Tour by The Police | |
Associated album | Synchronicity |
---|---|
Start date | 23 July 1983 |
End date | 4 March 1984 |
Legs | 6 |
No. of shows | 66 in North America 36 in Europe 3 in Australia 105 total |
The Police concert chronology |
The Synchronicity Tour was a 1983–1984 concert tour by the Police to promote their fifth album, Synchronicity. It commenced on July 23, 1983 in Chicago and concluded on March 4, 1984 in Melbourne. It touched three continents for a total of 105 shows.
During the early dates in the first North American leg, the band resided at a mansion in Bridgehampton, New York and were flown to the concerts.[1][2] This was the band's final tour as a working unit and one of the highest-grossing tours of the 1980s.
As the band's album Synchronicity featured an extensive use of backing vocals Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers were not able to replicate live due to the intricacies of their drums and guitar parts, the live set was augmented by three vocalists – Michelle Cobb, Dolette McDonald and Tessa Niles. This was only the second time the Police would work with additional musicians on stage, the first being the use of a horns section during the Ghost in the Machine Tour in 1981.
The grandiosity of the tour and the expectations around it – it came at the end of a five-years progression that saw the Police growing from underground phenomenon to global superstar – put a lot of stress on the band members. "I was never relaxed," drummer Stewart Copeland recalled. "I had so much anxiety. And I know how crazy that must sound to people who do real jobs."[3] Copeland did however cite the 18 August show at Shea Stadium as the peak of "Policemania": "Playing Shea Stadium was big because, even though I'm a septic tank (rhyming slang for 'Yank'), The Police is an English band and I'm a Londoner – an American Londoner – so it felt like conquering America."[4]
According to Sting, the band's performance at Shea Stadium constituted the peak of their career. "I realized that you can't get better than this, you can't climb a mountain higher than this. This is Everest. I made the decision on stage that ok, this is it, this is where this thing stops, right now."[5]
The November 2 and 3 shows in Atlanta were filmed and recorded for a live album and a video release. Synchronicity Concert was originally issued in VHS format in 1984 under the direction of Godley & Creme, who had also been responsible for directing all the music videos from Synchronicity. The film would later be released in DVD format in 2005. The album was mixed but did not materalize until 1995 when it was packaged together with one of the band's early gigs at the Orpheum Theatre in Boston under the title Live!. The double album was produced by Andy Summers.
Setlist
[edit]The following setlist is obtained from the 18 August 1983 concert held at the Shea Stadium in New York City. It does not represent all concerts during the tour. For the whole duration of the tour, the setlist largely revolved around Synchronicity. All songs from the album, with the exception of "Mother" and "Miss Gradenko", were performed. "Invisible Sun" and "Don't Stand So Close to Me", from Ghost in the Machine and Zenyatta Mondatta respectively, were performed mostly during the European leg of the tour. During "Hole in My Life" Sting would occasionally add snippets of The Beatles' "Fixing a Hole" or Ray Charles' "Hit the Road Jack".
- "Voices Inside My Head"
- "Synchronicity I" / "Synchronicity II"
- "Walking in Your Footsteps"
- "Message in a Bottle"
- "Demolition Man" (some shows)
- "Walking on the Moon"
- "O My God"
- "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da"
- "Wrapped Around Your Finger'
- "Tea in the Sahara"
- "Spirits in the Material World"
- "Hole in My Life"
- "One World (Not Three)"
- "King of Pain"
- "Every Breath You Take"
- "Murder by Numbers"
- Encore
- "Roxanne"
- "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" (some shows)
- "Can't Stand Losing You" / "Reggatta de Blanc"
- "Next to You" (some shows)
- "So Lonely"
Opening acts
[edit]- Joan Jett & The Blackhearts (Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburgh, New York City, Philadelphia, Indianapolis)
