Review by Greg Phillips
Andy Summers has always been so much more than just the guitar sound behind The Police, one of rock history’s most successful bands. He’s an explorer, both in his musical endeavours and in his real life travels. Tonight at the Melbourne Recital Centre, Andy presents The Cracked Lens + A Missing String, a solo show combining his greatest loves … guitar, photography and talking about his life adventures.
It’s a show he’s been presenting around the world for a while now to the delight of fans of The Police and his cinematic solo recordings. The stage setting is quite stark, a movie screen, a couch, a couple of Fender amps and an array of pedals.
Summers causally strolls onto the stage to generous applause, thanked the audience for coming and suggested that he could quite easily live in Melbourne, such was the enjoyment of his day walking the streets of the city. Asking if anyone had a guitar pick, before locating one, he strapped on his yellow Power Electric. A-Type guitar and launched into True Nature from his Triboluminescence album, a moody piece showcasing his delicate touch on the fretboard. Metal Dog followed, the title track from his 2015 album which features harsh, razor sharp guitar lines. A backing track provides percussion and atmosphere. As he told Australian Musician in our June 2024 interview, “I’m basically jamming with myself”. All the while, the screen behind him presents his impressive photography, shots taken that sync with whatever music he is playing. A message received from management through his headset at the end of the song reminds Andy to point out to the audience that the photos being projected are in fact his own.
The Bones of Twang Zu, influenced by his trips to Asia and in particular China is a challenging, panoramic piece incorporating multi-layered guitar sounds and effects, the antithesis of De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da.
Summers rests his guitar and walks to centre stage to tell the tale of a plane trip in which he popped a few pills enroute to Brazil and before he knew it, was laying in a bed in Sao Paulo without knowing how he got there or the sequence of events which preceded it. His Brazilian contact later explained that he was summoned to the airport to pick Andy up, as the authorities were concerned he may be on the cusp of death. A photo of Summers looking worse for wear in a wheelchair left tonight’s crowd in stitches of laughter. In the spirit of Latin America, Andy dons the guitar again to perform a complex, tango-flavoured tune, The Last Dance of Mr. X.
The first taste of Police material comes with Andy’s reworking of Tea In The Sahara from the band’s Synchronicity album. The master guitarist assigns even more drama to the already ethereal tune.
Explaining his jazz influences and love of American jazz pianist Thelonious Monk, Summers then presents his version of the classic ‘Round Midnight. Los Ojos de Maria Gonzales, another tune possessing a late night vibe adds a little latin jazz chill to the evening.
In explanation of The Police hit Roxanne, Andy shows us photos from an American tour of concert attendees dressed as ladies of the night, supposedly portraying a character who they thought Roxanne was. A cruisy, ’Stingless’ rendition of the song ensues.
Without giving too much away for those who have yet to see this show, many more tour anecdotes follow, including one notorious adventure in Bali with John Belushi, a tale about Long Neck Karen, a guitarist in the back blocks of Thailand and the kicking of a cop in South America.
Andy’s interest in photography has been a constant throughout his life, therefore he has this extensive archive of photographs to display, which document his travels beautifully. As he told us in our June interview, he’s been guided by the likes of Henri Cartier-Bresson, who laid the foundation for street photography, American landscape photographer Lee Friedlander, Ralph Gibson, known for his photographic books, and Duane Michaels, who is famous for his work with series, multiple exposures, and text. The influence of all of these photographic artists can be seen in his work tonight.
In 2017 Leica Cameras and Fender Guitars collaborated to make limited editions in matching designs of a Leica M camera and an Andy Summers Signature Stratocaster, re-named the ‘Monocaster’ to reflect the decoration of the guitar with Andy’s black and white photographs. However, Summers chose to tour this time around with a yellow Power Electric. A-Type guitar, which he first picked up at Guitar Emporium in Massachusetts. He now owns three of the short scaled neck instruments, in yellow, green and purple.
A trilogy of Brazilian influenced tunes follow, Mañha de Carnaval, Menina Flor, and One Note Samba, of course matched with amusing stories and relevant photography.
Spirits in the Material World leads us back into Police territory as the audience energy raises a notch, then a gorgeous Spanish guitar intro, ushers in the familiar strains of Bring On The Night. Summers leaves the stage to a lively reception before returning to play the signature opening lick of one of The Police’s biggest hits Message In A Bottle.
All in all, it’s an intriguing evening of reinterpreted hits and atmospheric originals, strung together with entertaining anecdotes and appealing photography. It’s an informal journey through Andy’s life, indicative of his casual, amiable personality and a fascinating insight into the life of a highly regarded international musician.
Remaining Australian dates:
The Tivoli, BRISBANE – Wednesday September 25
City Recital Hall, SYDNEY – Thursday September 26
Hindley Street Music Hall, ADELAIDE – Friday September 27
Tickets on sale now from www.andysummers.com and Ticketmaster