Sting: Englishman in Mönchengladbach...

This summer's only German concert attracted more than 13,000 visitors to the Sparkassenpark. The Briton proved himself a true gentleman from the very first moment and had the audience firmly under his spell after two minutes.

That's what a true gentleman should do. Firstly, he didn't take long to arrive, and secondly, he greeted his guests in the local language: "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," Sting said into the microphone with almost no accent. Loud applause and cheers echoed from the stands.

13,000 guests managed to secure tickets for yesterday's Sting concert at the Sparkassenpark. Among them was Borussia Mönchengladbach coach Lucien Favre. "But only about ten percent are actually from the city," says Sparkassenpark Managing Director Michael Hilgers. The license plates of the cars in the parking lots prove that half of North Rhine-Westphalia is in attendance. And every euro was worth it for the Brit's only summer concert in Germany.
 

Sting (63), real name Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, with the almost familiar appearance of a bushy beard and slicked-back hair, quickly captivated the audience. "And now everyone!" he called out in German and sang the songs "If I Ever Lose My Faith In You" and shortly thereafter "Englishman in New York." Tears of joy streamed down the cheeks of the leading ladies. They sang along loudly. Men played air guitar.

The approximately two-hour concert was dominated by Sting's solo songs. "He plays a lot from the album "Ten Summoner's Tales," said 52-year-old Britta Blasius from Krefeld. She and her boyfriend had booked seats in the stands. She didn't have to wait long for her favourite song from this 1993 album. As the sun slowly sank behind the stands, the sky turned a light red. The perfect moment for "Fields of Gold." Britta Blasius gazed dreamily at the stage, moving her lips and whispering the lyrics. 

Inside, Sam stood among thousands of fans. He, a 27-year-old Englishman, had travelled from London by train via Amsterdam. Fields of Gold is his absolute favourite song; the song that will forever remind him of his childhood. "I was eight years old and heard this song by chance at a friend's house in London. I get stuck," he says in English. "I got stuck." Sting. So strongly that he left the island with three friends for just a few hours to experience this moment in Mönchengladbach. But the old Police classics also played again and again in the Sparkassenpark, including "Walking on the Moon" and "Message in a Bottle." The audience thanked him with loud applause that only slowly faded away.

Afterwards, Sting from the 90s took over again with "Shape of My Heart." But Sting, ever the gentleman, also knows how to hold back, focusing on the musicians who act in the background behind him, despite his fame.
 

He repeatedly gives the artists time to draw attention to themselves with violin, vocal, or drum solos. Sting himself likes to lean casually against a jukebox, take a sip of water, and seem to enjoy the moment just as much as the audience. "We know that Sting likes the acoustics at Sparkassenpark," says Managing Director Michael Hilgers. Festival organizer Mark Lieberberg, who also mingled with the audience, confirms this. "The acoustics are great; artists appreciate that," he says.

As punctually as Sting started the concert, it ended just as abruptly. After a short break, he played three encores, including "Desert Rose." As he leaves the stage shortly after 10 p.m., Sting expresses his gratitude and shouts "Thank you." Today, in Vienne, France, he has to be a true gentleman again.

(c) RP Online by Nadine Fischer and Kilian Tress