"We must defend freedom to be ourselves." Sting's concert at the PGE National Stadium in Warsaw...

Many things can be said about Sting, but one thing is certain – he doesn't disappoint at his concerts, which he proved once again at the PGE National Stadium in Warsaw, playing a mix of his greatest solo hits and those from his time as The Police, and showing excellent form. He was on stage for a shorter time than usual, which might have left us feeling a bit dissatisfied. This time, he also didn't regale us with the anecdotes he's famous for. Instead, during the encores, he invited Maciej Stuhr on stage to translate his message about the war in Ukraine and the need to fight for democracy. "It's been attacked in every country in the world," he reminded us.

After Kings of Leon in Wrocław and Guns N' Roses, Coldplay, Rammstein, and Iron Maiden, Warsaw hosted the latest global star to cancel his earlier visit due to the pandemic. Incidentally, Sting performs in Poland so often that he could easily be a resident. The last time was on November 2, 2019, at Krakow's Tauron Arena, as part of the promotion for his comprehensive album "My Songs," featuring new or remixed versions of his greatest hits from both his solo career and his time with The Police. The Warsaw concert at the PGE Narodowy Stadium, scheduled as part of the same tour, was originally scheduled for July 25, 2020, but then something happened.

Much has changed since Sting's last visit to Poland, not only in the world but also in his own country. The artist turned 70 (October 2, 2021) and released his debut album, "The Bridge," prepared during the pandemic. He performed two songs from it in Warsaw: the cheerful, truly catchy "If It's Love," which featured his charming whistling, and the solidly rocking "Rushing Water." He didn't change the tour's name, however—we still witnessed the "My Songs Tour."

Sting took the stage at 8:45 PM – Anna Maria Jopek and Joe Sumner, the star's son, had previously performed briefly as support acts – and finally left at 10:13 PM. At just under an hour and a half, the concert was quite short for him, which might have left us feeling a bit dissatisfied. Fortunately, what we heard in between fully compensated for this. Aside from the two premieres mentioned above, the remaining fifteen songs were practically all hits. They were played to a packed PGE Narodowy Stadium, although it's hard to say they were completely packed, considering the seating arrangements were placed on the stage, which has never been, and still is, a good idea at a rock concert. And it never will be.

In fact, starting with the first song, "Message in a Bottle" by The Police, virtually no one was seated, and the neatly arranged rectangles of seats merged into a single mass – a situation that the security forces later only partially managed to reverse to make room for cameramen strolling between the rows. Fortunately, no one was hit by the heavy rain that fell in Warsaw yesterday, as the roof of the PGE Narodowy Stadium was closed – knowing life, if it had been otherwise, some people would probably have come up with the "brilliant" idea of opening umbrellas.

Sting truly focused on his greatest hits in Warsaw (except perhaps for the feisty blues "Heavy Cloud No Rain" from the most widely performed album at the concert, "Ten Summoner's Tales"). He was the second to perform his solo "Englishman in New York," and Josh Freese rocked out so hard during a memorable drum sequence that the entire stadium clapped. Then came another banger: the bouncy "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic," back with The Police. It couldn't have been better, although the lack of anecdotes was surprising. Some songs flowed into others—like "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You," with its distinctive and powerful chorus, into the beautiful and equally famous ballad "Fields of Gold."

Sting, however, announced the next song, "Brand New Day," emphasizing that he would perform it in one of his favourite versions—the same one featured on "My Songs." Stevie Wonder himself guested on harmonica there, but Shane Sager replaced him admirably, earning a standing ovation. The Police's next two hits brought reggae to the stage—first in a more classical version ("Walking on the Moon"), then bolstered by a more new-wave energy ("So Lonely"). The oriental rock anthem "Desert Rose" from the album "Brand New Day," one of Sting's most unconventional songs, also made a great impression. 

