Sting remained a distant figure on stage, but his playing and singing were on point...

Gordon Sumner aka Sting doesn't seem to like posing for photos. While the audience was otherwise allowed to film concerts freely at Pori Jazz, even with SLR cameras, it was announced during Sting's gig that this was not allowed in the case of the British star. The media also had to stay away from the stage, as pictures were taken from the mixing booth for a couple of songs.

It's hard to say where the man's reluctance comes from. The 73-year-old singer is in admirable shape for his age. 

This applies to both the gentleman's appearance and his music. Sting, who remained spry, walked around the stage with a relaxed demeanour, and the man handled his electric bass, which had been worn out during his travels, with the touch of an experienced professional. The song didn't resonate quite as effortlessly as it did when he was younger, but who would resonate with a seventy-year-old now?

Sting gave a guaranteed gig in Pori, where the trio-styled line-up went through the artist's best-known hits and a few rarer selections and then left the stage without much fanfare. The band performed both The Police's production and songs from Sting's solo career. The ghost of The Police hung over the concert surprisingly strongly: 10 of the 18 songs on the night were from the classic band's catalogue.

The gig was a stark reminder of the number of strong songs that can be found on The Police's albums. Roxanne, Message in the Bottle, Every Breath You Take, King of Pain, Walking on the Moon and even Wrapped Around Your Finger are all quite convincing. However, the most atmospheric parts of the evening came from Sting's solo production: Shape of My Heart, Fragile and Fields of Gold are calmingly great songs that will stand the test of time without any problems.

Sting was accompanied by guitarist Dominic Miller and drummer Chris Maas. Miller is a long-time collaborator of Sting, dating back to the early 1990s, and Maas has been seen in the live line-ups of Mumford & Sons and Maggie Rogers, among others. Both handled their jobs with strong professionalism, and Maas in particular commanded his battery with a pleasantly solid grip.

The concert program and the performers' playing were on point, but the evening cannot be described as very warm-hearted. Sting, who only spoke a few words to the audience, remained a distant figure throughout the concert. If Robbie Williams, who performed in Pori a few years ago, almost got on the audience's skin to tell his stories and chatted pleasantly, Sting did not make much contact with the audience.

At his best, as in the concert-ending Fragile and the ever-lovely Shape of My Heart, Sting's singing and the trio's playing managed to move something in the heart. However, many of the songs flowed smoothly but did not leave any major traces of memory on the fading evening in Pori.

(c) Soundi by Saku Schildt