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Redondo Beach | Redondo Beach, CA

Beachlife festival.

Papp László Budapest Sportaréna | Budapest, HUNGARY

Amfiteátr Lochotín | Plzen, CZECH REPUBLIC

Ergo arena | gdansk, poland, atlas arena | lódz, poland, zalgiris arena | kaunas, lithuania, sting - my songs, 2024.

Tartu Lauluväljak | Tartu, ESTONIA

Plymouth Hoe | Plymouth, UNITED KINGDOM

Tk maxx presents plymouth summer sessions - 4 day pass, delamere forest | cheshire, united kingdom, high lodge, thetford forest | thetford, united kingdom, sherwood pines | nottingham, united kingdom, château de fontainebleau | fontainebleau, france.

Maritiem Park | Nieuwpoort, BELGIUM

Beach festival 2024, domplatz open air | fulda, germany, sting: my songs 2024, schloss salem | salem, germany, barockgarten am festspielhaus neuschwanstein | füssen, germany, open air an der emsland arena | lingen, germany, jazzopen stuttgart | stuttgart, germany, forte arena | pula, italy.

The Fillmore Detroit | Detroit, MI

Sting 3.0 tour, massey hall | toronto, on.

Busch Stadium | St Louis, MO

Billy joel & sting, the met presented by highmark | philadelphia, pa.

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MGM Music Hall at Fenway | Boston, MA

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Brooklyn Paramount | Brooklyn, NY

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The Capitol Theatre | Port Chester, NY

The theater at mgm national harbor | national harbor , md, the fillmore miami beach at jackie gleason theater | miami beach, fl, cobb energy performing arts centre | atlanta, ga, alamodome | san antonio, tx, auditorium theatre | chicago, il, the masonic | san francisco, ca.

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Sting Is Bringing His My Songs World Tour to North America: Here Are the Dates

The trek will kick off in Toronto in September.

By Starr Bowenbank

Starr Bowenbank

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Sting ‘s 2023 world tour is finally getting ready to touch down in North America. The Police singer announced on Tuesday (April 11) that he will be playing a series of dates across the United States and Canada starting in September.

Diddy Says He Was ‘Joking’ About Sting Charging Him $5K a Day for ‘I’ll Be Missing…

The My Songs World Tour — which previously traveled to Asia, Africa and Australia earlier this year — will kick off in Toronto at the Budweiser Stage on Sept. 5, and will make stops in Boston, Phoenix, Vancouver, Los Angeles and more before concluding in Rogers, Ark., at the Walmart AMP on Oct. 12.

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See the full list of North American concert dates for the My Songs tour below.

STING: MY SONGS 2023 NORTH AMERICA LEG 1 TOUR DATES

• Sept. 5 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
• Sept. 7 – Boston, Mass. – MGM Music Hall at Fenway
• Sept. 20 – Morrison, Colo. – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
• Sept. 23 – West Valley City, Utah – USANA Amphitheatre
• Sept. 29 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
• Oct. 2 – Concord, Calif. – Concord Pavilion
• Oct. 4 – San Diego, Calif. – Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre at SDSU
• Oct. 7 – Los Angeles, Calif. – Hollywood Bowl
• Oct. 9 – Phoenix, Ariz. – Arizona Financial Theatre
• Oct. 12 – Rogers, Ark. – Walmart AMP

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Sting: My Songs 2023 Critically Acclaimed World Tour Comes To North America This Fall

Ten Shows Revealed With Additional Cities & Dates To Soon Be Announced  

Tickets available starting wednesday, april 12 with fanclub presale  , general onsale begins friday, april 14 at 10am local on sting.com  .

The Cherrytree Music Company and Live Nation have confirmed that Sting will take his acclaimed My Songs World Tour across North America in September and October. Following performances in United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore  earlier this year, Sting’s My Songs tour returns to North America on September 5 at Budweiser Stage in Toronto, ON with additional dates in Boston, Vancouver, San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, and more. Additional shows will soon be announced in Wantagh, Hollywood, Atlanta, Portland, Seattle, Reno, Dallas, Houston, and Austin. 

