Sting was dynamite...

There are many greats, but legends are few and far between. And that was exactly what thousands of Costa Ricans witnessed last night: a rock legend. Sting was the absolute star, a musician who demonstrated why the adjective "legend" fits him perfectly.

The British singer-songwriter gave a stunning concert, a performance that those fortunate enough to be present will find hard to erase from their hard drives. For an hour and forty minutes, Sting performed replete versions of the classics he forged with The Police and the "piezones" he later created on his own.

Thus, in grand style, was how the first edition of the Imperial Festival ended, a concert in the style of the major festivals in the wealthiest nations on the continent.

According to the organizers, adding the audience from both days, nearly 40,000 people signed up to be part of the festival. Regarding whether there will be a second edition, spokespersons for Cervecería Costa Rica were cautious, although hopeful that this weekend's performance could well become, perhaps, a franchise.

Before the former leader of The Police performed his show yesterday, the stage set up at the La Guácima racetrack featured a terrible Héctor The Father, the entertaining Argentinians from Miranda!, the much-lauded Costa Ricans from Malpaís, and the explosive Finnish band The Rasmus.

Up with The Rasmus! The performance by the Finnish band The Rasmus had an important situation when it comes to performing live: they played without a sound check. And they sounded clear, accurate, and strong within the melodic range their style allows.

The quartet didn't receive their instruments, so they moved heaven and earth to get them in Tiquicia, but they didn't have enough time to have a sound check in the morning. Few musicians dare to take to the stage with such a difficult task, and even fewer dare to use a foreign instrument because those "things" are sensitive like people and have their own genius and tricks.

It's no wonder Eicca Toppinen, the mastermind behind Apocalyptica, is fond of The Rasmus. The band gave their all on stage. Lauri, the singer, had the good sense to connect with Costa Rica: during Night After Night, he modified the lyrics by occasionally inserting the words "Costa Rica." Well played.

The Rasmus were sung along with a joyful chorus and asked for more, so the guys performed the Finnish anthem, "In My Life," and "Don't Let Go," a melancholic little song perfect for fond memories.

They hugged in front of the audience, and Lauri said, "Tonight, Sting!" They had already confessed at the press conference: they would see the Englishman's concert and, if they could, run naked after him. It was a joke, of course.

Police. and more. At 8 p.m. sharp, the madness broke loose. Bass in hand, Sting returned, for the third time, to sing to the Ticos. His start couldn't have been more powerful: he played the well-remembered "Message in a Bottle." That song made it clear that The Police would be a vital part of the menu.

Sting's band was pure power. Four men—Sting himself, guitarists Dominic Miller and Lyle Workman, and the brilliant drummer Abe Laboriel Jr.—were more than enough to "rock" the house.

The crowd, hearing them, went wild, while hits like "Synchronicity II"; "Walking on the Moon"; 'I Ever Lose My Faith in You'; 'Walking on the Moon'; 'King of Pain'; and 'All This Time' followed one after another.

Always smiling and with interludes in Spanish, Sting jumped up and got the most out of his accomplished bass line. 'Every Little Thing She Does is Magic'... screams; 'Fields of Gold'... more screams... his cover of the Beatles' 'A Day in a Life'... euphoria... 'Every Breath You Take'... absolute madness; 'Roxanne'... no need to tell them, the crowd couldn't believe it.

And of course, the audience was asking for more, so Sting obliged and finished his performance just after 9:40 p.m. Everyone was more than happy. Thus ended the Imperial Festival. The good taste in their mouths will be hard to erase.

(c) La Nacion by Ana María Parra A. y Víctor Fernández G.

Musical FeSting...

Sting, the ex-singer of The Police demonstrated last night why he is one of the great rock performers.

When Sting took to the stage at the Imperial Festival at 8.10 last night, the talking was over and the Guácima was ready to burst. The mere presence of the the Police ex-singer was enough to ignite the enthusiastic crowd which exploded with delirium.

The artists that had performed earlier in the day, including the members of Rasmus and those from Jamirioquai's band, left their dressing rooms in order to come and listen to the British singer and caused a tremendous uproar in the press room when they arrived unexpectedly. The ''ticos'' enjoyed the legendary perfomer and it seems that the years have treated Sting well because his energy on stage was magical and hypnotized everyone.

Shortly before his performance, the Englishman met president elect Oscar in his dressing room. It was a private meeting, nobody knows what was said and whether he could speak English with Sting but the meeting took place.

This weekend's concert was perhaps one of the best concerts that Costa Ricans have enjoyed in the last few decades due to the quality of musicians - although some like Héctor The Father, Belanova and Miranda did not warm up the audience very successfully - the organisation and the venue where safety was much in evidence helped guarantee a good spectacle.

The day passed calmly with the crowd behaving themselves and the spectacle was impressive - happy faces, men with glasses of beer in hand, women in jeans with bare navels and eyes that followed them, music, and helicopters flying all over the place. At the end, the director of the Costa Rica brewery, Ramon Mendiola, promised a second festival could ''happen within a year''.

The legendary ex-singer of the Police strode on to the scene elegantly dressed in black in the best European style. From the first notes of his unique voice, the crowd were driven crazy with at least one fan fainting. But for her, as well as the thousands that got to see him, the delay was worth the wait. When Sting opened his show with 'Message In A Bottle' the atmosphere could not be bettered, and from the start you could see he had a taste for the show and his energy burst through. Unsurprising, because this concert marked the beginning of his world-wide 'Broken Music' tour. There were presents too for the ''ticos'' that were present. After the greeting ''Buenas noches'' and ''Gracias Costa Rica'', Sting continued with his hits, 'Walking On The Moon', 'If I Ever Lose My Faith In You', 'Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic', 'Desert Rose' and 'Roxanne' were some of the most popular songs with the crowd. After a while, Sting warmed up and removed his black coat revealing a tight fitting grey t-shirt that showed off his well preserved figure. Nobody could ever say that he looked to be fiftyish years old.

Between shouts, music, and screaming Sting went on to give one of the best concerts Costa Rica has seen.

(c) Al Dia by Ronny Rojas (kindly translated by Luis Murillo)