Idol fans, this is your time for sweet revenge. He may not have won the competition, but he won the hearts of album buyers this year. Billboard named Chris Daughtry the most popular album of 2007. They sold about 3.2 million copies.
Just half a million shy of that, in second place, is Akon’s album “Konvicted”, followed by the Hannah Montana soundtrack (2.5 million), Fergie’s “The Dutchess” (2.4 million), and Carrie Underwood’s “Some Hearts” (2.3 million).
Number one song of the year was “Irreplaceable” by Beyonce, with Rihanna coming in just behind with “Umbrella”. Top tour of the year was The Police’s reunion tour, bringing in $212 million at last estimate.
This reunion has been unapologetically self-indulgent, but fans should find no reason to feel slighted. It’s the band’s very selfishness that makes them so thrilling to watch. There is nothing left to prove at this aged point in their career, and it has made their beloved classics sound outright carefree.
Rest assured there are still a few moments of backing loops and triggered supporting vocals. This is especially evident on “Walking In Your Footsteps” (which Sting comically opens sporting a pan flute, a somewhat “Spinal Tap”-esque moment). The song, routinely mocked by die-hards, serves as mostly a vehicle to showcase Copeland’s absurdly elaborate percussion apparatus.
But perhaps what’s most refreshing about this latest display by the ’80s superstars is the suddenly jovial Summers. He confidently carried the show despite all of Sting’s charisma and star power.
Hiccups aside, one should see this tour before it comes to a close. We should be grateful the band has managed to stay this musically sharp after all these years. After all, their first album, “Outlandos D’Amour” was “recorded in 1872,” Sting joked from the stage.
Fiction Plane, who opened the show, offered a surprisingly confident display of arena-ready rock. Singer Joe Sumner’s melodically rich soprano filled the venue in a manner that nearly rivaled his famous father.
