Aw, man, I just covered nearly my entire Sting history with you. What else could be left?

Plenty.

First of all I wanted to make clear that the previous Sting review featured a concert from the "...Nothing Like the Sun" tour. It was his second solo effort. I didn't really address that.

The tour featured here was the "Soul Cages" tour. The "Soul Cages" album was the first album to be built "from the ground up" in QSound. I know. Sounds totally impressive, right? Long story short, this album just sounded "better". 

Kind of. I guess. Seems like if you had cruddy speakers, it wouldn't really matter how the album was recorded or mastered. I had a decent enough sound system at the time, and I thought it was just OK. "QSound" certainly didn't make it sound worse.

The Soul Cages album was written after a period of writer's block for Sting. His father also died during the same period. So despite the song "Mad About You" (above), many of the lyrics center around his feelings of loss. 

Sting's writer's block was ended when he wrote the first song for the album called "Why Should I Cry For You?". It was always my favorite song on the album. It's a very pretty melody, paired with touching lyrics about his dad, who had regretted not being a sailor. Here's a recent rendition

During this time, there was a push for artists and record companies to stop using something called "longboxes"; cardboard sleeves which doubled the size of a CD, so that it could fit into the old vinyl record album racks. They also helped prevent theft (kind of). It was a serious waste of paper.

These days you may occasionally see a plastic version of a "longbox" that is removed and reused when you purchase a new CD.

The Soul Cages was released in a special cardboard sleeve that folded into a box the size of a typical CD jewel box. You have to give credit to Sting for not just talking about the environment, but actually doing something different to help the cause.

Sting also stripped sown his band for the new album. His first couple of albums and tours featured about thirteen musicians performing with him. This tour featured a smaller "rock band"- type of group. 
Our seats were high, and near the back. The new slower songs and warm temps in the arena, made for a sleepy night. My future ex-wife actually fell asleep at one point, thanks also to her college class schedule.
It was like a splash of cold water when Sting decided to rock it up a little bit, with Purple Haze, by Jimi Hendrix.

This would be the last time I would see Sting live until he toured with The Police in 2008. I saw him three times in just a few years, and got burnt out.

One last little tidbit. It was around this time that my boss went to see Sting live in a different city (Atlanta? I don't remember). Before she left, I asked her to get me Sting's autograph. She did!

It was then that I learned that getting an autograph is a much bigger deal when there's actual interaction between the fan and the artist.

I appreciated the effort, but the fact that it's on a restaurant receipt makes it lose some of its luster. It's not like he signed MY piece of paper, you know?

Ever seen Sting? Are you a fan? Share your comments below!

It will be fun recapping recent concerts like this, thanks to YouTube and digital photos.

I got tickets to see Muse only the day before the show. When a listener didn't pick up tickets by Friday at 5pm, guess what happened to them. [Hint: we didn't throw them away.] So free tickets for me!

Since it was a last-minute ticket get, my friends had other plans for the night. So I asked my sister, Julie, if she wanted to go. She did!

I was a little surprised only because we don't really share my taste in music. Sure, there's some overlap, but she lives on mostly a Billy Joel/Elton John planet, whereas I come from a planet with a Tom Waits/Radiohead-colored sky.

At the same time, I wasn't surprised at all. My sister is pretty cool, and is up for the occasional adventure. 

[she also may have been returning the favor for me taking her to see Richard Marx many years earlier (story to come)]

When we sat down, I was bummed that the seats were so dang far away. I felt bad for the people who ever won tickets, thinking they were getting awesome seats.

It turned out to be not so bad. Muse took the whole arena into consideration when planning this show. There were lasers and video screens and moving platforms and all sorts of things we may not have appreciated had we been too close. 

I first discovered Muse when I saw a live performance from Wembley stadium on cable. Then I found their "Starlight" video, and I was hooked. 

I was a little late to the game. Muse was also part of the Twilight movie soundtrack around the same time, and they were exploding into the public's consciousness.

I was such a new fan, that I didn't even own the latest album that the band was promoting. "The Resistance", and it's single "Uprising" was a worldwide smash, and Muse became a Real Band.

In the middle of the show, all of a sudden my sister said "Why do I know this song?" It was a song I wasn't familiar with, and I was totally baffled. She was singing along, and knew all the words. It was odd.

Doing research later, I discovered that song was "Feeling Good", a song that has been recorded by at least 25 different artists, including Nina Simone. My sister knew the version by Michael Bublé. I wasn't yet familiar with Muse's version. I am now!

Earlier in the night, as we waited for the show to begin, we noticed some huge, "beach ball"-type balls way up the rafters of the Palace. My assumption was that they had something to do with Pistons basketball games, and we forgot about them. Then when the band started up "Plug In Baby", we found out what the balls were really for. 

Remember at the beginning of the post, when I said how modern media will help with some of these reviews? Well, here's exactly what happened at the show:

This show made me a Muse fan for life. They were so great, so entertaining, so professional. It was very impressive.

Have you even sen Muse? Are you a fan? Share your comments below!

Hey, didn't I just write about The Replacements? Yes. Yes, I did. And there'll be more in the future. This was the first time I saw them.

They were a band I loved, and they were making the rounds as I became "Adult Concert-Going" age. Soon after, they broke up. 

