Police @ Fenway 7/28/07

It's now the day after the Police show at Fenway, and I still don't have adequate words for the concert. Ever since I found out there was going to be a reunion tour back in the spring, I've been waiting for the show, and you'd think with that kind of hightened expectation, the actual concert would be a bit of a let-down. Au contraire. It was easily one of the best shows I've ever seen (Pink Floyd at Foxboro for the Division Bell tour edges them out slightly), and I think the venue definitely added to the magic. The first big surprise of the night was where we sat. I was not in charge of getting tickets so I had no idea where we'd end up. Turns out it was on the field. Six rows back. It was the best seat I've ever had by far. Looking back, there was a sea of people in the stands, and the perspective must be what it feels like for a Red Sox player during a game. The band opened with "Message in a Bottle" which immediately ramped up the crowd, and all the major hits were played... "King of Pain," "Synchronicity 2," "Can't Stand Losing You," "Every Breath You Take" and "Roxanne." But they also played lesser known songs off their albums which I figured might be a nod to the fact that the Police has a long history with Boston, something that Sting mentioned during the show. Songs like "Invisible Sun," "The Bed's Too Big Without You," and "Walking in Your Footsteps." One of my favorite Police songs is "So Lonely," and they played a fantastic version of it during the finale. Also at the end, a photo montage of the band in the early days flashed across three jumbo screens, and it was kind of cool to see the way it had been and what it is now. This was a once in a lifetime show, and it was awesome to be a part of it.

I do have to give a shout-out to the two knuckleheads "sitting" next to us during the show. If the concert had been any less great, they might've ruined the whole night for me. While the Police were onstage, on tour for the first time in 20 years!, these two guys kept leaving for more beer. I think they went back and forth 10 times. Obviously already drunk, one of them dropped his brand new iPhone and spilled beer all over his chair... and that was just during the first song. They were total assholes who didn't deserve to be there and who should've just stayed at the beer concession stand because, clearly, they were at Fenway Saturday for the beer not the band. Un-fricking-believable.