Setlist

01	Message In A Bottle
01	Walking On The Moon
02	Demolition Man
03	Voices Inside My Head
04	When The World Is Running Down
05	Don't Stand So Close To Me
06	Driven To Tears
07	Hole In My Life
08	Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
09	Wrapped Around Your Finger
10	De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da
11	Invisible Sun
12	Can't Stand Losing You
13	Roxanne
14	King Of Pain
15	So Lonely
16	Every Breath You Take
17	Next To You

Police settle into stride at Churchill Downs...

Well aware of their historic surroundings, The Police started off a bit slow but closed impressively during a two-hour concert on Saturday night at Churchill Downs.

While many bands have played the Churchill infield on Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) weekend, The Police follow the Rolling Stones as just the second band to headline a concert at the historic Louisville track, surroundings not lost on Police lead singer and bass player Sting.

"A few years ago, a friend of mine asked if he could name a horse after my son," Sting said to the audience early in the show, referencing A&M Records co-founder and Thoroughbred owner-breeder Jerry Moss. "Sure enough, that horse made it to the Kentucky Derby. We all backed him at 50-to-1. That horse's name is Giacomo."

The crowd cheered in approval of Jerry and Ann Moss's homebred 2005 Derby winner who shocked the field at odds of 50.3-to-1. (An older son of Sting, Joe Sumner, fronted the concert's opening band, Fiction Plane.)

In their first tour since breaking up in 1984 after the success of Synchronicity, which topped the album charts for 17 weeks, the Police seemed to be a bit off early as transition problems plagued their opening song, 'Message in a Bottle' and second effort, 'Synchronicity II'. For a band so driven by Sting's bass and drummer Stewart Copeland, such problems proved bothersome but the trio quickly found its groove and delivered a memorable show.

As if to beg forgiveness for the early problems, Sting mentioned the band had, "been around since 1875," a reference to the first year the Kentucky Derby was contested.

Hitting on all cylinders, one of those early Police works proved to be a highlight as the band delivered a straight-forward but explosive version of 'So Lonely', from their 1978 album 'Outlandos d'Amour'. Other highlights included 'Truth Hits Everybody', 'King of Pain', 'Driven To Tears', 'Can't Stand Losing You'/'Reggatta de Blanc', and 'Demolition Man'.

Some of the band's biggest hits came off a bit flat. 'Every Breath You Take' offered little and 'Roxanne' started out in full, near-punk fury before the band inexplicably chose to add an extended jazzy mix to the song before returning to a rocked-out ending.

To its credit, the Police did not hire a large supporting cast - actually no supporting cast - for a tour that will reach six continents.

Churchill unveiled a few needed changes at its concert venue, which this time drew a more manageable crowd compared to the 44,000 who packed the grandstand in September for the Rolling Stones. While the stage remained in the same infield location near the eighth pole facing the grandstand, restrooms and concessions were added for patrons with floor seats. This ended a need to walk behind the grandstand that existed at the Rolling Stones show.

While the band certainly raked in a nice payday - floor tickets sold for $225 - the Louisville track is paid a set fee for its facility. Churchill President Bob Evans said such concerts are not a huge moneymaker for Churchill, but they serve as a way of building community relations. Before the show, thousands of fans arrived early and milled about in the paddock. Many were impressed by the surroundings, commenting on the largeness of the facility and details like the list of Derby winners throughout the paddock.

Evans said Churchill is working on another show for 2008.

© Thoroughbred Times by Frank Angst

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