Live Review: Sting with ELEW at The Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta, 10/22/24

The grays were out in force on this Tuesday night, with the exception of a few under-50 fans. The 73-year-old Sting was in fine form, possibly the only touring musician with zero body fat. The 23-song setlist was filled with a mixture of classic Police tunes and the artist’s extensive solo work.

One could deduce the meaning of “3.0” as the third chapter of Sting’s career: The Police, his highly successful solo career, in time morphing into an adult contemporary sound, and finally to this stage of reliving all of that in a very rocking way with his new trio, including his side man of 35 years, Dominic Miller and new addition of drummer Chris Maas.

I know what you’re thinking, “Hey, weren’t The Police a trio?” Why, yes, they were. And true fans picked up on several Andy Summersesque guitar licks by Miller and even more Stewart Copelandesque drum fills by Maas. That’s not an accident as there is no improving on some of the greatest Police tunes. But to give a nod to Sting’s current bandmates, these guys are good. And it was loud. None of this old man rock for the Boomer crowd.

The band kicked off the set with “Message in a Bottle” and moved effortlessly into a couple of Sting’s solo hits. I recall reading an article on the making of his first solo effort The Dream of the Blue Turtles, in which someone may have questioned the quality or condition of his vocals during recording. Sting allegedly retorted, “Don’t fucking ever call me fucking flat!” So, let’s move on. (NOTE: the night improved and the band warmed up nicely). While heavy on the politics throughout his career, he didn’t say much tonight – even with the U.S. general election exactly two weeks away. He did, however, imply a little something during “If I Ever Lose My Faith In You.” When singing the lyric, “You could say I’d lost my belief in our politicians / They all seemed like game show hosts to me,” he paused and smiled. The crowd rejoiced.

The power of the trio was evident in such songs as “Englishman in New York,” “Mad About You,” and “Seven Days,” with an elevated sense of rock ‘n’ roll in each one. He explained the origin of “I Burn For You” telling fans, “This is the oldest song you’ll hear tonight. I wrote this when I was 24 and teaching school. I would have the students do their work and I’d be sitting in the corner with my guitar writing songs.”

A personal highlight was “Driven to Tears” from 1980’s Zenyatta Mondatta, showcasing his philanthropic and compassionate side as he comments on world hunger, “Hide my face in my hands / Shame wells in my throat / My / comfortable existence / Is reduced to a shallow meaningless party.”

New single “I Wrote Your Name (Upon My Heart)” is a heavy rocker and very un-Police-like. Not a bad tune. Sting informed fans that during the tour Miller will throw out a couple of surprise songs each night, calling him “The Archivist” based on his flawless memory of every song. Miller then announced, “I think “Fortress” would be good.” Sting retorted, “Are you sure?” Next up, the guitarist picked “Can’t Stand Losing You,” which morphed into “Reggatta de Blanc,” a prime call-and-response selection for the energized audience. The singer seems more at ease these days, adding much more banter and explanations of older songs.

But Father Time keeps on coming and on more than one occasion the singer sat on a bench while performing. He did seem stiff with not one of his defining jumps. Nary a hop. The encore brought the trio back to perform a wonderful version of “Roxanne,” followed by the closing song “Fragile.” It was a night to relive musical memories, echoing Sting’s early days.

Opener ELEW (Eric Lewis) is a piano prodigy seen by Sting playing in a club recently. He approached the pianist and invited him to open the 3.0 Tour. When Sting walked to the front of the stage on this night to welcome ELEW out, we knew it was a big deal. In turn, fans gave the artist their attention and appreciation throughout his seven-song set. Before each song, Lewis stood back and silently addressed the piano before pouncing on the keys. Without a bench, he acquired a surfer’s stance while playing. It was as much of a physical performance as musical. The artist expressed his appreciation to Sting and the crowd several times. For me, that goes along way.

After each tune, he grabbed the mic and with shortness of breath introduced the following track. As a child, he recalls watching the 1984 film Dune and seeing this crazy looking guy with fire red hair. He was mesmerized, later discovering it was actually Sting. During the pandemic, he learned coding and has created the first jazz superhero in a video game. Check out “Protect the Swing.” The brilliant pianist stretches expectations, meshing jazz, classical, rock, and any other genre you can imagine. During his version of Nirvana‘s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” he worked in a bit of director/composer John Carpenter’s Halloween theme. Scary good. On a few tunes, ELEW reached into the open lid of the grand piano and plucked the strings while tapping the keys. He’s a one-man band and nothing short of incredible.

For more information on music and shows, visit Sting and ELEW.