Missing that Stinging Sensation

Sis and I went to see The Police a few months ago. It was good, but not as good as seeing Sting with his regular band. Sting's regular guitarist, Dominic Miller, has a great sense of humor. On his blog the other day, he wrote:

Boys and girls, try this one for size: Your partner goes back with the ex and then invites you and a few others to join them for dinner. Would you go?

...I will be seeing The Police in Paris on the 29th


Dominic, who already had a thriving solo career, has been doing a lot more solo and collaborative work while on hiatus from Sting. He admits that traveling and performing without the usual Sting crew takes some getting used to. I laughed when I read this description of collaborating with Sarah Jane Morris:

It was quite difficult for me in many ways because not only did I have to learn an entire two hour set, but I found myself in the unfamiliar territory of having to learn a discipline I have not practiced for about twenty years: How to make my gear work.

While Martyn, Tony and Henry were fluently setting up their equipment in less than five minutes, I was looking at mine with worry and insecurity. I am sure the others thought I was either meditating or had some kind of minor stroke because I wasn't moving. I imagined what it would be like to land a jumbo jet on my own or fly a helicopter. Clueless. I managed to figure it out in the end. Basically, I have been spoilt for too long with some of the best guitar techs (roadies) in the business. Some of them are more famous then me. Normally I just walk on stage and everything is there working the way I want it. It's not like I didn't know what I was getting into. I knew it would be tough. Once I figured it all out I couldn't hide my pride when I had everything working (while doors opened). All I had to do now was play the right notes, in the right order. Or so I thought...

On the fifth show, I broke a string in the fourth song. Normally it would be a routine drill: Take off guitar, hand it to my tech with right hand while he hands me the other with his right. Arm myself with other guitar with my left in time for the next chorus. Nobody even notices. It's our own choreography comparable to watching the Ferrari team do a pit stop in 8.9 seconds. Not this time. I thought to myself: "Houston, we have a problem". While Sarah stopped the show I was on stage changing a string. Trouble is, I was using a guitar I hadn't played before and had no idea how to change it. It is one of those complicated, but brilliant bridge and nut systems I hadn't encountered before, or since I last changed a string. It was probably invented by someone who was in nappies around the time I joined Sting's band. To cut a long story short I changed it in the end while Sarah was telling her life story. As she was approaching the part about her fifth breakup I was finally tuning the guitar, and fast because I know that story. All said and done, it was a great show. Lesson learnt? Figure out how to change a string before and not during a show.