Once Upon a Daydream (Part II (Part 2))

The Police @ Marcus Amphitheater, Milwaukee, WI, 2008.07.25

Perhaps it was the 80+ degree heat that wore down my energy level, or wore down the band, or just the fact that this was an outdoor theater, but this did not seem like the same Police that performed a year ago. Perhaps the 2007 St Paul show was one of the high points of the tour, but that show was full of energy, a better Police than existed in 1983. Now, the band seems to be running down after a year of touring, and Sting seems like he's trying to be old. Perhaps the biggest disappointment was the shortened setlist. Gone were the powerful songs that propelled the set, Synchronicity II, Truth Hits Everybody & The Bed's Too Big Without You, as well as the poignant Walking in Your Footsteps. We didn't even get the replacement Bring on the Night like other shows, although they added Hole in My Life and Demolition Man to this leg of the tour. There were also some strange reworkings, such as the humorous intro to Every Little Thing She Does is Magic, (apparently not intentional), which destroyed the buildup of the song. But besides these setbacks, this was The Police, and this tour was absolutely historic. Andy can still shred on guitar, Sting is a master of bass, and Stewart is still the kinetic Stewart. By the grace of Fortune I was able to experience this tour twice, and watching these songs come back to life after decades of fearing them fade into history.


Setlist:
Message In A Bottle / Walking On The Moon / Demolition Man / Voices Inside My Head / When The World Is Running Down / Don't Stand So Close To Me / Driven To Tears / Hole In My Life / Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic / Wrapped Around Your Finger / De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da / Invisible Sun / Can't Stand Losing You / Roxanne /King Of Pain / So Lonely / Every Breath You Take / Next To You