The Casa del Jazz in Rome is hosting "Estate 2011 - Casa del Jazz Festival" between June 21st and August 12th.

Stewart Copeland, also known as The Police's drummer, brought his "Strange things happen" tour to the festival.

Irshad Khan went to see him, and has an opinion about these strange things, and how they happened.

Dear Stewart,

I should’ve known.

I mean, you grew up in the Middle East, the son of a British Archaeologist who worked for MI5, and American CIA operative (Conspiracy theorists the world over are having a stroke right now).

And you’re the drummer from this band that played this… genre... that wasn’t punk, or rock, or jazz, and to top it off you called yourselves “The Police” (now I know where McCartney got his idea from).

And you publish an autobiography called “Strange things happen”, which spends relatively little time focusing on your years in The Police.

Kind of like the tour you named after your autobiography.

In hindsight, WHY I turned up expecting a normal concert, I really can’t say.

Don’t get me wrong, it was interesting. But I turned up to hear you, not your son, and not for 40 minutes.

He’s good. Technically, he’s impressive. Musically though, chances are I won’t be buying his cd.

And when I say I turned up to hear you… Yes, you did a fine job of presenting the book. You were funny, and engaging, maybe even a little too much so as I was having trouble hearing you at times due to the howls of the middle-aged groupie who was sitting four seats down from me (yes lady, I’m talking about you, I know you’re googling the concert’s press reviews.

The depth of your knowledge on his life and times is awe-inspiring. Now please, please go advertise your Police-ness somewhere else, I’m here to hear HIM. Or at least let him finish his sentences on his own). But what I really meant was, I came to hear you PLAY.

I won’t lie, it was a relief to see you finally take the stage with the band. It was nice of you to bring in an impressive lineup (someone presented Armand Sabal Lecco as Jaco Pastorius’s bass player? That’s a bit like saying Michel Petrucciani’s pianist), as it was my first time seeing John De Leo, and Niccoló Fabi, and Max Gazzé on stage at the same time, and your drumset looks impressive and sounds better with you behind it. But frankly, after that buildup, a 40-minute performance is a disappointment.

I guess strange things do happen. I guess I’m just too conventional for some of them.

Irshad Khan

Stewart Copeland’s autobiography, “Strange things happen”, is available to Eurpean Youth Card holders at a reduced price from selected bookstores (click here to search our database)