"Take a look at my new toy, it'll blow your head into a void"
When I found out the Police were going to be opening at the Grammy Awards, I made it a point to be somewhere with a television. I got some supplies together and went to the ambulance garage to cook myself some dinner and watch the show. For once, I pressed the remote button to turn the TV on, and CBS babbled away while I fussed around in the kitchen. When the screaming started shortly after 8 p.m., I ran from the kitchen at top speed and perched on the couch to watch Sting and the boys play "Roxanne" to an appreciative crowd. After they finished I turned the TV off, as I had no intention of sitting through the rest of the Grammys, thank you. Nice of them to peak early.
I liked the performance. God knows it was a thrill to see the Police again. But at the same time, it was disappointing in its predictability. They played the most obvious song, doing exactly what was expected of them. It seemed a waste of talent, not to mention a letdown after all these years. With so many great songs in the Police catalog, did we really have to hear "Roxanne" again? Mashed up with "Driven to Tears" or not, isn't anyone just a little tired of that one? Do the people in charge of these things really believe that nobody remembers any other Police song? If they'd gone against expectations and surprised everyone by tearing into something like "Truth Hits Everybody" or "Next to You", you'd have heard my shrieks for miles; I might have died of joy. But nope. "Roxanne" again.
Anyway, it got me thinking back to the 1984 Grammys when the Eurythmics, fronted by the golden-throated and gender-bending Babe to End All Babes Annie Lennox, performed for an audience who were expecting a chick with bright orange hair and tons of makeup. I'll never forget the surprise of it, and I felt privileged to be watching when Annie turned the audience on their collective ear. Enjoy, kids.
I liked the performance. God knows it was a thrill to see the Police again. But at the same time, it was disappointing in its predictability. They played the most obvious song, doing exactly what was expected of them. It seemed a waste of talent, not to mention a letdown after all these years. With so many great songs in the Police catalog, did we really have to hear "Roxanne" again? Mashed up with "Driven to Tears" or not, isn't anyone just a little tired of that one? Do the people in charge of these things really believe that nobody remembers any other Police song? If they'd gone against expectations and surprised everyone by tearing into something like "Truth Hits Everybody" or "Next to You", you'd have heard my shrieks for miles; I might have died of joy. But nope. "Roxanne" again.
Anyway, it got me thinking back to the 1984 Grammys when the Eurythmics, fronted by the golden-throated and gender-bending Babe to End All Babes Annie Lennox, performed for an audience who were expecting a chick with bright orange hair and tons of makeup. I'll never forget the surprise of it, and I felt privileged to be watching when Annie turned the audience on their collective ear. Enjoy, kids.