- A Flock of Seagulls (Chicago, Rochester, Foxborough, Tallahassee)
- The Fixx (Fresno, Chicago, Toronto, Rochester, Foxborough, Lexington, Knoxville, Miami, Tacoma, Inglewood, Atlanta, Orlando)
- Ministry (Chicago, Minneapolis)
- Stevie Ray Vaughan (Montreal, Honolulu)
- Peter Tosh (Montreal, Toronto)
- Talking Heads (Montreal)
- Blue Peter (Toronto)
- King Sunny Adé (Toronto)
- James Brown (Toronto)
- R.E.M. (Hartford, New York City, Norfolk, Philadelphia, Landover)
- Madness (Philadelphia, San Diego, Phoenix)
- Thompson Twins (Fresno, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Phoenix, Tacoma, Inglewood)
- Oingo Boingo (San Diego, Fresno, Oakland)
- The Animals (Orlando, Miami)
- UB40 (Denver, Kansas City, Dallas, Houston, Austin, Oklahoma City, Champaign)
- Passionate Friends (St Austell, Birmingham)
- Bryan Adams (Sydney, Melbourne, Honolulu)
- Australian Crawl (Melbourne)
- Sunnyboys (Sydney, Melbourne)
- Kids in the Kitchen (Melbourne)
- Split Enz (Richfield, OH)
- Berlin (Inglewood, CA)
- Re-Flex (Syracuse, Providence, Memphis, Williamsburg, Buffalo, Carbondale, Cincinnati, Greensboro)
- Kissing the Pink (Baton Rouge, Biloxi)
- China Crisis (Edinburgh, Glasgow, Blackpool)
Leeds Queens Hall The Belle Stars
Tour dates
[edit]Date | City | Country | Venue | Attendance | Gross |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
North America[6] | |||||
23 July 1983 | Chicago | United States | Comiskey Park | 44,622 / 50,000 | $651,243 |
24 July 1983 | St. Louis | Checkerdome | 20,095 / 20,095 | $227,902 | |
25 July 1983 | Indianapolis | Market Square Arena | 16,041 / 16,041 | $210,525 | |
28 July 1983 | Detroit | Joe Louis Arena | 36,345 / 36,345 | $445,226 | |
29 July 1983 | |||||
30 July 1983 | Cleveland | Richfield Coliseum | 18,728 / 18,728 | $234,100 | |
2 August 1983 | Montreal | Canada | Spectrum de Montréal | N/A | |
3 August 1983 | Olympic Stadium | 38,617 / 40,000 | $690,416 | ||
5 August 1983 | Toronto | CNE Grandstand | N/A | ||
7 August 1983 | Rochester | United States | Holleder Memorial Stadium | 30,000 / 30,000 | $450,000 |
8 August 1983 | Pittsburgh | Civic Arena | 15,222 / 15,222 | $209,514 | |
10 August 1983 | Foxborough | Sullivan Stadium | 61,000 / 61,000 | $1,003,000 | |
12 August 1983 | Hartford | Hartford Civic Center | 32,151 / 32,151 | $463,715 | |
13 August 1983 | |||||
15 August 1983 | Norfolk | Scope Auditorium | N/A | ||
18 August 1983 | New York City | Shea Stadium | 67,000 / 67,000 | $1,130,000 | |
20 August 1983 | Philadelphia | John F. Kennedy Stadium | N/A | ||
21 August 1983 | Landover | Capital Centre | |||
22 August 1983 | |||||
24 August 1983 | Bloomington | Met Center | |||
25 August 1983 | 14,709 / 17,000 | $210,437 | |||
27 August 1983 | Winnipeg | Canada | Winnipeg Arena | 16,246 / 16,246 | $241,848 |
29 August 1983 | Edmonton | Northlands Coliseum | 17,043 / 17,043 | $256,771 | |
31 August 1983 | Vancouver | Pacific Coliseum | 16,357 / 16,357 | $287,001 | |
1 September 1983 | Tacoma | United States | Tacoma Dome | N/A | |
3 September 1983 | Portland | Portland Memorial Coliseum | |||
5 September 1983 | San Diego | Aztec Bowl | 20,000 / 20,000 | $298,950 | |
6 September 1983 | Inglewood | Hollywood Park Racetrack | N/A | ||
8 September 1983 | Phoenix | Phoenix Municipal Stadium | 21,330 / 23,000 | $322,783 | |
10 September 1983 | Oakland | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 59,800 / 59,800 | $1,066,500 | |
11 September 1983 | Fresno | Ratcliffe Stadium | N/A | ||
Europe | |||||
17 September 1983 | Augsburg | West Germany | Rosenaustadion | N/A | |
18 September 1983 | Darmstadt | Stadion am Böllenfalltor | |||
20 September 1983 | Dijon | France | Palais des Congrès | ||
21 September 1983 | Paris | Vélodrome de Vincennes | |||
23 September 1983 | Nîmes | Arènes de Nîmes | |||
24 September 1983 | Fréjus | Amphithéâtre de Fréjus | |||
26 September 1983 | Nantes | Parc des Expositions de la Beaujoire | |||
27 September 1983 | Toulouse | Palais des Sports de Toulouse | |||
30 September 1983 | Madrid | Spain | Estadio Román Valero | ||
1 October 1983 | Barcelona | Camp Municipal Narcís Sala | |||
3 October 1983 | Lyon | France | Palais des Sports de Gerland | ||
