Sting Offers Smooth Performance

Sting, with k.d. lang Sunday, July 30, at The Gorge

Sting, with a fine opening set by k.d. lang, churned out some near-perfect yuppie pop during Sunday’s show at The Gorge.

Backed by a well-oiled six-piece band, Sting kept the crowd on its feet for most of his almost two-hour set.

He sailed through tunes from his latest CD, “Brand New Day,” deftly handled his earlier solo material, and made the crowd happy by dipping into his Police repertoire.

It was all so perfect. Too perfect, in fact.

From the opening strains of his new “A Thousand Years” to old favorites “If You Love Somebody Set Them Free” and “Roxanne,” Sting re-created his studio sound.

But besides offering an opportunity to see the buff singer in his cargo pants and sleeveless T-shirt, Sting’s performance was little more electrifying than popping one of his CDs into the player.

Don’t get me wrong, though. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Sting is a master at blending cerebral lyrics with inventive time signatures while keeping his tunes impossibly catchy.

Witness the syncopated, toe-tapping chorus of his new album’s title track. Or the dreamy refrain of “If I Ever Lose My Faith In You.” Or the highly danceable “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic.” This guy can write a song.

And he performed them in a completely enjoyable fashion Sunday - just without much spark.

He played a sleepy version of “Englishman in New York” and took a sip of Gatorade midphrase during “If You Love Somebody Set Them Free.”

An extended jam on “When the World Is Running Down You Make The Best of What’s Still Around” went on even longer than the song title.

But there were plenty of moments to keep the near-capacity crowd grooving.

Sting’s new “Fill Her Up,” the concert’s highlight, soared from country twang to fever pitch. His right-on Louis Armstrong impersonation on the bluesy “Moon Over Bourbon Street” brought smiles to the crowd.

Trumpeter Chris Botti stood out throughout the show, especially during a fine duet with Sting on “Perfect Love … Gone Wrong.”

That song also featured drummer Manu Katche (who has toured with Peter Gabriel) on a French rap interlude.

Leave it to Sting to find a way to make rap palatable to the baby boomer masses.

Pop chanteuse k.d. lang burbled with energy during her lush opening set. In a sunshine yellow blouse, lang hopped and pirouetted across the stage while belting out tunes from her new “Invincible Summer” album.

The album’s catchy single, “Summerfling,” could well unseat lang’s beautiful “Constant Craving” as her signature tune.

If only Sting could have siphoned a bit of lang’s energy.