Sting’s My Songs concert is an exuberant and dynamic show featuring his most beloved songs, written throughout the 17-time Grammy Award winner’s illustrious career both with The Police and as a solo artist. Fans can expect to be taken on a musical journey with timeless hits like ‘Fields of Gold’, ‘Shape of my Heart’, ‘Roxanne’, ‘Englishman In New York,’ ‘Every Breath You Take,’ ‘Roxanne,’ ‘Message In A Bottle’,  ‘Demolition Man’ and many more.  

On tour, Sting will be accompanied by an electric, rock ensemble. Special Guest Joe Sumner will be appearing at all newly announced performances. 

TICKETS: Members of Sting’s Fan Club will have the opportunity to access a special pre-sale by visiting sting.com , starting Wednesday, April 12. Additional pre-sales will run throughout the week. The general on sale for My Songs 2023 North American leg will start Friday, April 14 at 10am Local Time on sting.com  

VIP:  The tour will also offer a variety of VIP packages and experiences. For more information, visit vipnation.com . 

STING: MY SONGS 2023 NORTH AMERICA LEG 1 TOUR DATES:  

Sept. 05 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage 

Sept. 07 – Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall at Fenway 

Sept. 20 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre 

Sept. 23 – West Valley City, UT – USANA Amphitheatre 

Sept. 29 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena 

Oct. 02 – Concord, CA – Concord Pavilion 

Oct. 04 – San Diego, CA – Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre at SDSU 

Oct. 07 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl 

Oct. 09 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Financial Theatre 

Oct. 12 – Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP 

For complete tour, ticket and fan club information visit: www.Sting.com  

About Live Nation Entertainment  

Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV) is the world’s leading live entertainment company comprised of global market leaders: Ticketmaster, Live Nation Concerts, and Live Nation Sponsorship. For additional information, visit www.livenationentertainment.com . 

About Cherrytree Music Company  

Founded by songwriter/musician/producer Martin Kierszenbaum, the CherrytreeMusic Company provides management, record label, music production and publishing services to a boutique roster of artists, producers and mixers who push the creative envelope in popular music.  Cherrytree has had an indelible impact on the music landscape from managing celebrated musician and cultural icon Sting to launching Lady Gaga’s first two albums. The Cherrytree Music Company has released the artistically and commercially ground-breaking records of Feist, Ellie Goulding, Robyn, La Roux, LMFAO, Far East Movement, Disclosure and Sting & Shaggy and sold over 40 million units. In the process, the Cherrytree Music Company has become a vital source for popular music and catalyst for artist collaboration and innovation.  For more information on the Cherrytree Music Company, please visit: https://soundcloud.com/cherrytreerecords/cherrytree-music-company-15th-anniversary-radio-special  

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Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner CBE better known by his stage name Sting, is an English musician, singer-songwriter known as the lead singer of The Police.

Sting was born in Wallsend, North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. In 1977 Gordon moved from Newcastle to London and met Stewart Copeland and Henry Padovani to form a new wave band called The Police. They enjoyed success from the late 70's to early 80's, releasing five albums, four of which topped the charts in the UK and one that topped the charts in the US also. They enjoyed huge success with their punk inspired sounds which developed into a minimalist reggae tinged rock/pop and had a plethora of hit singles including 'Message In A Bottle' 'Don't Stand So Close To Me' 'Every Breath You Take' and 'Walking On The Moon'.

The band unofficially parted after their final release 'Synchronicity' to focus on their solo careers. Sting's first solo gig was at Amnesty International's The Secret Policeman's Other Ball where he performed solo versions of tracks such as 'Roxanne' and 'Message In A Bottle'. In 1985, Sting finally released his debut record which featured a heavier lean towards jazz including the musicians Kenny Kirkland, Darryl Jones, Omar Hakim and Branford Marsalis. Once again, he enjoyed a number of hit singles from the record and within a year it had been awarded triple platinum. To add to the accolades Sting also received four Grammy nominations for 'The Dream Of Blue Turtles'.

