Sting at Beach Festival Nieuwpoort: This is what mastery sounds like...

Sting's performance on the edge of the Nieuwpoort marina was pure craftsmanship. This was especially evident in the precise way Sting and his band stripped down the songs, exposing their raw splendor.

Sting 3.0 is the name of the tour the blond-haired demigod from Newcastle embarked on yesterday for the third edition of Beach Festival Nieuwpoort. The 3.0 seems to be a reference to the lineup of the band with which Sting currently tours the world: a trio, indeed! That sounds like Sting 0.0, you say? Indeed, it must have been since his prodigious years with The Police that he'd gone on tour with so few musicians at his side. No synths, no horns, no backing vocals. Just Sting, his loyal lieutenant Dominic Miller on guitar, and young recruit Chris Maas on drums. This return to the essentials is a masterstroke, as proved last night. Many of the songs in Sting's repertoire gained intensity through the less-is-more approach. Receive a selection of the day's most important news and stories every morning.

Opener "Message in a Bottle" shot off like a torpedo and hit the mark immediately. There wasn't much time to send an S.O.S. signal, however, as "Englishman in New York" quickly reached a new high point. It's striking how the piano and saxophone parts that so vividly define the album version were barely missed. Miller eagerly dived into the vacated spaces, weaving one elegant guitar lick after another through the melody. The audience took the song's final lines from Sting's hands and let them circulate like a self-empowering mantra: "Be yourself no matter what they say." This prompted Sting to incorporate even more sing-along moments, for example, to provide a calming moment in a frantic version of "I can't stand losing you" or to transform the ending of "So lonely" into a moment of collective therapy. Thousands crying out their loneliness together—that can only be healing, right?

"Shape of My Heart" sounded much more subdued, clearly feeling at home in the new, pared-down arrangement. Miller once again played a brilliant role, spreading a soundbed with velvety fingers that allowed Sting's vocals to stretch out delightfully. It was also Miller who, with a delicate solo, just managed to keep a somewhat bland version of "Fields of Gold" afloat. It was the only song in the set where the sparse instrumentation sapped some of its magic. On the other hand, a party-goer like "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" gained a little more verve, and "Walking on the Moon" never sounded lighter.

Sting himself also seemed liberated by the less complex arrangements, playing and singing. He shuffled across the stage relaxed, and whenever a wave of applause washed over him, he seemed genuinely moved. He's never been an enthusiastic talker, and he still isn't. "He runs quiet and deep, while I am noisy and shallow," The Police drummer Stuart Copeland once said. Yesterday, Sting spoke no more than a dozen words, and yet, compared to roughly ten years ago, he seemed much more accessible, open, and less untouchable. Although, at seventy-three, he's still enviably fit. A hot bear, and he knows it. And you (yes, you!) know it too, because I saw you staring wide-eyed at his biceps pulsating to the rhythm of "Never Coming Home."

Yes, besides hits, the setlist also included a number of less obvious songs from Sting's repertoire. On the 2003 album Sacred Love, "Never Coming Home" floated on a layer of nervous electro beats and bleeps, but last night the synths were inventively replaced by a strong display of fingertapping by, you guessed it, Dominic Miller. Sting delved deeply into the story of a beleaguered woman who, after much hesitation, leaves her husband and leaves him a letter in which she writes down everything she's been afraid to say all those years. A pop song with the depth of a short story, vividly told by Sting. There was also one new song on the setlist, and a good one at that: "I Wrote Your Name," a fine, barbed roots rocker. "That wasn't so bad, was it?" Sting grinned afterward, before rummaging through his bag of hits again.

During the encore, he conjured up "Roxanne," the ending of which was bathed in a sultry nightclub vibe. For "Fragile," he strapped on a Spanish guitar and delivered a virtuoso performance. "How fragile we are, how fragile we are" ebbed and flowed, was sung along to in whispers, and drifted away over the sea. Sting dimmed his strings, placed a hand on his heart, blew a kiss, and disappeared.

Earlier on this "Sting Day" at Beach Festival Nieuwpoort, some excellent acts were also spotted. It was striking how each one of them paid tribute to his repertoire, and it seemed as if his mere presence challenged the other acts on the bill to set their bar high.

(c) De Morgen by Reinout De Pauw

Beach Festival Nieuwpoort 2024 (Festival Day 1): Summer by the Sea...

While Beach Festival Nieuwpoort usually takes place during the first weekend of August, this year's festival has been moved to mid-July. This resulted in some great opportunities for the lineup, which includes Sting, Seasick Steve, Oscar and the Wolf, and Keane. For the Belgian national holiday on Sunday, July 21st, the Belgians will once again be the center of attention, with Clouseau, Natalia, Metejoor, and more.

