Headline: Police Dominate Stadium Concert!

Don't stand so bloody close to me! You're crowding...

One of my favourite bands in my early concert-going days was The Police. After their Ghost In The Machine album was released in 1981, and I heard about the Police Picnic Tour in '82, I knew I had to be there. 

A friend and I got our tickets, then we made up a big banner for the concert. This was among the largest shows I'd ever seen with a turnout of about 45,000! My buddy and I attended the Toronto gig, held at the outdoor Exhibition Stadium on a beautiful, sunny summer day. 

This was pretty much a day-long event, with opening acts The Spoons, Flock of Seagulls, English Beat, Joan Jett, and The Talking Heads. This was all music that I enjoyed at the time, though I knew little about English Beat. A very 80's festival, full of fun and bopping  tunes. 

Naturally, everyone was stoked to see The Police, and when the band finally hit the stage, the crowd went nuts. They energized us even more with their infectious reggae-pop, even jazzing up some songs to make them nearly unrecognizable (other than the lyrics). The Police loved to play with sounds in a live setting and took the liberty of interpreting some of their songs in new and funky ways. They knocked out all the hits like Roxanne, Walking On The Moon, Don't Stand So Close To Me, and new songs like Spirits In The Material World and Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic. 

It was all great rock music, presented with first-class showmanship, Sting inviting the audience to sing along: De Do Do Do De Da Da Da

Police goodies: tour program, ticket stub & buttons!