Last year,  I went to see The Police when they came to Columbus.  I could not have been more disappointed with the show.  They looked uninterested — like three solo acts who weren’t willing to play together. On top of it, they didn’t let Sting play any of his hit songs.  When someone pays a lot of money to see a show, you expect them to put some effort into entertaining you.  I drove home, hoping that the band just had an off night.

I decided to give them another chance.  Recently I caught The Police in Argentina while watching Palladia (I know I’ve blogged about Palladia before, and I’ll do it again.  It’s an absolutely fantastic way to enjoy music.)  They still didn’t play any of Sting’s greatest hits, but the band was tight and energetic.  I suppose it’s easy to get jazzed when you’re playing in front of Argentinians, but the point is they showed they still had it. If they swing through Columbus again, I may have to line up for tickets again.

John can be reached at Recharge Ohio, Twitter, or Facebook.

Palladia, however has changed that.  I was recently watching O.A.R.: Live at Madison Square Garden (Go Bucks!) on the HD Channel.  Broadcast in vivid 1080i with tremendous sound, Palladia has made music television fun again.  I felt like I was singing along to “Shattered” with the rest of the audience.  Palladia broadcasts plenty of videos, but the concerts are what make the channel a true experience.

They use programming from MTV, VH1 and CMT, but from my experience, it has been completely music centered.   I have yet to see a reality show or an hour devoted to 1973 fads. Obviously, this could change at anytime — it is owned by MTV, after all.  Until then, I’m enjoying the ride.

I may check out Foo Fighters: Live at Wembley this week.

John Kasich can be reached at Recharge Ohio, Facebook, and Twitter