Sting - vocals, bass, guitar, keyboards; Andy Summers - guitar, vocals; Stewart Copeland - drums, percussion, vocals
Recorded in Buffalo, New York on the afternoon of the final North American stop on The Police's 1984 Synchronicity Tour, enjoy this never-before-heard soundcheck recording. By this point in time, The Police were at the peak of their powers and their popularity so widespread that they had arguably become the hottest ticket on the planet.
Having spent well over a year performing the Synchronicity tour repertoire, The Police had little need to actually rehearse anything, so this rare soundcheck recording presents a relaxed side of the group that few have ever heard, where they essentially entertain themselves. The recording primarily consists of loose jams beginning with an improvisational warm-up exercise and a couple of run-throughs on "Message In A Bottle" devoid of Sting's lead vocals.
A brief jam on "King Of Pain" follows and then the group surprisingly veers off, with Andy Summers leading they way into some classic 1960s rock - namely The Kinks' "You Really Got Me" and Cream's "Sunshine Of Your Love!" It's loose and sloppy but nonetheless enjoyable to hear The Police simply having some unselfconscious fun like this.
The recording concludes with an extended jam on "Bring On The Night" that does include Sting stepping up to the vocal microphone and some funky noodling before concluding with a few final checks on Stewart Copeland's drum kit.