Sting was part of the iconic Band Aid's 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' charity single which raised money for famine victims in Ethiopia and took part in the live aid concert the following year, playing a selection of The Police hits. His next album '...Nothing Like The Sun' mirrored the successes of his first, more hit singles, more Grammy Nominations and this time a Brit Award for Best Album. The following four releases all reached the top five of the UK charts and have now been certified as platinum selling. In 2007 he reunited with his Police bandmates as the introductory act for the 2007 Grammy Awards, singing 'Roxanne' and subsequently announced a huge worldwide tour which sold out almost instantly.

Sting has had multiple successes both with his band and as a solo artist. He has accumulated a total of sixteen Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards and several Oscar nominations for Best Original Song. He is known for his musical abilities but also his activism, becoming patrons for several charities including Elton John's AIDS foundation. He has sold over 100 million records to date.

Live reviews

Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, otherwise known as Sting has been a staple name in music since The Police hit the big time in the late 70s. Now touring his own popular solo work along with a handful of The Police's hit singles, audiences continue to flock to see the iconic singer perform.

Often accompanied by an orchestra, a staple sound for his solo work. The arrangement adds a sense of grandeur and luxury to the affair and as Sumner stands centre you can see he still has a great deal of passion for performing. It is also clear that he enjoys delighting his audiences with Police classics such as 'Driven To Tears' and 'Wrapped Around Your Finger' as he plays them with such jovial enthusiasm as the audience proudly sing back these timeless tracks.

His own brand of new wave tracks are considered equally classic as the poignant 'Fields Of Gold' sounds wonderful as Sting sings in a vocal that appears not to have aged. The encore of 'Every Breath You Take' perhaps gets the biggest cheer of the night as this tender mega-hit is sung note perfect by both performer and audience. As he takes a final bow and thanks his magnificent backing band, the audience appear thankful Sting isn't a star who shun the limelight in older age.

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As always, the show was terrific. My husband and I have attended Sting's concerts since the early 1980's.

The opening acts of Joe Sumner and The Lost Bandoleros were very good. The Lost Bandaleros are from Austin TX and their music was energetic, rhythmic and engaging. It was especially interesting to see onstage Sting's son Joe and Dominic Miller's son performing with them. There's a lot of good genes on that stage!

The set was a mix of Sting's newest album and songs from The Police and previous solo albums. It is always moving to hear the entire audience singing his hits back to him, especially the ones that are 30+ years old.

Sting's songs have accompanied me throughout my adulthood and each one holds special meaning. In his live performance, the memories to times and events past become vivid again.

Especially moving was his last song of the night, which he sang by himself. It's The Empty Chair, composed for the documentary "Jim" about James Foley, the American journalist beheaded by ISIS. So haunting in the midst of what our country is going through now with the new administration. We need to remember and think about our American heroes more than ever as our democracy is so threatened from within.

Sting performing with the Philarmonic Orchestra of Gran Canaria was such a special night. It was a balmy evening in July, in an open air stadium when the sounds of Every Little Thing she does is Magic starts then Sting hits the stage wearing a black jacket, black trousers and a white shirt. This concert was so unique as he was accompanied by a philarmonic Orchestra and his own band, rocking out some of the old Police songs and many of his own. The Spanish audience went wild when he Sang Englishman in New York and changed the words to Englishman in Gran Canaria. When he sang Fields of Gold, When We Dance and Shape of My Heart, I was so engrossed in the atmosphere I could hardly see the stage through the tears. All night the Spanish audience never missed a single word (the lyrics being sung by everyone in the crowd) and they clapped for over 2 hours, with a short break in the middle. The orchestra managed to adapt many of the well known UK hit songs including Mad About You, Roxanne, Message in a Bottle and many more. He may now be 60 years old but his voice and emotion have never wavered over the years; it was a truly magnificent concert.

Sting and Paul Simon must, between them, have spent the better part of at least 50 years (if not more!) touring. So the concert was everything you would expect, in terms of great showmanship, fantastic musicians, great musical arrangements, and great voices. All the musicians were excellent, as you would expect. We really enjoyed ourselves. It was an interesting set - they alternated in terms of performance - and it's amazing how you never really forget the words to "The Boxer" or "Bridge Over Troubled Water" even if you haven't heard them for at least a decade. I think the setlist was also interesting and between them they clearly had enough material to fill the time ten times over. I would have liked to hear some different songs from Sting (we saw him last year or two years ago, and there was a big overlap in the set) but still these are consummate musicians doing what they do best, so what's not to like? Could have done with more dancing though!

