Sting at the Hallenstadion: "Painful love songs are interesting"...

No, Sting didn't have it easy. The competition was fierce on this Tuesday. The Zurich Film Festival had the city on the Limmat firmly in its grip, and FC Basel was involved in the Champions League. But Sting also has his fans, and so the Hallenstadion was pleasantly full when he started his concert with "If I Ever Lose My Faith."

As is well known, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is currently touring with Sting, and this is unmistakably a perfect collaboration. Through the modified arrangements and the perfectly harmonized ensemble of musicians—some even call the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra England's national orchestra—Sting's pieces were revitalized. It seemed as if conductor Steven Mercurio and his orchestra were able to highlight hidden facets in the global hits. 'Englishman in New York' rippled along even more relaxed than the original song, and 'Roxanne' became a tender classical number. It was magnificent and simply gripping to see how both Sting and the orchestra became more and more playful with each number, and after just a few songs, you could have bet that this group had been playing together forever.

Sting talked a lot, shared anecdotes about his father, and introduced the Oscar-nominated song 'My Ain't True Love' from the film Cold Mountain, expressing regret that it hadn't won the award. He also confessed that he occasionally wondered about himself when, for example, he wrote songs about male, transsexual prostitutes. Sting was funny, but also good, disarmingly good even. When he competed with background singer Jo Lawry and their two voices practically entwined, it was top class. Gordon Sumner, his real name, also cuts a fine figure with the harmonica in front of his face. Another highlight was the subtle violin intro to 'Whenever I Say Your Name'. The Hallenstadion was dead silent, listening spellbound to the action on stage; not a single distraction could be detected. What was particularly striking was how, in moments like these, when someone from the orchestra was playing a solo, Sting stepped back to the edge of the stage and respectfully ceded the stage to the musicians. This demonstrated a mutual acceptance, a kind of connection that one could almost physically feel in the songs.

Yes, the evening was magnificent; Sting gave the Hallenstadion several hits. 'Fields of Gold,' 'Every Breath You Take,' and 'Desert Rose,' to name just a few. As he ended the fantastic concert with the final fragile moment, the song 'Fragile', it was clear that Sting - unlike FC Basel - had taken home a great victory.

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