DALLAS - Not every rock god is as involved with the concert he headlines as Sting is on his Sacred Love tour. Although he and his band didn't start playing until 9 p.m., he made several prior appearances onstage.
First, it was in casual jeans and T-shirt to sing the final song, Sting's Shape of My Heart, of opening act Dominic Miller's set. Miller, a guitarist in Sting's band for years, appeared later in the Police man's set.
Then, Sting introduced Annie Lennox,"the one and only," whose name on this bill is more as a co-headliner than opening act. She would return the favor by joining Sting in his set for a rousing duet on We'll Be Together.
But despite his involvement with the entertainment that preceded him, Sting didn't seem too caught up in his own material.
He is normally a very charismatic band leader, known for rivaling Jim Morrison in the "sexiest frontman ever" contest. Sting's trademark raspy-yet-soothing voice was in top form on such tunes as Fragile, Dead Man's Rope and Send Your Love (not to mention such crowd-pleasing Police songs as Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic and Roxanne.)
And the music, invoking a melange of styles, from Spanish guitar to blues to reggae, was nicely arranged in a jam kind of way.
But at the same time it was also all very, well, bland.
Good, but not the spectacular show you might expect from such an icon. As much of a presence as Sting is, he seemed removed from it all, not completely invested in his set. Tour fatigue, perhaps?
Maybe he should've taken a lesson from Lennox, whose 11-song set was the evening's highlight. Now here's a singer who throws her every emotion -- and surprising physicality -- into her performance. And that wonderfully husky, soulful voice never sounded better. Yes, she pulled out a few Eurythmics gems (I Need a Man, Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) and a piano version of Here Comes the Rain Again) as well as satisfying her solo fans with Little Bird, Pavement Cracks and a gorgeous Cold.
