October 1983, Orange Bowl, Miami, Fla.
There are few words to fully describe how much I love The Police. It was one of the first serious bands I got into — there are not a lot of 12-year-olds who got lost in Outlandos d’Amour, but I was one of them. The band made five albums — all of them different — and crushed every one. I hated The Police broke up, but I understood — what else could it do it hadn’t already done?
I was a freshman in high school when Synchronicity came out, and even in an era when albums became huge (Thriller, Purple Rain, Born in the U.S.A.), few albums were as big as Synchronicity. There was not a single radio station — not a single one — that didn’t play “Every Breath You Take”. The videos were everywhere, song after song was a hit. And Sting is simply one of the greatest frontmen ever. I think I take Sting over Bono, I really do.
There was no question I was seeing the band if it came to Miami, because we all knew if it did come, it had to be in the Orange Bowl. It was originally supposed to be at the Miami Baseball Stadium (which my ticket says), but was moved to the OB for some reason (probably because of the huge popularity of Synchronicity). Not only was this a general admission concert, but tickets were $15. Can you imagine? Sure it was 32 years ago, but $15? And yes, the T-shirt cost more than the ticket. Did I buy a T-shirt? You bet your ass I did. The show was a few days shy of my 15th birthday after all.
This is one of those shows I have to break down in pieces because it was a while back. As such:
- The Animals opened, and the only thing I knew about them then (and now, to be honest), is that they were best known for the song “House of the Rising Sun”. I remember the band playing the song to ripples of applause, but nothing more than that. This seemed a strange band to be playing with The Police, and I never knew why they were there (though I believe Andy Summers and Eric Burden used to play music together at one point). So yes, I can say I saw The Animals, but I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing.
- This would be my first in several forays with The Fixx, a band I have managed to see every decade since this show. I worked my way up to the front of the stage for their set, which came right as the sun was setting. Was the sky red? Yes. Did they play Red Skies? Sure did. The band also played “Stand or Fall,” “Reach the Beach,” “One Thing Leads to Another” and “Saved By Zero”. In an opportunity to make many new fans, The Fixx was up for the challenge, and proved to be an excellent opener for The Police.
- I found the setlist online because I couldn’t remember it all. I’m just going to show it here for context: “Synchronicity I,” “Synchronicity II,” “Walking In Your Footsteps,” “Message In A Bottle,” “Walking On The Moon,” “O My God,” “De Do Do Do De Da Da Da,” “Wrapped Around Your Finger,” “Tea In The Sahara,” “Hole In My Life,” “Spirits Of The Material World,” “Invisible Sun,” “One World (Not Three),” “King Of Pain,” “Don’t Stand So Close To Me,” “Every Breath You Take,” “Murder By Numbers”. Encore: “Roxanne,” “Can’t Stand Losing You,” “Regatta de Blanc,” “So Lonely”.
Damn.
- Yes, every song on this list rules. I remember the band coming out to “Synchronicity,” Sting was wearing some sort of feathered open jacket, I don’t think he had a shirt on underneath, and the sound of the crowd was a constant eruption. I was maybe 13 rows of people back from the stage — I was with my friend Adrian and we fought pretty hard to get where we were — but the energy of the crowd kept us lively even though we had been on our feet for five hours. The back-to-back playing of “Message In A Bottle” and “Walking On The Moon” nearly had the crowd falling over with delight.
- The final three songs of the main set included two of the band’s most popular songs — “Don’t Stand So Close To Me” and “Every Breath You Take” — and “Murder By Numbers,” a B-side which was not initially included on Synchronicity but later appeared on the cassette and CD. I love “Murder By Numbers,” but it was not a common song, and I remember feeling special being one of the few people in the crowd singing along. It’s the little things . . .
- “So Lonely” is my favorite Police song, and the show ended with it and it’s crazy, stirred up musical ending. I was exhausted by the end of the show but remained hyped up after “So Lonely”.
Without a doubt one of the best shows I went to, which is saying plenty since I’ve been to many more in the 32 years since.
