Police fire the fans - Playhouse worship for supergroup...

A triumph for The Police at the Playhouse last night. What else! The Edinbugh theatre automatically sold out and another 3,000 fans will be there tonight to pay homage to the group who've made a million in terms of records and cash since they last played the Edinburgh area, at Ingliston on Hogmanay 1981.

Lead singer/bass guitarist Sting, lead guitarist Andy Summers and drummer Stewart Copeland, backed by yhree legyy girl singers who seemed to be there more for decorative purposes had their audience with them virtually from note one on, and by the time they'd finished their first four number selection with 'Message In A Bottle', it sounded as if they'd been on stage for an hour or more.

With The Police, there's no problem warming their public.

After 'Message', Sting, more accustomed to 30,000 than 3,000 said, "I'm not so nervous now. How do you feel?"

The people fortunate to get tickets were feeling good, fired by 'Walkin on The Moon', 'De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da' and 'Walkign In Your Footsteps'.

But The Police were well into the set before Summers and Sting seemed to attempt any "serious" guitar work with the descriptive 'Tea In The Sahara'.

This was the first of sixteen concerts in a nine-city UK tour and even a group of this standing find the cost of touring near enough prohibitive. They've got the Guinness people sponsoring all of their shows and the brewing giants already are claiming it's well worth their time and money because it's taking their product to a younder market.

So the message IS in a bottle, in more ways than one.

With Duran Duran due at Ingliston tomorrow night, Edinburgh is where the action is at the moment, and I understand that both supergroups are planning a celebratory party tonight after the Playhouse show. The rave-up will take place in a "secret" city hotel.

Meantime the Playhouse has added Dr Hook and the Thompson Twins as New Year attractions.

© The Edinburgh Evening News by John Gibson

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