Sting put the fireworks back in Monaco as the Police and solo singer thrilled an elite audience...

The standing-room-only crowd squealed to all the Police hits (him being recently off that reunion tour) and his solo hits.

With a full orchestra backing him under the Cote'd Azur nighttime skies, he played lead guitar, sang and did everything but clean the stage up afterwards.

And there was plenty to clean up - it seemed all the bejeweled grande dames of Monaco rushed the stage, throwing roses and other more personal items to Sting.

He played for two hours and three encores, with the biggest applause held (breathlessly) for 'Every Breath You Take'. By the end of the song people were standing and dancing on the tables.

This report out of the Sportina in Monaco (technically the Sporting Monte-Carlo des Etoiles on Ave. Princesse Grace)  wowed the world's wealthiest, but a song about a hooker named 'Roxanne' had them reduced to tears. Tickets ran for $500 and WAY up on the Internet.

An 'Englishman in New York' also transmitted to the international gathering, even though Sting just often played under a spotlight on a small guitar, making everything seem intimate.

(c) Hollywood Today by John Pierson

Sting, conductor in Monaco...

The symphonic versions of the former Police frontman's greatest hits have captivated a large audience.

Experiments with symphonic orchestration of rock and pop hits have so far never yielded anything truly listenable, provoking at best boredom and indifference (Peter Gabriel), at worst ridicule and mockery (Deep Purple).

One might think that the Police melodies lend themselves better to the exercise, or that Sting has finally found the magic formula that allows him to arrange his songs in classical versions without losing their emotional power or their unique flavour. Yet, even if the album Symphonicities, released last summer, was a success, we didn't expect to derive so much pleasure from listening to the orchestral versions of the former Police frontman's hits live.

The show given Monday evening at the Sporting Club in Monte Carlo by Sting and the Slovenian National Orchestra (conducted by the amazing Sarah Hicks), will remain among the great memories of the summer. It must be said that even if it was necessary to squeeze on stage to make room for the 45 musicians of the orchestra and Sting's band (Dominic Miller guitar, Rhani Krija drums, Ira Coleman (bass) and Jo Lawry (backing vocals), the Salle des Etoiles and its exceptional acoustics were the ideal setting for this type of concert. The audience was quick to book, despite the high ticket price (€220 per person for the meal and show package).

In great physical shape and rather good voice, relaxed and speaking in French as much as possible, Sting immediately won over the audience with a string of hits ('Every Little Thing She Does', 'Englishman in New York', 'Roxanne'), his instantly recognizable voice quickly finding its place amidst the strings, brass, and percussion, sometimes thunderous, as on the very martial introduction to 'Russians'.

Proving that you can do anything with a (good) symphony orchestra, including punk rock ('Next to You'), country ('Cowboy Song') and raï ('Desert Rose'), the former Police frontman delivered a nearly two-hour concert that will go down in the annals of Sporting history. Pure class.

(c) Nice Matin