I was so impressed! This is the first time I have seen the opening act AND a family member incorporated into the whole show. And the Last Bandoleros (https://www.facebook.com/lastbandoleros/) were so good! We got the CD! Sounded like the Eagles a little bit to me-- from San Antonio TX. Sting's son and the Last Bandoleros sang backup for Sting during the whole show! Sting was very personable and talked to the audience a good deal. I was waiting for "Moon Over Bourbon Street" since he was playing in New Orleans, but it never did come-- but the playlist was a great mix of old Police and new Sting. Loved every minute of it. Three encores. Good luck at the Academy Awards for "The Empty Chair", Sting. We love you.

Sting and Shaggy concert was such a memorable night at The Roundhouse! They played for two hours!! I got the set list in the end and from what they planned, they have changed the last song, which should be Fragile, for Next to You. I sense it was a wise decision as people was more likely to dance than to watch.

I had some good laughs with Shaggy moves and improv, and with Sting playing the part of a prisoner in one particular song.

Other musicians were at their peak, even the guitar player who substituted Dominic, now recovering from surgery.

They distilled a lot of hits, including Love is the 7th Wave, which is so Shaggy in a way.

I am still feeling the positive vibes.

I've been a fan of Gordon Sumner aka "Sting" since the earliest of Police albums that came in clear blue vinyl straight from England. They were a bold new sound of ska mixed with jazz mixed with rock... it came together brilliantly. I was immediately hooked and had to get everything ever merchandised and felt no shame. That is, until the day the 3 broke up... Sure enough Sting was not one to be left behind, he took to the stage with his wordsmith lyrics and sexy romantic jazz/blues new sounds that some Police fans had a hard time swallowing. All in all his voice and words leave you thinking and feeling them deeply. A great performer and even better individual!

Sting is still incredible in concert! Sting is so freaking talented and I could watch and listen to him all day long! I thought it was funny he was wearing his own Merch. But I wish there was a shirt for the show like the lanyard picture instead. I wasn’t sure about the Shaggy pairing at first but it turned out to be a hit. Shaggy has the most contagious energy and that boy can cardio! The back up singers were surprisingly some of the best talent I have ever seen...they could’ve been headliners too. Every moment was enjoyed and the venue was amazing. KC you didn’t disappoint

Actually it whas Sting&Paul Simon.

At the firtst hand I did not notice that there actually where also two bands on the stage.

Left hand side the band from Sting and right hand side the band of Paul Simon.

The performance whas allright, quality of music whas well balanced. Volume whas a little bit to soft. Ziggodome is an excellent concertvenue.

Hope to see much more concerts here.

Overall the 3 hours !! during show whas very entertaining and all the past hits passed the show. I had a nice evening .

Absolutely fantastic! While the Myth is kind of "meh" in terms of operation, it is still a great concert venue (although the stage could use a 1'+ raise) seeing legendary performers in a small venue is worth the price of admission every time! This is how concerts are meant to be and enjoyed. Loved everything about it! Opening the entire show with a Sting solo and closing the same way - CHILLS! Amazing! Please, offer more legends in small venues - we need that!

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Sting is not due to play near your location currently - but they are scheduled to play 60 concerts across 10 countries in 2024-2025. View all concerts.

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Annual Gala Set to Take Place in Beverly Hills on Wednesday, April 10, 2024. Today, The Women’s Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) announced that 17-time Grammy Award winning musician Sting is set to headline the organization’s annual gala, “An Unforgettable Evening”, commemorating its 25th anniversary with a special performance...

We are delighted to announce a fifth and final additional show on the STING 3.0 tour in Toronto. There will be Sting.com club presale for the show later today commencing at 1pm. An AMEX presale will commence on Tuesday 9 April at 10am, a Live Nation presale will commence on Thursday 11 April at 10am with tickets going on general sale on Friday 12 April at 10am (all times are local).

We are delighted to confirm that a second date has been added at the Odeon of Herodus Atticus in Athens on Saturday, 6 July at the Epidaurus Festival. Tickets will go on public sale later today at 1pm local and there will be a presale for Sting.com members commencing at 11am local today...

