Considering it has been a little over a decade since The Police released such songs as Roxanne and Every Breath You Take, it was no surprise to see such variety in age of avid fans thronging to the Sting/Jars of Clay concert held at Starplex on Friday.

Sting, former lead singer of The Police, did not disappoint his fans by singing only his new material, but sang a pleasing mix of old favorites as well. Mothers and fathers, high school and college students, searched for places to sit among the multitudes of people that were eagerly waiting to hear Sting, while the group Jars of Clay took center stage singing their popular song, Flood, among others.

Though Jars of Clay and Sting possess different styles and messages, their music blended together well. Jars of Clay, has a great stage presence and their songs contain such insightful, thought-provoking lyrics, that they left us with a sense of the Divine. We were as excited to see them perform and liked the more upbeat version of their song, Blind and their new unreleased song, Blame.

The background of the stage depicted Sting's environmental interests as intriguing uses of light settled upon scenes of volcanoes erupting and also of mountains in a distance. The display of bright, soft and pulsating lights created the drama that complimented his songs. Audience interaction seemed a large part of why we enjoyed the concert. Sting wanted and encouraged the participation of the audience to sing along with him. At one point in the concert, Sting pulled a couple onstage to help him sing a sarcastic song about divorce only to witness their sudden engagement as the introduction of Fields of Gold played softly. We believe he capped a wonderful concert with an equally wonderful cadence.

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