On stage during The Police, Stewart Copeland pounded his drum kit behind Sting and guitarist Andy Summers. This Wednesday evening at the Palais Montcalm he will be accompanied by three singers, a guitarist, a bassist and the Orchester symphonique de Québec.
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A sold out concert event where he will bring to life Message in the Bottle, Roxanne, Every Breath You Take, King of Pain, Walking on the Moon and other songs by the famous British trio.
This tour, titled Police Deranged for Orchestra, made its stage debut on August 27, 2021 at Jacob’s Park in San Diego. Nineteen concerts were presented in the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, Hungary, Poland and Vancouver.
On the boards we find the singers Amy Keys, Carmel Helen and Ashley Tamar, the guitarist Rusty Anderson, who is part of Paul McCartney’s band, and the bassist Armand Sabal-Lecco, who will accompany the 70-year-old drummer.
The OSQ musicians are led by American conductor Edwin Outwater, who conducted Metallica’s 2019 concerts with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra.
improvisations
In an interview published on the Coachella Valley Independent website, Stewart Copeland explains that these new versions were originally developed as companion material to the 2006 documentary Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out.
“I’ve done a lot of orchestral work over the years and then I wanted to make a few hits that people would like. I took my “disturbed” versions and orchestrated them. They’re very different because they’re played by a symphonic ensemble that’s been transformed into a rock band for the occasion,” he said.
Stewart Copeland admits that this reconstruction work involved dizziness.
“I was convinced that people would attack me with pitchforks. It didn’t happen because they recognize their favorite segments, even if the context is different. It’s still possible to sing Roxanne’s lyrics, but there are elements that are unexpected,” he pointed out.
Stewart Copeland states that he allows himself to improvise even when surrounded by a different symphony orchestra at each concert, delivering a written musical score with precision.
“Musicians don’t deviate from the ink printed on sheet music. They are on the spot and they are. Me, because my name is on the ticket, I derail the case. I do what I want in the spontaneity of the moment. I can afford that freedom because I know exactly what they’re going to do,” he told the Coachella Valley Independent.
With this project, the drummer and composer realizes the immense talent of Sting, singer and bassist of The Police.
“At the time, I didn’t pay too much attention to what was happening in front of me. I listened to the bass line and I hit. I didn’t even know what he was singing and I only saw the back of his head. Ever since I embarked on the Police Deranged adventure, I realize the guy was a hell of a songwriter,” he mentioned.