Andy Summers never smiled once

Dear Raquel--

I am writing something to you that will never ever be admitted again. I should have taken you to Vegas with me. Bart was a very good sport and all but he was strictly there because I made him. That is not a good concert going companion. Raq, he sat down during the concert. Need I say more. Really.

We were very lucky actually. Remember that I had purchased tickets that were not next to one another. We had been plotting all day on how to sit next to one another. We got there early and had dinner at the MGM just to make sure that nothing went awry and we missed something. We found Bart's seat and then went back out to get very over priced liquid refreshments only to find a single man sitting next to Bart's chair when we got back. Not daring to hope we asked him if he was a single. Stephen Block was a single. And he was more than willing to trade me my better ticket. How lucky is that?!?!? Bart was positively estatic. He really was. I think he was dreading sitting there all alone. Again I will emphasize that I have given him points for being a very good sport and going with me however, I wanted a screaming partner. A singing partner. A dancing partner.

Sting's son was the opening act. After my reading up on Sting for this concert I am ashamed to surmise that the only reason that he got back together with the Police is to promote his son. He has been quoted as saying that he would only be with The Police as long as it was working for him. I can't imagine that he needs money and so I think that this was a very expensive and very lavish sounding board for his son's band Fictionplane. They were pretty good. It was a three person band that seemed to be following CLOSELY in the footsteps of the young Police band. Sting's son, of course, was the lead singer. I told Bart I was sure that he took his mid 80's parachute pants off after his performance so that Sting could wear them back on stage.

Fictionplane's last song was a two liner about a girl and her cigarettes. "F... you and F... your cigarettes." was the lyrics I heard for about 3 minutes and all I could think of was that his father was standing behind the stage somewhere listening to this song. Was Sting proud? Was he abashed? Was he trying to play it cool? I don't know.

The Police played about 25 songs and had 4 encores. I was so disappointed in people's concert ediquette. Please. Please. Please. If the lights do not go on in the venue, the performers are coming out on stage again. It has to be a universal rule of thumb. I mean, Sting is British and he worked it. I just shook my head at the many Las Vegians who were making their way down the aisles before it was finished. Raq, please keep this a secret but Bart started to leave after the third encore as well. I was so embarrassed.

Even with all that, I did what I wanted to do. I wanted to sing "So Lonely" with Sting. And I did. I wanted to sing "Next to You" with the Police. And I did. I wanted to yell out the words to "Walking on the Moon" along with 16,000 other adoring fans. And I did. It was fantastic! And even though he never ever cracked a smile, I think Andy Summers had a good time as well.

I promise when Ric Ocasik and The Cars come to town, Raquel, I choose you to be my concert partner. Pinkie swear.
Kim