Photos by Andy Argyrakis

Man of many talents Stewart Copeland may have started keeping the beat for The Police, but went on to score a mountain of movie, television and video game soundtracks, in addition to numerous solo works, the jazzy pop sophistication of Animal Logic, the jam band Oysterhead and even compose several operas.

Yet the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s latest project, “Police Deranged For Orchestra,” inspired by the home movie “Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out,” is shaping up to be amongst his most ambitious to date in both the recorded contexts and on stage, such as the Genesee Theatre in Waukegan, which not only scored the only Illinois stop, but an exclusive for the entire region following merely New York and California.

Perhaps that will change once the album of the same name lands on Friday, June 23, though in the meantime, the acoustically-ready room was seized by 90 minutes of Copeland’s iconic pop, punk, rock and reggae work with Sting and Andy Summers, rearranged for an orchestra and led by three soulful female vocalists.

“Demolition Man” got the pendulum swinging towards this remarkably refreshed direction, followed by the immensely popular “King Of Pain,” after which Copeland acknowledged the poetic nature of Sting’s stellar lyrical craftsmanship.

The power of his pen was further evident across the colossal “Roxanne,” though the headliner made just as many waves as a drummer throughout “Walking On The Moon,” a conductor come “The Equaliser Busy Equalising,” and surprisingly, a guitarist during “The Bed’s Too Big Without You.”

Copeland and company covered many more necessities, such as a delicately arranged “Every Breath You Take,” a jazzy run through “Don’t Stand So Close To Me,” the charging “Message In A Bottle” and the theatrical “Can’t Stand Losing You.”

In other words, these weren’t note for note recreations of the records, but rather, living, breathing, expanding and often adventurous interpretations, which could go either way for fans, depending on what they’re expecting or willing to embrace after decades of memorization.

However, in the case of the fairly full Genesee, it was nothing but pure joy when the colossal band came back to deliver “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” as each call and response topped the next, making it seem nearly criminal this was one of a mere three Stateside shows thus far, but all the more meaningful for those who took advantage of the extremely limited opportunity.

For additional information on Stewart Copeland, visit StewartCopeland.net.

Upcoming concert highlights at the Genesee Theatre include Los Chicos Del 512: The Selena Experience (May 20); John Oates (May 25); The Beach Boys (Jun. 2); Steve Miller Band (Aug. 3); Justin Moore (Aug. 11); America (Aug. 12); “Happy Together” featuring The Turtles (Aug. 18); Diamond Rio (Sept. 15); Gipsy Kings (Sept. 30) and The Righteous Brothers (Oct. 5). For additional details, visit GeneseeTheatre.com.

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