Last night I got to witness an extremely personal show from The Police great Andy Summers. His “A Cracked Lens and A Missing String” tour of Australia kicked off last night at the Melbourne Recital Centre. From the moment I saw this advertised I was excited, enthused and curious about the opportunity to share an evening with someone that I consider rock royalty.
Melbourne recital is a beautiful space and the stage was split into two sides, one with a lounge, the other with two Fender Combo amps, monitors, pedal board and guitar. A screen at the back which added an interactive element to tonight’s show.
From the moment a self-confessed very jet lagged Andy Summers took to the stage where he was greeted warmly by a firm round of applause and cheer. Dressed in a t-shirt and blue suit Summers looked decades younger than his actual age. It’s hard to believe he is eighty-one.
Summers first came to light for most of us as guitarist for the Police who formed in 1977 and rose to becoming household names in 1978 on the strength of the band’s singles ‘Roxanne’ and ‘Can’t Stand Losing You’. The first being the one that truly broke ground for the band.
The Police who I guess could be considered as having a thirty-year active legacy with some breaks and hiatus’ but were never bigger than in that first decade until the bands farewell tour in 2007-08. With so many instantly recognisable hits that transcend generations The Police as still to this day household names and icons of popular music.
Summers remains active to this day and his solo projects have included soundtrack contributions, deep dives into Jazz, Fusion and embracing world music. From the early days of The Police Summers brought himself a camera and embarked on a journey that would capture the music world from the inside out, from a touring musician’s personal perspective and not the outside looking in. This is years before mobile devices and again found Summers an innovator in many ways. Not only did Summers capture those moments he had a visual archive of the places he travelled to.
The name of this tour/show is reflective of his love of photography and also shows significance to where his musical journey started as his first guitar only had five strings.
A show like this is difficult to review in the sense that every part of it interacts and tells a series of stories. To share those stories would in many ways spoil the show. However, I can safely say that the images, stories and music play hand in hand.
The stories tell of his influences, his loves and passions. His thirst for knowledge of different cultures that his extraordinary life allowed him to travel around the globe several times as discovered many new and remote places, cultures and experiences.
For those expecting this show to be full of tales of life on the road please be warned there is so much more than that to this show. In some ways it is an indulgent look into the world of Andy Summers in music and pictures.
Running at two hours the mix of musical interludes; fresh interpretations of his career and influences and visuals that are not only still images but accompanying video clips and home movie moments allows you to visit Summers’ world. His stories are honest, filled with humour and most of all delivered in a personal way.
In many ways I had no idea what would be presented to the audience tonight. I anticipated so many things. Parts of me wish this show would have been ninety-minutes where he told stories of the images displayed and celebrated the joy that photography brought him through the years. Concluding with an overview of his musical life’s journey. Other parts of me eagerly awaited tales of his journey of life and music and how the ebbs and flows of career that spans six decades looked.
Based on my personal expectations I found myself lost at times during the show. Unsure of what and where to focus. Was it the images or the craft of playing that Summers makes look so effortless. Just because of my own personal wish list for the show do not take it as a negative on the show. Hell, I just got to hang out with a few hundred others and experience something very unique and special.
If I was to make a critical comment on the show it would have been that when Summers spoke this headset audio was low, his voice sounded hollow and at times was almost completely drowned out by audience reactions of laughter, applause and cheer causing you to lose some of what he was saying. It’s a minor thing but also so important to have in a performance like this.
All said and done the two hours with Andy Summers passed so quickly and left me wanting more, to know more, to see more, to hear more. Tonight’s audience showed their appreciation for this unique experience as Summers retreated from the stage to a huge round applause, many taking to their feet.
All image credit to Nesto Hernandez, & special thanks to Liberty Stage for the media access