Sting returns to the Odeon of Herodus Atticus for a special concert on Friday 5 July as part of the Athens and Epidaurus Festival, in the shadow of the Acropolis. Sting, accompanied by an electric rock band, will deliver a dynamic show, performing his most beloved songs from throughout his illustrious career as both a member of The Police and as a solo artist...

In a surprise announcement on Twitter, Sting confirmed that he is bringing his Sting 3.0 Tour to Europe this May giving fans an earlier than expected look at his new band line up of virtuoso guitarist and longtime collaborator, Dominic Miller, and dynamic drummer Chris Maas (Mumford & Sons, Maggie Rogers). Not got your ticket yet? No excuse now - visit sting.com/tour . Watch the video here...

ON THIS DAY...

2022: Sting performed at the Palladium in London, England. 2015: Sting and Paul Simon performed at the O2 Arena in London, England. More ▶ 1996: Sting performed at the Printemps de Bourges concert in Bourges, France. More ▶ 1993: Sting performed at the Palais des Sports in Toulouse, France. 1988: Sting performed at the Statenhal, in Den Haag, Holland. 1986: Sting performed at the Festival Hall in Melbourne, Australia. 1982: The Police performed at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, USA. More ▶ 1980: The Police performed at Ahoy' Sportspalais in Rotterdam, Holland.  

SUMMONER'S TALES... "Sometimes songwriting is a bit like building a car out of scrap metal. You get a bit from here, and a bit from there, and lo and behold, it sometimes goes."

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Review: Billy Joel and Sting light up Petco Park on a cool, sometimes wet Saturday night

The weather remained dry for Sting’s terrific opening set, but it began to rain shortly after Joel’s performance began. ‘We’re from New York -- this is nothing!’ he told the cheering audience of 42,000.

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Take a bow, mother nature!

Thanks to some uncharacteristically wet April weather during Billy Joel’s sold-out concert with Sting at Petco Park on Saturday night, pop-music’s famed piano man has achieved an elite — if not entirely coveted — distinction. He now joins the Rolling Stones, Miles Davis and Tony Bennett on the very short list of legendary musicians whose open-air San Diego concerts saw them forge ahead in a noble quest to reign in the rain.

Happily, no precipitation marred Sting’s superb, 83-minute opening set, which included a propulsive version of his funk-fueled 1993 romp, “Heavy Cloud No Rain.” Alas, the song includes a couplet that proved all too prescient Saturday night at the downtown ball park: The clouds won’t go till their work is done / Every morning you’ll hear me pray / If only it would rain today.

The clouds started their work at 9:10 p.m., midway through “Movin’ Out,” the second selection by Joel and his brassy, one-woman, seven-man band. The light but steady rain continued through his next seven numbers, which included “Vienna,” “An Innocent Man,” “Don’t Ask Me Why,” a truncated version of the Rolling Stones’ “Start Me Up,” and the jazzy, finger-snapping “Big Man on Mulberry Street,” which featured Joel trading vocal lines with an umbrella-twirling Sting.

“Bring your raincoat!” Joel quipped as Sting strolled on to the enormous stage, which stretched across much of Petco Park’s right and center fields.

Before “Start Me Up,” Joel told the audience: “Don’t get all excited; I ain’t Mick Jagger.” Indeed, at 74, Joel is six years younger than the hyper-kinetic, age-defying Jagger. (The Rolling Stones, incidentally, were the first rock act to perform at the then-new Petco Park in 2005, a year after it opened.)

When “Start Me Up” concluded, Joel and his well-drilled band playfully broke into a few verses of the 1964 Riveras’ chestnut, “California Sun,” which was memorably covered in 1977 by the Ramones. Raindrops were visible on parts of his grand piano, but Joel was undaunted.

“We’re from New York — this is nothing!” he told the cheering crowd. Even so, Joel’s stage attire was topped off with a black zip-up jacket, a cap and a wool scarf. The drizzle was constant enough that several of this reporter’s pens stopped working because of how wet the pages in my notebook had become.

The rain abated — for a while — shortly after Joel launched into his ninth selection, “New York State of Mind,” his signature song and one of the highlights of his set.

