and their performer - who still rocks skinny jeans incredibly well at over seventy - don't need much to exist other than a few very talented musicians and a big, clean sound. A great evening.

(c) La Montagne by Julien Dodon

Sting & Joe Sumner in concert...

On this All Souls' Day, November 2, 2022, I'm continuing, not my cemetery tour, but my tour of living legends. This year, 2022, has been full of firsts that could be my last (The Rolling Stones, etc.). So, since I'd never seen him before, tonight I'm heading to the Zénith d'Auvergne to see Sting, whose real name is Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, perform live.

While some fill Zéniths with banal songs and lots of special effects, Sting is content with a show without bombast based on a simple premise: "My songs." My songs and also my son, because the opening act is performed by his son, Joe Sumner, a Sting fresh from a bath of youth and a successful French course. Alone on guitar, the former Fiction Plane singer demonstrates that, in addition to his looks, he's inherited a nice bit of a voice and a great ease on the guitar. While he may not have the same class as his father, the 30 minutes spent with him are rather enjoyable.

At 9 p.m., under a blue light, former Policeman Sting and his musicians arrive on stage, which is adorned with two giant screens, essential for our fifty-year-old eyes. The tone is set right from the start with a song by The Police: "Message in a Bottle" and two hits, just to grab the audience right away: "Englishman in New York" and "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic." With his legendary Fender bass, whose time and use have tarnished both its sound and appearance, Sting takes us on a journey through the last 40 years, demonstrating the breadth of his talent both solo and with his legendary band.

This guy, with his well-built, deep body (those old rockers are annoying!), sings perfectly with his uniquely timbred voice, sometimes accompanied by his two backing singers. And that bass sound, that playing technique, makes this instrument the basis of the songs as if it were a guitar! Alternating between danceable reggae-rock pieces and more intimate ballads, standards ("So Lonely," "Walking on the Moon," "Every Breath You Take"...) and lesser-known pieces, Sting reminds us for two hours what a major artist he is, and what a pleasure (and luxury!) it is to see him in our region once a decade. And he ends his concert with "Roxanne" and "Fragile"... This guy has class, and that's it.

(c) Concertandco.com by Jérôme Justine