Sting: My Songs Tour: 2021 - 2023

Sting at the Piece Hall, Halifax...

Sting serenades a packed venue with a selection of highlights from his enduring songbook

For someone who has honed his craft for over 40 years, Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner CBE, aka Sting, is still as relevant in today’s music world as he was back in 1977.

Bringing his ‘My Songs’ tour to the marvellous Piece Hall in Halifax, the former frontman, bassist and songwriter of The Police carries a substantial portfolio of influential and well-known hits.

Throughout his four-and-a-half decade strong career, Sting has bestrode the music industry with a constant presence. He has been nominated for over 100 awards, won over 40 including Grammys, Brits and American Music Awards, and has written some of the most well-known pop songs ever.

Tonight, he is supported by his very talented son Joe Sumner and the alluring Dagny at a sold-out show in the piazza of one of Yorkshire’s favourite landmarks.

As 9pm approaches, the sun is residing and the atmosphere is electric as Sting takes to the stage.

With a myriad ‘My Songs’ to choose from, Sting opens with a euphonic trio – two from his time in The Police, Message in a Bottle and Everything She Does is Magic, sandwich one of his best-known solo numbers, Englishman in New York.

If that didn’t whet the appetite of an already serenading crowd, he follows it with If I Ever Lose My Faith, the enduringly popular ballad Fields of Gold and The Police’s 1979 chart-topper Walking on the Moon.

With a magnanimous selection of tracks to choose from, the thought that went into choosing a quintessential greatest hits set list must have been thorough. With around 20 albums, including his time in The Police, the song numbers rise into their hundreds.

Sting rounds off his set with Every Breath You Take and Desert Rose, then encores with two classic hits, Roxanne and Fragile.

At 71, Sting is in magnificent form, pitch perfect, joyful and in pretty amazing shape. The set was relaxed, charismatic and a masterclass to songwriting. His genre-hopping covers such a vast range from pop to reggae, with every track established as a masterpiece.

(c) Yorkshire Post by Anthony Longstaff

Sting at The Piece Hall in Halifax...

As the sun set on Piece Hall, bathing the historic courtyard in a gorgeous summer haze, Fields of Gold was the perfect soundtrack.

Music legend Sting delighted a packed crowd with his headline show at The Piece Hall last night (Tuesday, July 4).

It was, he told us, his first time in Halifax and he was clearly impressed with the "beautiful" surroundings of the 18th century cloth hall.

Opening with Message in a Bottle, Sting delivered a cracking set of crowd-pleasers - both solo hits and Police classics - including Set Them Free, Englishman In New York, If I Ever Lose My Faith In You, Every Breath You Take and Walking On The Moon.

Highlights included the hypnotic Desert Rose and gut-wrenching Police anthem So Lonely.

With an excellent band of musicians and backing singers, Sting remains a hugely charismatic performer and seemed genuinely happy to be singing the hits that have been so loved by so many over the years. Lean, tanned and relaxed, he looked - and sounded - incredible.

The night ended with Roxanne - rocking out with a rousing audience sing-along - then, seated with his guitar, Sting left us with a gentle, moving performance of the sublime Fragile.

Support came from excellent Norwegian electro-pop act Dagny and Sting’s son, singer-songwriter Joe Sumner, who joined him for a terrific performance of Police track King of Pain.

Sting's headline set was the latest in this summer’s Live at The Piece Hall series of concerts, which continue tonight with rock greats The Cult. George Ezra returns for his second sell-out.

Madness, Embrace, Queens of the Stone Age and Rag 'n' Bone Man are among the acts who have headlined the stage in recent weeks, with Orbital and The Charlatans and Johnny Marr coming up in August.

There is nowhere else like the Piece Hall. It's great to see this jewel of West Yorkshire play such a major role in the UK's summer concert circuit.

(c) Telegraph & Argus by Emma Clayton

Sting – Live Review – The Piece Hall, Halifax

The Piece Hall just keep doing it, don’t they? The summer music season relentlessly brings the biggest names to Halifax, selling out shows and wowing the crowds.

Well, this time Sting visited West Yorkshire on a Tuesday night slot as part of his ‘My Songs’ tour.  The legendary artist who has captivated audiences for over four decades, graced the packed venue with a selection of timeless classics from his illustrious songbook.

From his days as the frontman of The Police to his remarkable solo career, the town was in for an absolute treat.

My friend and I were looking forward to this.  A musical icon in our hometown on a Tuesday evening. How good is that? And after meeting in Halifax for a drink, we got into the Piece Hall just as the Joe Sumner’s support slot was coming to a close. Sumner, son of Sting, sounded pretty good and had got a lot of the Halifax crowd nicely warmed up for his dad. And as the clock struck 9pm, the man himself appeared.

Sting walked out to adulation, and he wasn’t messing around.  He slung on his bass, and was straight into the opening riff of ‘Message in a Bottle’. And until you hear that riff live, you don’t realise just how iconic that opening is. That was followed up with ‘Englishman in New York’ and we were in for a night of hits and crowd pleasers.

Shall I mention that the third song was ‘Everything She Does is Magic’?  What a way to open a strong 18 song set, with everyone lapping this show up already. Me included. I thought I’d like this gig, but it went on to massively exceed expectation.

Crafting a setlist that represents his greatest hits was surely no easy feat considering Sting’s vast discography. Around 20 albums spanning his solo career and his time with The Police, adds up to hundreds of songs. But he nailed it in every way, shape and form. Sting continued to deliver and wow the crowd. The enduring ballad ‘If I Ever Lose My Faith’ and the timeless beauty of ‘Fields of Gold’ was incredible. Then ‘Walking on the Moon’ followed up by being sensational.

I bumped into a lot of people on the night who I wouldn’t normally think were Sting fans. But they were all like me in saying what a fantastic show he was putting out.

We’d hit darkness when the rousing ‘So Lonely’ came out. And final song of the main set ‘Every Breath You Take’ was amazing too. After momentarily leaving the stage, he came back out to red lights, and got Halifax to join in with ‘Roxanne’, before ending on a soft, piercing ‘Fragile’.  We were in awe, and we’d witness a formidable concert.

At a very youthful 71 years old, Sting showcased his magnificence, hitting every note with precision, and without having to try. His stage presence was relaxed but charismatic, and each tune he gave Halifax was a masterpiece. His influence on the music industry remains as relevant today as it was when he first emerged onto the scene back in 1977. And his performance at the Piece Hall was, put simply, a serenade of musical brilliance. The impact of his music and his longevity converged in a night to be cherished. An absolute master of his craft.

(c) On Yorkshire Magazine by Steve Crabtree