Sting made a triumphant return to South Florida with his show at the Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theater on Saturday, February 25th. The legendary rocker is touring behind his latest album, "57th and 9th" but fans were treated to plenty of hits from throughout his solo career and time as the frontman for The Police!
The Fillmore was SOLD OUT! The general admission section on the floor in front of the stage was PACKED; with fans standing shoulder to shoulder all night long! And as we would soon find out, it would be a family affair onstage.
The music got started with Sting's son, Joe Sumner, opening. He sang solo, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar, with some help from Jerry Fuentes from The Last Bandoleros on slide for one song. At first, I thought it was Sting himself onstage; the family resemblance is that strong! And Joe's voice is incredible! Such range, depth and power.
As Joe neared the end of his set, the rest of The Last Bandoleros came out and joined him; then took over the stage. It was a transition that would repeat itself for Sting; until eventually every musician who had played that night were all onstage; playing together!
The Last Bandoleros are an incredible band! Their sound combines Tex-Mex, Tejano, rock, pop and so much more! Their opening tune, "Maria", sounded like The Monkees, if they grew up playing in dive bars on the Texas-Mexico border! The group is made up of Jerry Fuentes on guitar and vocals, Diego Navaira on bass and vocals, his brother Emilio Navaira on drums and vocals and Derek James on guitar and vocals. They are a terrific, polished and very energetic live band. I think we'll hear much more from them!
Sting and his son Joe came out and joined The Last Bandoleros for their final song, then there was a 15 minute break before Sting started his set. And what an opener! The Fillmore exploded with cheers when Sting and his band tore into The Police classic "Synchronicity II"! Fans got to hear a wide range of songs; everything from his latest hit, "I Can't Stop Thinking About You" to early Police hits like "So Lonely"! The band kept moving from song to song; there was some stage banter and jokes from Sting but it was a relatively fast-paced show.
As Sting introduced the members of his band, we got to learn how much of a family affair this tour really is! HIs guitarist, Dominic Miller, has been playing with Sting for nearly 30 years, as he pointed out from the stage! Now, he is joined by a second guitarist, who is none other than his son, Rufus! And Sting had his son Joe, as well as Jerry and Diego from The Last Bandoleros singing backup throughout his set; so you had 2 sets of fathers and sons performing some terrific music for the very appreciative crowd!
Sting paid tribute to the late, great David Bowie with a cover of "Ashes to Ashes", led by his son, Joe. As his famous father walked out of the spotlight, Joe took over and made the song his own, bringing cheers from the crowd!
It was a great night of live music, with new and old songs keeping fans dancing in the aisles and on the floor! It doesn't seem like Sting is slowing down any time soon, so make plans to catch him live the next time he's in town!
(c) WPLG Local10.com by Brian Doughty
