When Sting embarked on the 2021-23 My Songs residencies at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, he was backed by a seven-piece ensemble.
Yet for the North American leg of his Sting 3.0 Tour, which started this past September and ended Nov. 17 in Los Angeles (a few more dates are scheduled in 2025), only the English pop/rock music superstar, his longtime guitarist/songwriting collaborator Dominic Miller and new drummer Chris Maas (Mumford & Sons) are onstage.
During a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, the artist said of the Sting 3.0 Tour: “I think this format suits the theater more than anything else. The intimacy, the sense that the audience is part of the conundrum – you can’t do that in a larger place…The theater is more refined.”
He continued: “I’ve enjoyed stripping the songs back down to the bare bones and enjoyed that they’re still sturdy enough to withstand that kind of stripping away. It makes them tougher and also clearer. There’s air between the instruments that allows the ear to relax a little bit. But you can turn on a dime.”
A glance at previous setlists before the show invited the question about how studio tracks originally adorned with full harmonies, keyboards and other instrumentation in the studio would fare without them live. The answer? Just fine.
The power trio configuration – which immediately brought to mind Sting’s heyday with The Police – worked wonders during a tight show filled with plenty of Police and solo hits on Nov. 12 (the first of five nights) at The Wiltern in Los Angeles.
Clad in a t-shirt, black leather pants and looking trim and fit as ever, Sting, 73, prompted instant excitement among fans by launching the 23-song, two-hour set with the rousing signature Police tune “Message in a Bottle” and easily got some crowd participation going.
Spontaneous cheers erupted as Sting sang the lyrics “You could say I lost my belief in our politicians/They all seemed like game show hosts to me” amid the streamlined “If I Ever Lose My Faith in You” as he sheepishly shrugged. Miller’s plangent guitar work on “Englishman in New York” gave it a Police-styled sheen. A fun, racing “Every Little Thing She Does in Magic” benefitted from a more festive atmosphere.
Before the quiet, shimmering beauty of “Fields of Gold,” Sting described how the song was influenced by looking outside his home in England near Stonehenge. The singer/bassist relayed that the captivating “Mad About You” - among a few more relaxed selections performed while seated on a stool - stemmed from a story in The Bible, despite him not being a religious person.
Sting also provided an anecdote about growing up in an English shipbuilding neighborhood prior to doing a pair of songs about his late father (the poignant “Why Should I Cry for You;” a spirited “All This Time”). Both were set highlights. Proving that instantly recognizable rock voice remains elastic, Sting effortlessly did sustained wails while nimbly playing bass.
With the current war in the Middle East, “Driven to Tears” packed a timely punch while Miller played with a fierce Jimi Hendrix-styled thrust; words such as “protest” and “react” were projected on a backdrop. A spare “Wrapped Around Your Finger” was one of the guitarist’s “wild card” picks (images of candles were a cool nod to the ‘80s music video).
A moving segment of the show came when Sting brought out a Ukrainian serviceman wearing fatigues to play the oud (a Middle Eastern lute-type instrument) for the gorgeous ballad “Shape of My Heart” with lyrics that compare spades and clubs on playing cards to the “swords of a soldier” and “weapons of war.” It received a standing ovation.
The band revved up the intensity level on brawny new rocker “I Wrote Your Name (Upon My Heart),” a frantic “So Lonely” and the Arabic-tinged “Desert Rose,” where Sting figuratively put the audience into a trance.
Everyone in the venue was up on their feet and singing along loudly to a strong take on “Every Breath You Take” and first encore selection “Roxanne.” The latter downshifted in tempo to include a snippet of “Be Still My Beating Heart” off 1987’s Nothing Like the Sun. Finally, Sting played his delicate, traditional concert closer “Fragile,” yet another song revolving around the detrimental effects of war.
North American Tour Dates:
Jan. 24, Arizona Financial Theatre, Phoenix, AZ
Jan. 26, Hard Rock Live Sacramento, Wheatland, CA
Feb. 8, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN (With Billy Joel)
April 11, JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY (With Billy Joel)
April 26, American Family Field, Milwaukee, WI (With Billy Joel)
May 10, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC (With Billy Joel)
May 19-20 Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Denver, CO
May 23, Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, UT (With Billy Joel)
May 25-26 Hayden Homes Amphitheater, Bend, OR
During a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, the artist said of the Sting 3.0 Tour: “I think this format suits the theater more than anything else. The intimacy, the sense that the audience is part of the conundrum – you can’t do that in a larger place…The theater is more refined.”