4 October 1983 | Rotterdam | Netherlands | Rotterdam Ahoy Sportpaleis | ||
6 October 1983 | Cologne | West Germany | Sporthalle Köln | ||
7 October 1983 | Hamburg | Ernst-Merck-Halle | |||
9 October 1983 | West Berlin | Eissporthalle an der Jafféstraße | |||
10 October 1983 | Dortmund | Westfalenhalle | |||
13 October 1983 | Copenhagen | Denmark | Brøndby Stadium | ||
14 October 1983 | Stockholm | Sweden | Johanneshovs Isstadion | ||
North America[7] | |||||
28 October 1983 | Miami | United States | Miami Orange Bowl | 48,920 / 48,920 | $742,895 |
29 October 1983 | Orlando | Florida Citrus Bowl | N/A | ||
31 October 1983 | Tallahassee | Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center | |||
2 November 1983 | Atlanta | Omni Coliseum | 33,174 / 33,174 | $418,990 | |
3 November 1983 | |||||
5 November 1983 | Knoxville | Stokely Athletic Center | 12,268 / 12,268 | $168,539 | |
6 November 1983 | Lexington | Rupp Arena | 21,805 / 21,805 | $286,279 | |
8 November 1983 | Birmingham | BJCC Coliseum | 14,638 / 14,638 | $197,613 | |
10 November 1983 | Baton Rouge | LSU Assembly Center | 13,014 / 13,014 | $175,689 | |
11 November 1983 | Biloxi | Mississippi Coast Coliseum | 14,980 / 14,980 | $202,230 | |
13 November 1983 | Dallas | Reunion Arena | 34,813 / 36,000 | $465,494 | |
14 November 1983 | |||||
16 November 1983 | Houston | The Summit | 33,141 / 33,141 | $452,485 | |
17 November 1983 | |||||
19 November 1983 | Austin | Southpark Meadows | N/A | ||
20 November 1983 | Oklahoma City | MCC Arena | |||
22 November 1983 | Denver | McNichols Sports Arena | 17,706 / 17,706 | $259,524 | |
24 November 1983 | Kansas City | Kemper Arena | N/A | ||
25 November 1983 | Park City | Kansas Coliseum | |||
27 November 1983 | Cedar Falls | UNI-Dome | 18,718 / 20,000 | $277,500 | |
28 November 1983 | Champaign | Assembly Hall | N/A | ||
Europe | |||||
8 December 1983 | Edinburgh | Scotland | Edinburgh Playhouse | N/A | |
9 December 1983 | |||||
11 December 1983 | Glasgow | Apollo | |||
12 December 1983 | Blackpool | England | Opera House Theatre | ||
14 December 1983 | Nottingham | Nottingham Royal Concert Hall | |||
15 December 1983 | Leeds | Queens Hall | |||
17 December 1983 | St Austell | Cornwall Coliseum | |||
18 December 1983 | |||||
20 December 1983 | Birmingham | NEC Arena | |||
21 December 1983 | |||||
23 December 1983 | Brighton | Brighton Centre | |||
24 December 1983 | |||||
27 December 1983 | London | Wembley Arena | |||
28 December 1983 | |||||
30 December 1983 | |||||
31 December 1983 | |||||
30 January 1984 | Rome | Italy | Palazzo dello Sport | ||
31 January 1984 | |||||
North America[8] | |||||
4 February 1984 | Syracuse | United States | Carrier Dome | N/A | |
5 February 1984 | Providence | Providence Civic Center | 13,349 / 13,349 | $227,235 | |
7 February 1984 | Atlantic City | Boardwalk Hall | 18,186 / 18,186 | $298,567 | |
8 February 1984 | Williamsburg | William & Mary Hall | N/A | ||
10 February 1984 | Greensboro | Greensboro Coliseum | 31,106 / 31,106 | $419,688 | |
11 February 1984 | |||||
13 February 1984 | Charleston | Charleston Civic Center | 11,259 / 13,202 | $166,170 | |
14 February 1984 | Cincinnati | Riverfront Coliseum | N/A | ||
16 February 1984 | Memphis | Mid-South Coliseum | 11,401 / 11,401 | $171,015 | |
17 February 1984 | Carbondale | SIU Arena | N/A | ||
19 February 1984 | Rosemont | Rosemont Horizon | |||
20 February 1984 | Milwaukee | MECCA Arena | |||
22 February 1984 | Buffalo | Buffalo Memorial Auditorium | |||
Oceania | |||||
25 February 1984 | Honolulu | United States | Aloha Stadium | N/A | |
29 February 1984 | Auckland | New Zealand | Western Springs Stadium | ||
2 March 1984 | Sydney | Australia | Sydney Showgrounds | ||
4 March 1984 | Melbourne | Melbourne Showgrounds |
Personnel
[edit]- Sting – lead vocals, bass guitar, double bass, oboe, pan flute
- Andy Summers – guitar, synthesizer, backing vocals
- Stewart Copeland – drums, percussion, xylophone, backing vocals
- Michelle Cobb – backing vocals
- Dolette McDonald – backing vocals
- Tessa Niles – backing vocals
- Danny Quatrochi – bass guitar on "Invisible Sun" and "Walking on The Moon" on Atlanta shows when Sting was filming with the camera.
