Sting was breathtaking in Brno. He put on a flawless show in the Moravian metropolis...

British musician Sting is almost at home in the Czech Republic. After his performance at Colours of Ostrava in July, he returned to the country, this time at Brno's Winning Group Arena. He entertained fans with a selection of the best from his career, including hits by The Police, Roxanne and Every Breath You Take.

It's eight o'clock in the evening and Brno's Winning Group Arena is almost full to bursting. The 74-year-old Sting is performing on this tour without a support act, so he has a difficult task. To appear in front of a tense audience and meet all their expectations without someone warming up the full arena. However, he is a seasoned performer and he succeeds right from the start with the song Message In a Bottle.

During the second I Wrote Your Name (Upon My Heart), the audience applauds the musician and the rest of the concert is a relaxed atmosphere.

The setlist consisted of over twenty songs, so there was no time for long speeches, which are the domain of other artists. If I'm not mistaken, the audience only got to hear a longer speech during the song If I Ever Lose My Faith in You, when Sting introduced his band that accompanies him on the tour, and then at the end when saying goodbye. However, the absence of spoken words did not matter, because the concert flowed pleasantly thanks to it.

The songs Englishman in New York and Every Little Thing She Does is Magic gave fans a chance to dance a little, and some of the younger participants happily took advantage of it. The audience also got to see the energetic hit Every Breath You Take, which Sting included at the end of the set and especially at the bridge he really leaned into the well-known song with the band. It was truly a great experience and probably the highlight of the entire evening.

Sensitive and tender moments were provided by songs like When We Dance, Shape of My Heart, and the dramatic Mad About You. They probably evoked strong emotions in everyone who was lucky enough to be in the Winning Group arena. In addition to the feelings already mentioned, Sting could also evoke frustration or anger with the political song Driven To Tears, which deals with the topic of poverty and inequality in the world. The real decoration of this powerful song is its magnificent guitar solo, which is handled on tour by guitarist Dominic Miller, who has been working with Sting for many years. The duo is joined on stage by drummer Chris Maas, who also accompanies Mumford and Sons.

Given the singer's venerable age, one might expect him to show some fatigue during the concert. But that wasn't the case. Apart from a few songs that Sting sang while sitting down, he was in top form and cut all the songs without hesitation. For example, I wouldn't be afraid to call him in his element with the song Roxanne, singing it as an encore throughout the two-hour concert. And in case that wasn't enough for anyone, he also added Fragile, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar and earning a loud ovation.

They performed all the classics that a Sting fan could wish for. The British legend showed that he still has impressive vocal abilities that he's not afraid to show off. The icing on the cake was the fact that the show was excellently sound-wise. But the light show was not left behind either, which enhanced the whole experience with its play of colours.

Sting will soon return to the Czech Republic. Next year in June he will be one of the headliners of the Metronome Prague festival, which will now be held in Prague's Letňany.

(c) iReport.cz by Lucie Všianská