Sting at the Roxy...

Sting and band played a warm up show at the Roxy in LA on March 28 ahead of the start of their Broken Music tour in San Jose on April 1. Fifty lucky Sting.com members had tickets to witness one of the most unexpected and changed set-lists for many years. The set list comprised:

Spirits In The Material World/Message In A Bottle/Demolition Man/I Hung My Head/Synchronicity II/The End Of The Game/Driven To Tears/Invisible Sun/Fields of Gold/A Day In The Life/Soul Cages/Voices Inside My Head/When The World Is Running Down/Roxanne/She's Too Good For Me/If I Ever Lose My Faith In You/Every Breath You Take/Next To You/Lithium Sunset

Here are some brief comments from members that were there. We'll post more as they wake up, and contact us!

What an incredible experience Monday was! My wife and I traveled 1100 miles round-trip in a pickup to have the most incredible Sting experience ever! We were able to stand three feet from Sting and Dominic for the entire set because the venue was so intimate. There may have been 150 people in the whole place. So Cool! The set list was nothing short of wow! Sting's new interpretation of the Police favorites was awesome to behold. Dominic Miller just captured the mood and paid musical homage to Andy Summers as he weaved in and around Sting's powerful bass while still letting us know that he was doing the song in his own style. Josh Freese was every bit as detailed and perfect as we had come to expect from Stewart Copeland. I am sure that Stewart was proud to watch Josh cover his drumwork so effectively. Shane Fontayne was inspired as he played tag-team with Dominic for the lead guitar while still playing the harmonica at the same time! I feel sorry for those not there last night! As cool as the show was, and it was, I would be wrong if I did not mention the other highlight of the show. That highlight being the other fanclub members. I showed up at the Roxy at 1:30 to be beat there by Dave, Tonilynne and Karen. Soon after, Jim and Monica and Jake showed and we began to share our musical passions. As the day progressed, others showed and joined our new found family. Last night, we were joined by people from Seattle, Salt Lake City, Philidelphia, and many other places I am sure, while we drove in from Southern Arizona. A finer bunch of happy people could not be found in the US and I am glad to have met them! Music was made, autographs were obtained, friends were discoved, and memories permanently created because Sting and his friends took time to share with us his new vision. - from DJ Dave

After winning tickets from the Sting.com contest, I immediately went out and bought five lottery tickets - and I don't think that winning the lottery would top the experience we had last night at the show. The entire event was surreal, with the backdrop of the intimate and authentic Roxy and Sting's most loyal fans and some popular celebrities. Like a good chef who creates intense flavor with fresh ingredients in lieu of bottled sauces, Sting served up the best set of classics I have ever heard. May I have seconds, please? By the way, does anyone capture on film the intensity of Dominic Miller's face when he's in "the zone" - that was something to appreciate! Sting and his new band were beyond everything I have yet heard from Sting - and will most likely get RAVE reviews. Spirits and was pared down to it's purest form, along with When the World is Running Down (my favorite song of all time). There is a set list apparently floating around on Sting.com, so I won't bother cataloguing more of the songs played here. Words can hardly convey the show's intensity and purity, and Sting's unwavering ability to evolve the music he creates. My wife and I loved the second encore with his daughter Coco (the absolute highlight of my wife's experience there), which proves that the talent is inherited as well as inspiring. Sting - and Fan Club - THANK YOU. Thanks for giving this Sting fanatic such a close, personal view of the music. I will never forget it. - Damon

Last night's show, my husband and I both agreed was *THE* best Sting show we have ever been to - and that is saying a lot considering (as we shared with other fans there) that we got to see the taping of the "Sacred Love" DVD at the Mayan in LA. So in other words, we have been close to Sting before, brushed shoulders with him, had close seats at larger concerts, etc., but there was something about the intimacy and unreal energy about this show that has us shaking our heads as to the fact that we were so lucky to be there. It was so LOUD!!! The set list consisting largely of Police songs made this night truly spectacular! Coco playing bass on "Next to You" was AMAZING - she ROCKS!!! The other band members were completely impressive. Josh Freese played with the energy and intensity of Stewert Copeland. Shane Fontayne and Dominic were just awesome. And, of course, no words exist to descibe Sting's talent - he just consistently rocks our world. Thanks to Sting.com for having this contest!!! It really meant a lot to us to be there. It truly was the experience of a lifetime for us!!! - Greg and Amy

WOW! Thank you so, so very much. It was a night too unbelievable to have even dreamed! I took your advice and got there early - first in line! So, I could've reached out and touched Sting's bass at any time during the show - the wife was in awe, and I think I've been in shock since I got the confirmation email last Thursday. The band were hot, exciting, the setlist was surprising ("The End of the Game???!!!!"), the crowd was in heaven (including Courtney Cox, Leonardo DiCaprio, Stuart Copeland, and Chris Botti--amongst others, I'm sure), and the Roxy will never be the same! I can't thank you enough, and please pass the thanks along to Sting if you can. "I am amazed and know not what to say." - David

"I am simply too tired and wired to tell all but tonight was so INCREDIBLY AMAZING!!! Oh, what a night. I will have to let this tired old brain sleep before I can attempt to express the impact this show had on me. Sting & co. were superb... brilliant... beyond anything I could have expected." - Eliz

"Tonight was one of the most amazing nights of my life (besides bearing my three kids!)...Honestly, tonight exceeded any already high expectation of what my experience would be. I never imagined I'd be within arms length of Sting and his band. It was truly amazing!!! From some of my all time favorite songs - 'Lithium Sunset', 'She's Too Good For Me', 'Roxanne'... I can't even begin to convey the sheer enjoyment. He was in perfect mode tonight. Everything jived. The band was happy to be there, eager to please and so was Sting." - Leah

"Tonight I had the single coolest Sting experience of my life, thanks to my great friend Michelle Taunton, who took me along for this incredible adventure tonight at The Roxy. I don't know which was more amazing ... being SO close to Sting that I could clearly see his fillings, or having Courtney Cox nearly fall over me outside after the show. Also spotted Rosanna Arquette and talked to other fans who had chatted with Leonardo DiCaprio. Oh WAIT ... did I mention that Sting's fabulous daughter Coco rocked out on his bass during 'Next to You'??? I feel exhausted and very privileged to have witnessed this once-in-a-lifetime show." - Heather