The artist, of course, was equipped with his bass guitar, and as always, he was joined on stage by guitarist Dominic Miller, once again with his son Rufus Miller on second guitar, as well as the aforementioned Josh Freese on drums, known years ago from Nine Inch Nails and Guns N' Roses, and Kevon Webster on keyboards. Plus, Melissa Musique and Gene Noble provided backup vocals – his duet with Sting on the famous ballad "Shape of My Heart" may have evoked memories of the artist's collaboration with Shaggy.

The concert itself was worthy of such an event – a large stage, four appropriately sized vertical screens, two on each side, showing the musicians and occasionally the audience, and behind it, a screen with colourful images matching the mood and content of each song. There were no pyrotechnics or explosions, but that's not what Sting's concerts are known for.

The evening's main program concluded with two more great hits from Gordon Sumner's first band: "King of Pain," sung in a duet with his son, Joe Sumner, and the phenomenal "Every Breath You Take," which once again had the entire stadium rocking. After 70 minutes and 15 songs, Sting and his band left the stage, only to return a moment later to perform another megahit, "Roxanne," from The Police, in an extended version. But then something happened that probably no one in the audience at the PGE Narodowy Stadium expected.

Sting invited Maciej Stuhr on stage to act as interpreter. The star emphasized that he wanted to comment on the situation in Ukraine and wanted every word to be well understood.

"Democracy has been attacked in every country in the world," Sting said, with Stuhr explaining. "If we don't defend it, we will lose it forever. But democracy is a mess. Democracy is frustration. Democracy is often ineffective. It requires constant attention, constant correction, but it's still worth fighting for," the artist reminded, adding that the alternative to democracy is a "nightmare" and a "prison." "Also a prison of the mind," he emphasized.

"Sting continued. "A tyrant lies to his people, lies to the world, and above all, lies to himself. If you disagree with a tyrant, you risk imprisonment, torture, and even death. And yet, that's what we must do, each and every one of us," he urged.

"We must take this risk and defend our right and speak the truth," he appealed. "Our minds must remain free. We must defend the freedom to be ourselves, in our minds and in our bodies. The war in Ukraine is an absurdity built on lies. If we swallow this lie, it will consume us. Lies are terrified of the truth. The truth must be heard. And we cannot lose this battle," he emphasized at the end, performing the ballad "Fragile," which was part of Sting's growing tradition of ending his concerts with calm, reflective, and earth-shaking songs. During the performance, the screens showed one of the concert participants holding the Ukrainian flag.

Sting's words addressed the dramatic war situation in our eastern neighbour, but it's hard to resist the impression that their scope and resonance had a broader meaning. Freedom and democracy are not given to us forever, and wherever the government seeks to undermine them, we must remain vigilant and, above all, oppose them.

Maciej Stuhr's unusual role remained a secret until the very end – it's possible that the actor became acquainted with the artist during the chaos surrounding this year's Wiktor Awards gala. Sting was scheduled to perform, but after numerous appeals from Polish artists, including Stuhr himself, who was heavily involved in the affair, pointing out that TVP was a regime-run television station, he decided not to attend. "The fact that Sting didn't appear at the Wiktor Awards gala is no coincidence," the actor told Onet in an interview a few months ago. "I'm glad because he's also a person who has always been very close to my heart. Musically, he may have even been number one for a while."

The actor added that in the 1980s, he fell in love with Stuhr's music and lyrics, and his approach to life seemed relatable to him. "And ever since my schooldays, I've occasionally heard people say I'm a bit like him. I've always taken that as a very kind compliment."

A very kind compliment, but also a very pleasant evening. There were great hits from the Police era and his greatest solo successes, there were moments of reflection, and nothing dragged – it's hard to believe that Sting was on stage for less than ninety minutes (although the first concerts of his renewed tour lasted two hours this year). The artist, who turned seventy last year, may not possess the youthful energy we've become accustomed to over the years, but his musical and vocal form was absolutely undeniable – he sang phenomenally, even if the sound didn't reach every corner of the PGE Narodowy with the clarity we might have hoped for.

We're grateful that we live in the same era as many artists whose music will likely never be forgotten. And we have the privilege of experiencing them live.

(c) Onet Muzyka by Paweł Piotrowicz