Police Drummer Blasts Reunion Concert
By Associated Press
1 hour ago
NEW YORK - The crowds have been ecstatic, but Police drummer Stewart Copeland has been anything but impressed so far by the band's reunion concerts.
Copeland trashed Wednesday's concert in Vancouver, British Columbia, in a posting on his Web site the morning after. "This is ... lame. We are the mighty Police and we are totally at sea."
His recollection of events _ or, rather, band bloopers _ is both scathing and comical. For one thing, Copeland noted, he failed to strike a gong at the right time, ruining "the big pompous opening to the show."
The rock trio of Copeland, singer-bassist Sting and guitarist Andy Summers flubbed their performance of the song "Message in a Bottle," said Copeland, who didn't hear Summers' opening guitar riff. Sting then missed his cue from Copeland _ "so we are half a bar out of sync with each other. Andy is in Idaho," he wrote.
That misfortune extended into the second song, "Synchronicity II." They couldn't "get on the good foot," said Copeland, before going on to criticize Sting's footwork during the set.
"The mighty Sting momentarily looks like a petulant pansy instead of the god of rock," he wrote.
The disorder continued "for song after song." But afterward, he said, they fell "into each other's arms laughing hysterically."
"It usually takes about four or five shows in a tour before you get to the disaster gig. But we're The Police so we are a little ahead of schedule," he said.
Their next show will be Saturday in the Canadian city of Edmonton. The tour will take the Police through North and South America, Europe and Australia by the time it wraps in early 2008.
