Five Things

Some shared thoughts and musical moments from the past week.

• Last weekend The D Man saw Sting in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand for his Symphonicity Tour. As always, the Englishman sounded great and the clan had an excellent time. Sting's arrangements were fantastic (as expected) and the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra extended a richness to the songs that was refreshing and almost heavenly (unexpected). The concert's atmosphere was relaxed as Sting discussed aspects of each song he played, developing a unique backstory that was interesting even to longtime fans. The D Man especially enjoyed performances of some of his favorite songs from Sting's solo material, including "Russians," "Mad About You," "Shape of My Heart," and (giving me chills) "Why Should I Cry For You?"
• Has a song ever sounded better on the Vegas strip? Maybe. But it wasn't this cool, and The D Man wasn't with you.
• Check out Passion Pit's cover of "Tonight, Tonight" by Smashing Pumpkins. Yes, that is a dude singing.
• Rumination incarnate. For the inward search.
• Sting also performed "End of the Game" and it was lovely. None of us had heard the song before. Apparently a Brand New Day B-Side.