I was actually pretty okay with that. They weren't really the band I fell in love with anymore. It happens [see: Sting]. And I didn't really follow any of the members as they pursued new projects. There was something about "The Replacements" as a group that made them all special.

That was how they started, and about ten years later, even lead Replacement Paul Westerberg admits that there was something wrong with the album "Don't Tell A Soul".

"Don't Tell A Soul" came out about a month before this concert, so it was still totally fresh and exciting.

I was either still working at a record store, or just started at a pizza place in March 1989. One of my record store co-workers, Sue, was also a Replacements fan. I went with her and her boyfriend to one of the forty bars jammed into 2.08 square miles of Hamtramck, MI for a Replacements record release party. (I couldn't tell you which one it was.) 

But it was the same bar we visited for a book release party not long before. 

[The book "The Wild One: The True Story of Iggy Pop" by Per Nilsen is going for more than $50 on Amazon. Anyone interested in buying my copy? It's in way better condition that the one in this pic:]

The night of the book party was fun. I got the author's autograph on my book, as well as a signature from Ron Asheton, bass player for The Stooges. 

The second time at the bar, while waiting for the party to begin, the bartender noticed that I was only 18. I wasn't drinking, and wasn't planning on drinking, but I couldn't stay. They didn't check ID at the door, so I just walked in. I wasn't trying to be sneaky.

Gary and Sue had to drive me back to my car at Gary's apartment. They didn't seem totally upset about having  but Sue asked why I didn't have a fake ID. I was a Good Kid!

I believe it was also the three of us who went to the show at the Michigan Theatre. Once again, the set list escapes me. But I remember really enjoying it, and being so happy to see one of may all-time faves for the first time.

There was a time when Coldplay was not one of the biggest bands in the world. In 2003, I was lucky enough to be at one of their last "small" shows. It will be a long time before they go back to regularly playing intimate venues like the Fox Theatre in Detroit. As I write this, Coldplay is scheduled to play at the Palace of Auburn Hills on Aug 1, 2012. A quick internet search tells me that floor tickets are being resold at $600-$800.

Look at that ticket ticket price above: $35. Are they amazing seats because I was lucky enough to have a job with connections? Yes. But I didn't get a discount. Thirty-five dollars!

Coldplay hit it big in 2000 when they released the song "Yellow". It was a worldwide smash, and put the band on the map. (To find Coldplay on the map, head east toward U2, then make a slight left.) 

"Yellow" was actually the second single to be released from Parachutes. The first was "Shiver". I didn't know it was a single at the time, but it ended up being my favorite song on the album. So much so that I got totally sick of it. I played the heck out of it. 

I'm past the sickness of the song. I can enjoy it once again.

Just look at these fresh-faced, innocent youngsters...

So my admiration for Coldplay was already waning when they released their second album, A Rush of Blood to the Head, in August 2002. The songs were richer and fuller, thanks to the increased production values. They avoided the dreaded "sophomore slump" that can curse so many "second things" that various artists attempt.

The band started writing the album shortly after 9/11/01, and some of the melancholy feelings of those days crept into the lyrics and melodies. Also adding to an extra layer of interest in the band: actress Gwyneth Paltrow was now dating lead singer, Chris Martin. (They would marry in Dec 2003.)

I would really challenge anyone to listen to the "Rush of Blood" album and find a "radio hit". There's just not anything on the album like that. It's a great album, and (as of this post) has sold nearly 3 million copies. It's the largest Coldplay album to date.

"Clocks" ended up being the big radio hit from the album, but my favorite was always "The Scientist". It's so good, that Willie Nelson covered it for charity.

You can download the full song at iTunes.  Proceeds benefit The Chipotle Cultivate Foundation. I'm not sure what they do, but if Willie's involved, that's good enough for me.

In March of 2003, Coldplay was in the middle of their climb to the top, where they are today. They had been touring for nearly a year, and there were only a few more dates left until they were done. The concert I attended not only imprinted the memory of this rising young band, it changed how I perceive myself. 

Forever.

I was 32 years old when I saw this show. I had a great night with my wife and some friends. As the usher sat us in the third row seats, I was digging life. I turned to the young lady next to me and said sarcastically "too bad we couldn't get better seats, eh?"

She recoiled in horror and I realized that she was like, 16. Holy crap! An old man was talking to her! Ew!

She scooted a little closer to her friend, away from me. OK, that kind of thing has happened before. I was just trying to be friendly.

The show was pretty good. There was something odd about the show that I couldn't quite put my finger on while it was happening. The band was fine, but I felt like Chris Martin was singing to the back of the room, and ignoring the bunch of us in front. I'd never been so close, yet felt so ignored like this.

Then it hit me: He wasn't ignoring the front rows, he was ignoring the pasty, pudgy old guy! (Me!) And why shouldn't he? There was an entire theater full of screaming sixteen-year-olds like the young lady next to me. I felt so un-special.

It wasn't a soul-crushing experience, but something that stuck with me. I ain't no teenager anymore. A little more than a year later I'd be a dad, and Chris Martin would mean much less to me.

Coldplay has since gone on to become one of the biggest artists on the planet, releasing their latest, Mylo Zyloto, in 2011. I'm guessing they probably have another three or four albums left in them before they go back to playing "small club dates" not because they can't fill stadiums, but because they are "returning to their roots". Maybe I'll go see them again when they do.

Were you at the show? Have you seen Coldplay? Share your experiences in the comments below!