References
[edit]- ^ Summers, Andy (3 October 2006). One Train Later. Macmillan. p. 5. ISBN 0312359144.
- ^ Pearce, Garth (18 August 1983). "Shea, yeah, yeah..." The Daily Express.
- ^ Blake, Mark (January 2008). "The Great Return". Q. No. 258. p. 57.
- ^ Lester, Paul (April 2018). "Heavy Load". Classic Rock. No. 247. p. 130.
- ^ Andy Harris (18 August 2018). "The Paperboy's Archive: The Police Play Shea and Sting Decides to Quit". Paperboyarchive.com. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
- ^ First North American Leg Box Office Data:
- Indianapolis (25 July): "Billboard Boxscore" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 95, no. 32. 6 August 1983. p. 41. ISSN 0006-2510.
- Chicago (23 July), St. Louis (24 July), Detroit (28–29 July): "Billboard Boxscore" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 95, no. 33. 13 August 1983. p. 26. ISSN 0006-2510.
- Cleveland (30 July), Montreal (3 August), Pittsburgh (8 August): "Billboard Boxscore" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 95, no. 34. 20 August 1983. p. 44. ISSN 0006-2510.
- Rochester (7 August), Foxborough (10 August), Hartford (12–13 August): "Billboard Boxscore" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 95, no. 35. 27 August 1983. p. 32. ISSN 0006-2510.
- New York City (18 August): "Billboard Boxscore" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 95, no. 36. 3 September 1983. p. 32. ISSN 0006-2510.
- Minneapolis (25 August): "Billboard Boxscore" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 95, no. 37. 10 September 1983. p. 38. ISSN 0006-2510.
- Winnipeg (27 August), Edmonton (29 August), Vancouver (31 August): "Billboard Boxscore" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 95, no. 38. 17 September 1983. p. 35. ISSN 0006-2510.
- San Diego (5 September), Phoenix (8 September), Oakland (10 September): "Billboard Boxscore" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 95, no. 39. 24 September 1983. p. 38. ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^ Second North American Leg Box Office Data:
- Miami (28 October): "Billboard Boxscore" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 95, no. 46. 12 November 1983. p. 56. ISSN 0006-2510.
- Atlanta (2–3 November), Knoxville (5 November), Lexington (6 November): "Billboard Boxscore" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 95, no. 47. 19 November 1983. p. 52. ISSN 0006-2510.
- Birmingham (8 November): "Billboard Boxscore" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 95, no. 48. 26 November 1983. p. 43. ISSN 0006-2510.
- Dallas (13–14 November), Houston (16–17 November): "Billboard Boxscore" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 95, no. 49. 3 December 1983. p. 47. ISSN 0006-2510.
- Birmingham (8 November), Baton Rouge (10 November), Cedar Falls (27 November): "Billboard Boxscore" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 95, no. 50. 10 December 1983. p. 37. ISSN 0006-2510.
- Denver (22 November): "Billboard Boxscore" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 95, no. 51. 17 December 1983. p. 40. ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^ Third North American Leg Box Office Data:
- Providence (5 February): "Billboard Boxscore" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 96, no. 6. 18 February 1984. p. 37. ISSN 0006-2510.
- Atlantic City (7 February), Greensboro (10–11 February): "Billboard Boxscore" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 96, no. 7. 25 February 1984. p. 44. ISSN 0006-2510.
- Charleston (13 February), Memphis (16 February): "Billboard Boxscore" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 96, no. 8. 3 March 1984. p. 39. ISSN 0006-2510.