Sting: My Songs Tour: 2021 - 2023

Sting with Joe Sumner at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison...

My friend was debating about purchasing a Sting t-shirt before the show. He decided against it because the muscular torso of Sting on the garment was intimating (it reminded me that I needed to get back to the gym). After three decades of practicing yoga, the seventy-one-year-old rock star is still in great shape. 

Sting entered the stage dressed in all white. His tight shirt showed off his biceps and defined abs (I really really need to get back to the gym). The mature women sitting next to us were giggling like twelve-year-old girls when they saw him. The band was dressed in black. However, the exceptional musicians Dominic Miller on guitar, Josh Freeze on drums, Kevon Webster on the keyboards, Shane Sager on the harmonica, Melissa Musiqueon backing vocals, and Gene Noble on backing vocals did not blend into the background. They shined.

Sting was given the bumblebee nick name because of his love for a back and yellow sweater early in his musical career. His real name is Gordon Sumner. During this tour, Sting chose impactful material from his long solo career while still performing The Police’s (the new wave rock band that he fronted from 1977 til 1986) biggest hits. Sting played his 1957 Fender Precision bass, that was hand built by Leo Fender himself, throughout the night.

I was astonished how many musical genres Sting crossed. The jazzy Englishman in New York, the Gospel inspired If You Love Somebody Set Them Free, the country twanged I’m So Happy I Can’t Stop Crying, the Middle Eastern themed Desert Rose. And of course, the Reggae sounding So Lonely. Sting confessed the tune was heavily borrowed from Bob Marley’s No Woman No Cry. He even combined the songs together. His lyrics are still very relevant. If I Ever Lose My Faith in You was written in 1993. It has a line that really struck me in my tracks when he sang, “Some would say I was a lost man in a lost world/You could say I lost my faith in the people on TV/You could say I’d lost my belief in our politicians/They all seemed like game show hosts to me. “

Sting was thankful the weather was perfect for the night of hits. That’s when he played Heavy Cloud No Rain – “I asked my baby if there’d be some way/She said she’d save her love for a rainy day/I look in the sky but I look in vain/Heavy cloud but no rain.” The end of the song had Melissa Musique come out to the front of the stage to do her vocal gymnastics. It left Sting and the crowd awestruck.

I have seen two of the top harmonica players in the world John Popper from Blues Traveler and Mickey Raphael from Willie Nelson’s band perform. Sting’s harmonica player Shane Sager playing is in the same caliber of the masters of the mouth harp. He effortlessly played the harmonica solo from Brand New Day that was originally performed by Stevie Wonder on the recording. During the entire performance, his harmonica was the main instrument featured. He even admirably attempted to keep up with the background singers’ dance moves.

Opener Joe Sumner joined the band for The Police songs King of Pain, Every Breath You Take, and Roxanne. After playing the huge hits, Sting came back impressively playing the acoustic guitar to Fragile. He dedicated it the people up front displaying the Ukraine flag.

Back in 2007, I spent a fortune to see The Police reunion tour at the Denver arena. Joe Sumner, Sting’s son, opened for the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers. However, the tour continued to the next year and made a stop at Red Rocks. This time Elvis Costello was the opener. Since I spent a small fortune seeing them during the first leg of their tour, I couldn’t afford to see them when they stopped at a better venue with the amazing Elvis Costello opening. On Wednesday night, once again Sumner opened for his dad. He played to backing tracks while he sang and played the guitar. Sumner was charming and I caught myself tapping my foot to his tunes. His children’s song Jelly Bean had enchanting visuals appear on the screen. When he played the song Hope with just his voice and his guitar, Sumner created a genuine moment that had the crowd singing along.

See you at the next show. I’ll be the one trying to keep up with the background singers dance moves.

(c) Brettgarskewrites.com by Brett Garske