At a quarter past three, Dagny kicked off this edition of the beach festival, and although the sun was already beating down on us, the Norwegian pop star didn't exactly warm us up. She opened energetically in front of a very small audience, using the extension in front of the stage to engage more with the others present, but there were simply far too few to avoid any awkwardness. You'd think the Norwegian would have sensed that she shouldn't have tried to get the audience singing along in three different groups. She succeeded somewhat, but unfortunately, a little isn't enough in such events. Musically, Dagny was easy to digest, with pop songs that are easy to digest, yet also fade from our minds just as quickly. There's no doubt that the Norwegian has a technically strong singing voice, but neither that nor the visuals, while still enjoyable, could prevent Dagny from being completely unconvincing.

With OYESONO, we experienced a breath of fresh air, both on and off stage. Jasper Maekelberg and Billie Leyers' band presented the larger audience, now feeling a little less sweltering than before, with some quite danceable numbers. It had the crowd swaying along happily, enjoying the equally sultry voices of Maekelberg and Leyers, both in different ways. The instrumentals—apart from the bass, which briefly faded away towards the end—could have used a bit more variety, but knowing that OYESONO hasn't been around for very long, we have to admit that the band is incredibly talented.

With a few Grammy Awards and an opening slot at Bruce Springsteen's show in Landgraaf last year, Fantastic Negrito has amassed quite a reputation. However, his fame on the European mainland has been somewhat lacking, though the American singer was undoubtedly the discovery of the day for many. Fantastic Negrito opened with panache and was brimming with energy at the front of the stage extension. The singer naturally possesses a soulful blues voice, which few can ever get enough of, and the audience in Nieuwpoort certainly appreciated it. A powerful cover of "Where Did You Sleep Last Night" towards the end also provided that touch of recognition that completely lifted the audience over their anticipation. It must be said that, despite his strong musical prowess, Fantastic Negrito didn't manage to create any real hits or classics, at least not here. Nevertheless, the American delivered a more than strong set overall, and his infectious energy certainly paid off.

Anyone who missed seeing Seasick Steve open for Bruce Springsteen at Werchter two weeks ago got another chance at the festival in Nieuwpoort. The American played a set similar to the one he played on July 2nd, but thankfully, he was given a bit more time at Beach Festival to fully express himself. This meant constantly switching between his homemade guitars, humorous interludes, and especially unorthodox yet very tasty guitar licks and riffs. Often speaking in a Lou Reed-esque style, the American made his way through his set, which didn't offer many real standouts, but it remained consistently entertaining. The highlight of the set was undoubtedly "Walkin' Man," for which Steve briefly left the stage to pick up a fan from the audience and perform the slide guitar ballad for her. It was certainly strange, but strange is precisely how we prefer Seasick Steve, because he remains a fascinating figure.

Everyone knew that Sting was the absolute headliner. The Brit could count on a completely packed golden circle right in front of the stage, which had previously been at most a quarter full—and that's being generous. Accompanied by just a drummer and guitarist, he opened with "Message in a Bottle," which was immediately sung along to and applauded. With "Englishman in New York," which came almost immediately after, it became clear that Sting was launching a strategic opening offensive full of hits. However, the singer was plagued by some technical problems, causing the sound to cut out several times during "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic," and "Fields of Gold," which is already rather poor in its "my songs" version, was completely wasted.

So Sting certainly delivered the hits, but the new versions of some classics couldn't quite match the originals; quite the opposite. Yet, lesser-known versions of world-class songs remain excellent, but when you know they could be better, there's always a slightly bitter aftertaste. After a middle section that mixed the big hits with new material and lesser hits, there was a closing act. "Every Breath You Take" was sung along to, as was the first encore, "Roxanne." The soul was lacking for perhaps The Police's greatest classic, making the song less than convincing. Although "Fragile," the intimate closing number for which Sting himself played guitar, easily made up for that.

Sting must have been better than at Beach Festival Nieuwpoort before, but that doesn't necessarily mean the singer wasn't good. With a repertoire like the Brit's, you could play an hour and a half of hits just about anywhere, but it was the technical issues and the delivery of some of them that kept us from being completely blown away. However, the same applies to Sting as to his classics; world-class acts that are a bit less so are still excellent.

Beach Festival Nieuwpoort couldn't have wished for better weather for the opening day of its festival, with temperatures around thirty degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit) most of the day. Musically, it took a while to warm up, thanks to a rather uninteresting set from Dagny. Fantastic Negrito finally found the necessary momentum to make people forget the heat, while Sting unleashed one classic after another at the crowd as the sun set. On to day two with the likes of Oscar and the Wolf, Keane, and Loreen!

(c) Dansende Beren by Nando Mahieu