Well, as the man himself has said, some shows are better than others. It seems some nights it’s just Sting singing his songs (which is still worth the $70 face ticket price) and then there are nights where Sting is at his best, his band is in rare form and the audience becomes enthralled not by a performer but by an evening of musical magic. This was such a night. We have heard that in seeing the L A area shows he was good but he had that something extra in San Diego that defies any logical description.

The evening started with the Cowboy Junkies opening the show. Rocky enjoyed the mellow moodiness of the group and their musical texture. Danielle didn’t like them. But hey, next to Sting, who could really open for Sting and never disappoint?

The stage crew did a marvelous job in breaking down the Cowboy Junkies’ sound equipment and setting up for Sting’s group in record time (Rocky almost didn’t have enough time to get two bottles of water). With the Cowboy Junkies starting at 8:00 sharp and finishing at a little after 8:45, the crew had it ready for Sting to hit the stage at 9:00 like clockwork.

Right from the opening lines of "Hounds of Winter" it was evident that something special was to happen tonight. A certain spark of mischief was evident in Sting’s eyes and he seemed intent on having fun with the show. Dressed in the olive green sweater vest as well as olive green khaki pants (and NO GOATEE!), Sting was quite confident and playful all evening long. The audience was on its feet from the very first song and didn’t sit down for more than a minute throughout the show.

Sting proceeded with the usual set following up "Hounds of Winter" with "I Hung My Head", "I Was Brought to My Senses" (with what seemed like an unusually long but very moving intro), but with the opening strains of "Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot", Danielle (as with much of the audience) started tearing up with the pure emotion evoked by the lyrics and the music. As usual, that was followed by "If You Love Somebody, Set Them Free", "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic", and then "Seven Days". It was at this point that the concert became totally different from the usual show. So, at this point Rocky will take over the review.

Well, without Danielle knowing about it, I had E-mailed a contact a letter that said not only did I want to sing "I’m So Happy I Can’t Stop Crying" but that I also wanted to propose to Danielle. Anyway, at this point of the show he pulls out my E-mail and called me to the stage. He was very friendly and considerate and asked if I wanted to sing the whole song or just the choruses. I told him just the choruses but he coaxed me into the whole song. He even let me sing a part of the song solo. I personally thought my voice was shot because of all the yelling I had already done that evening but I got a rousing ovation when my solo ended. When the song ended, Sting was very gracious, complemented my singing and even put his arm around me. Then he said, "Rocky why don’t you tell everyone what you wrote in the letter and why you’re here." With that he had Kenny start "Fields of Gold" which they played as an instrumental for the next 2 minutes until I was done and then he started to sing the lyrics. With the music playing I said "Danielle Jean Duprau, since that night you called me at 2:30 in the morning to say ‘J’aurais toujours faim de toi’, you have held my heart and my soul. Now I want you to have my ring." (at which time I pulled the engagement ring from my pocket and ladies everywhere were cheering), "Danielle, will you marry me?". Danielle came up, I placed the ring on her finger and we danced as Sting sang "Fields of Gold" to us. All the next day, people called in to the radio station to say they thought that this was the most special part of the show.

From here Sting went into "You Still Touch Me", blew the house away with "Synchronicity II", and then "Roxanne", followed by the "Bring On The Night"/"When The World Is Running Down" medley. As usual, Kenny’s piano solo was HOT! From there it was a hard driving "Demolition Man", smoothed out by "Englishman in New York" (with it’s now famous rap by Butch Thomas).

The first encores were "If I Ever Lose My Faith In You", "Every Breath You Take", and the rocking version of "Lithium Sunset" (just like on "Live at T F I Friday"). And the final encore was "Fragile", followed by extended curtain calls by all the band members that were well deserved. Not only had Sting been unusually loose (We lost count of how many times we saw him wiggle his butt in a playful spirit) but all the band members were right on the money all night long. Now since Rocky had his own paragraph, here’s Danielle’s.

aewsomeeeeeeeee! He was better than ever. I have been watching and admiring Sting since I was in high school, mind you I’m 30 now---and he just gets better with time. I was bummed when the Police broke up, but if they hadn’t of—I doubt Sting would be as deep and spiritual as he is now. The concert was unforgettable. Just yesterday I remembered a thought back from high school. "some day I’m going to marry a man just like Sting". I would never of thought he to be singing with Sting on Stage and popping the question. When Sting sang "Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot" I was teary eyed, feeling like a fool with goosebumps! I had chills and goosebumps the whole night----I believe it to be a spiritual thing. But Stings performance was hard driven, and the audience recognized it. I asked Rocky what did it feel like singing with Sting, [my God, he even put his arm around Rocky---NOT FAIR], but Rocky was calm and cool about it. I was in awe, just looking up at him. I wonder if Sting knows how he "Beams" himself through his music. He’s a beautiful man. I have been entranced for 15 years-----and I hope for another 15 years to come. And Sting, if you're reading this----THANKYOU for letting Rocky on stage----------as for the wedding…………We’d LOVE for you to play there too!!!!……………

• For More Romantic stories, go to: The Pirates Bride
• Return to: Mad About You
• Return to: LVRocky
• Rocky Dickerson