Live Review: Sting with Natalie Merchant at Lakewood Amphitheatre in Atlanta, 6/28/96

On Sting’s fifth solo album, Mercury Falling, a more somber tone was achieved. With elements of country and soul, the artist was experimenting with a fresh new repertoire of sounds. On his world tour to promote the album, he made a stop in Atlanta.

Sting opened with “The Hounds of Winter,” a song about the loneliness of winter and possibly troubled relationships. He began with the line, “Mercury falling / I rise from my bed / Collect my thoughts together / I have to hold my head / It seems that she’s gone.” Sting has said that Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Sam and Dave, and Booker T and the MG’s inspired him when he was young, and you can really hear those influences in this performance.

Of course, several tunes from his days with the Police were played, including “Roxanne” and “Bring on the Night” among others. Of course, the indelible “Every Breath You Take” was there in the first encore to the immense joy of fans. But the Mercury songs were special, showing another side of the Brit. Songs like “I Hung My Head,” a sad tale of a man accidentally ending another’s life, and the regret and eternal sadness of such an act. Heck, even Johnny Cash covered the song on his American IV: The Man Comes Around less than a year before his death.

Sting ended the night with “Fragile” during the second encore. The album and tour were huge successes. While most prominently known for his work with the Police, which has brought the majority of fans out, the artist is slowly becoming accepted as a solo act. His intelligent lyrics, excellent musical arrangements, and that one-of-a-kind voice show an artist evolving.

Natalie Merchant was the perfect opener, thrilling the ’80s fans in the audience elated with selections from her debut solo album, Tiger Lily. The former 10,000 Maniacs leader is gaining ground on her own. Her all-too-brief set highlighted her new album, and only one Maniac’s song “These Are Days.”

“Wonder,” “Jealousy,” and “Carnival” were big radio hits and the crowd imbibed the band’s smooth and wonderful grooves. Merchant’s voice is a marvel; the sweetest, most soothing thing to cure all your ails. Like Sting, Merchant is an artist looking for more, an adventurous spirit taking off on her own and enjoying freedom and success.

For more information, visit the artists’ websites at Sting and Natalie Merchant.