Sting Plays Thrilling Set of Police and Solo Classics in Port Chester…

Sting brought his “Sting 3.0” tour to the historic Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York, on Saturday night (October 12th), and delivered a captivating and flawless set of Police and solo classics.

The iconic musician took the stage shortly before 9 p.m., wasting no time getting the audience on its feet with the all-time Police favorite “Message in a Bottle.” Performing as a three-piece with guitarist Dominic Miller and drummer Chris Maas, the concert immediately had the feel of an old-school Police show.

Before we get any further, let me take this time to say that Sting looks and sounds amazing at 73 years old. Whatever yoga and nutritional routine he’s been on for the past few decades, sign me up, because he was probably in the best shape of anyone in the entire sold-out theater.

Next up were solo hits “If I Ever Lose My Faith in You,” “Englishman in New York,” and “Fields of Gold,” with Sting providing short anecdotes prior to launching into each song. Another taste of The Police made its way in between with “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” complete with an “E-oh oh” sing-along from the audience.

Sting got deeper into his solo catalog with tunes like “Mad About You,” “Seven Days,” and “Why Should I Cry for You?,” before performing the first song he ever wrote, the haunting “I Burn for You,” which he originally recorded with his pre-Police band Last Exit, and then re-recorded with The Police.

After playing “Driven to Tears,” Sting turned to Dominic Miller, and asked the guitarist to surprise him with a song pick. Miller chose “Wrapped Around Your Finger,” much to the delight of the audience. Another Police tune came next with “Can’t Stand Losing You.”

Sting offered up his new single, the bluesy rocker “I Wrote Your Name (Upon My Heart),” before kicking off a string of nonstop classics to close out the main set. Starting with “Walking on the Moon,” Sting never paused as he went straight into the rousing “So Lonely,” the stirring “Desert Rose,” the soul-bearing “King of Pain,” and the ubiquitous chart-topper “Every Breath You Take.”

A roaring standing ovation led Sting to return for an encore, treating the audience to a mesmerizing extended version of “Roxanne,” before ending the evening on a quieter note with the beautiful “Fragile.”

I was lucky enough to see The Police’s final reunion show at Madison Square Garden in 2008, and that concert will always be hard to top, but seeing Sting play his classic songs in an intimate venue like the Capitol Theatre was just as thrilling. His voice is as strong as ever, he’s still one of the greatest bassists of all time, and he’s a consummate performer.

(c) Consequence of Sound by Spencer Kaufman