He continued: “I’ve enjoyed stripping the songs back down to the bare bones and enjoyed that they’re still sturdy enough to withstand that kind of stripping away. It makes them tougher and also clearer. There’s air between the instruments that allows the ear to relax a little bit. But you can turn on a dime.”
A glance at previous setlists before the show invited the question about how studio tracks originally adorned with full harmonies, keyboards and other instrumentation in the studio would fare without them live. The answer? Just fine.
The power trio configuration – which immediately brought to mind Sting’s heyday with The Police – worked wonders during a tight show filled with plenty of Police and solo hits on Nov. 12 (the first of five nights) at The Wiltern in Los Angeles.
Clad in a t-shirt, black leather pants and looking trim and fit as ever, Sting, 73, prompted instant excitement among fans by launching the 23-song, two-hour set with the rousing signature Police tune “Message in a Bottle” and easily got some crowd participation going.
Spontaneous cheers erupted as Sting sang the lyrics “You could say I lost my belief in our politicians/They all seemed like game show hosts to me” amid the streamlined “If I Ever Lose My Faith in You” as he sheepishly shrugged. Miller’s plangent guitar work on “Englishman in New York” gave it a Police-styled sheen. A fun, racing “Every Little Thing She Does in Magic” benefitted from a more festive atmosphere.
Before the quiet, shimmering beauty of “Fields of Gold,” Sting described how the song was influenced by looking outside his home in England near Stonehenge. The singer/bassist relayed that the captivating “Mad About You” - among a few more relaxed selections performed while seated on a stool - stemmed from a story in The Bible, despite him not being a religious person.
Sting also provided an anecdote about growing up in an English shipbuilding neighborhood prior to doing a pair of songs about his late father (the poignant “Why Should I Cry for You;” a spirited “All This Time”). Both were set highlights. Proving that instantly recognizable rock voice remains elastic, Sting effortlessly did sustained wails while nimbly playing bass.
With the current war in the Middle East, “Driven to Tears” packed a timely punch while Miller played with a fierce Jimi Hendrix-styled thrust; words such as “protest” and “react” were projected on a backdrop. A spare “Wrapped Around Your Finger” was one of the guitarist’s “wild card” picks (images of candles were a cool nod to the ‘80s music video).
A moving segment of the show came when Sting brought out a Ukrainian serviceman wearing fatigues to play the oud (a Middle Eastern lute-type instrument) for the gorgeous ballad “Shape of My Heart” with lyrics that compare spades and clubs on playing cards to the “swords of a soldier” and “weapons of war.” It received a standing ovation.
The band revved up the intensity level on brawny new rocker “I Wrote Your Name (Upon My Heart),” a frantic “So Lonely” and the Arabic-tinged “Desert Rose,” where Sting figuratively put the audience into a trance.
Everyone in the venue was up on their feet and singing along loudly to a strong take on “Every Breath You Take” and first encore selection “Roxanne.” The latter downshifted in tempo to include a snippet of “Be Still My Beating Heart” off 1987’s Nothing Like the Sun. Finally, Sting played his delicate, traditional concert closer “Fragile,” yet another song revolving around the detrimental effects of war.
North American Tour Dates:
Jan. 24, Arizona Financial Theatre, Phoenix, AZ
Jan. 26, Hard Rock Live Sacramento, Wheatland, CA
Feb. 8, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN (With Billy Joel)
April 11, JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY (With Billy Joel)
April 26, American Family Field, Milwaukee, WI (With Billy Joel)
May 10, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC (With Billy Joel)
May 19-20 Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Denver, CO
May 23, Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, UT (With Billy Joel)
May 25-26 Hayden Homes Amphitheater, Bend, OR
My review originally appeared in Rock Cellar Magazine.
Photo by Debi Del Grande, courtesy of Live Nation, Bufferd PR, Cherrytree/Interscope/A&M Records
