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 Sting |
 Paul Simon |
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Review and photos by Andy Argyrakis They may have first found fame a generation apart and explored several different musical dichotomies over the ensuing years, but after nearly three hours of collaborating and solo showcasing at the United Center Tuesday night, Paul Simon and Sting undoubtedly made a great team. Besides sharing a kinship over a lifetime of sophisticated songwriting and a knack for sidestepping conventional formulas in their twilight years, it turns out this half of 1960s folk favorites Simon & Garfunkel and the one time front man for late '70s/early '80s punk rockers The Police are actually longtime friends and current neighbors in New York.With such massive bodies of group and solo work between them, narrowing down the set list must have been a chore, though both artists obliged with several of their best loved songs, alongside the occasional obscurity. But the true treat came during Simon and Sting's multiple collaborative segments, which kicked off with the former's "Brand New Day," followed by the latter's "The Boy In The Bubble" and then back to Sting's sublime "Fields Of Gold," all backed by a supergroup of both co-headliners' bands (whose immense talent helped cover up for the unbelievably bare bones production). From there, the individual and joint interplay alternated with rapid-fire regularity, starting with Sting, 62, and his usual players tackling "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic," "Englishman In New York" and "Walking On The Moon" (amongst others) with true to form precision. With Sting still on stage, the 72-year-old Simon returned for a double team on "Mother And Child Reunion," which like all the other duets, adapted a fresh spark thanks to their soft-spoken harmonies and guitar/bass interplay. Simon also had a chance to swoon through several more smashes with his rhythmically-saturated backers, like perennial charmers "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover," "Still Crazy After All These Years" and "Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard." Sting then sauntered on stage to deliver "Fragile" with a little help from Simon (perhaps the most hand in glove match of the many clever combinations), prior to pumping up the volume on the Latin-charged "They Dance Alone," The Police's "Roxanne" and his Middle-Eastern influenced "Desert Rose." As if set list wasn't stacked enough with all of the above, both performers upped the iconic ante even further to deliver Simon & Garfunkel's "The Boxer," but with Sting simply sounding like himself instead of trying to mimic the originator. Shortly thereafter, Simon dived even deeper into his longtime African influences for "Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes" and fellow "Graceland" album definer "You Can Call Me Al." The smartly paced highlight reel continued throughout several extensive encores that found both legends firmly planted at one another's side, including the inspirational "Bridge Over Troubled Water" (notable for Sting's impressively sustained finale note) and the jubilant "Every Breath You Take." Though the pair may have looked like a study in contrasts on paper, Simon and Sting more than rose to the challenge with a mutual admiration of each other's timeless tunes, and in the process, quite possibly stumbled upon a partnership worth exploring beyond just a single touring season. |
 Sting |
 Sting & Paul Simon |
 Sting & Paul Simon |
 Paul Simon |
 Sting & Paul Simon |
 Sting & Paul Simon |