The air was alternately dry and moist for the 13 numbers that followed in Joel’s concert. It culminated with five sure-thing encore numbers — “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” “Uptown Girl,” “It’s Still Rock and’ Roll To Me,” “Big Shot” and “You May be Right,” which included a charged snippet of Led Zeppelin’s 1971 classic, “Rock and Roll,” sung by Joel band guitarist Mike DelGuidice.

The show ended at 10:55 p.m., five minutes before Petco Park’s curfew. It was Joel’s second appearance at the stadium, where he delivered a memorable, 26-song performance in 2016 to a sold-out crowd.

Billy Joel scores hit after hit at Petco Park concert

Pop’s famed ‘Piano Man’ Saturday delivered a crowd-pleasing show, his first San Diego concert since a 2001 double-header with Elton John

May 15, 2016

Then, as on Saturday, Joel’s grand piano periodically rotated on the stage to afford the audience on either side of the packed stadium a better vantage point. Saturday’s concert was shorter by five songs than in 2016. What also differed is Joel’s singing voice, which has lost some of its range and impact.

He acknowledged as much when introducing “An Innocent Man,” the title track of his 1983 album. “I didn’t realize when I recorded this that I was saying goodbye to a lot of my high notes,” Joel said. “If I hit a lot of flat notes, you’re allowed to groan.”

He was thoroughly engaged and his singing was warm and resonant on winning renditions of “Vienna,” “Only the Good Die Young,” “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant” and “Piano Man.” And his keyboard work was rarely less than sparkling. But on other numbers, he repeatedly strained to hit notes, despite singing them in lower keys than they were originally recorded.

Of course, the rain and cool night air could have been factors for the veteran troubadour, who tonight at 9 will be featured on the CBS TV concert special, “Billy Joel: The 100th — Live at Madison Square Garden.”

But indoors or out, his crowd-pleasing Petco Park concert was marred by inconsistent pacing, no more so that when “The River of Dreams” segued into Ike & Tina Turner’s “River Deep, Mountain High” — a good, but not great, showcase for singer and multi-instrumentalist Crystal Talifero. This was followed by guitarist DelGuidice’s vocal rendition of the storied Puccini opera aria, “Nessun dorma” — which translates as “Nobody’s Sleeping” — as the lead-in to “Piano Man.”

Say, what? Even if this was meant as an inside joke, clearly nobody was sleeping on such a damp, cool evening. And the enthusiastic audience, which sang along and danced en masse, left no doubt of its devotion to Joel and the songs that many attendees grew up hearing.

Pacing and vocal power were no problem for Sting, whose 16-song opening set was a master class in how to structure, balance and deliver a concert that soared from start (a spirited duet with Joel on “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic”) to finish (“Every Breath You Take,” likely the most memorable rock song ever about stalking).

Sting, who performed with equal elan in October at his SDSU concert here, was in excellent voice throughout Saturday. No matter how many times he has previously sung “Roxanne,” “Message in a Bottle,” So Lonely” and “If You Love Somebody Set Them Free,” he made each sound wonderfully fresh and vital. Sting’s songs are durable and flexible, enabling him to modify their keys, time signatures and arrangements in a manner that simultaneously saluted and extended them.

Review: Sting’s San Diego concert an arresting, full-circle family affair for the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer

The veteran solo star and co-founder of The Police sounded thoroughly engaged in his two-hour performance with his one-woman, five-man band. His son, Joe Sumner, opened the show and returned to lend vocal support to his dad on two songs

Oct. 5, 2023

His exemplary bass playing was, likewise, a marvel of taste, concision and musicality that added welcome dimension to the songs at hand. He was matched, note for note, by his very talented, one-woman, five-man band. It included Ben Butler, very ably subbing for longtime Sting guitarist Dominic Miller (who is now embarked on a solo tour in Europe).

Sting consistently injected fresh vigor into such favorites as “Message in a Bottle,” Brand New Day,” “Fields of Gold,” and “King of Pain,” adding welcome new twists while remaining true to each song’s essence. Rather than rush through songs, he extended a number of them — including “Walking on the Moon,” which lasted 12 minutes but was not a second too long — the better to build dynamic tension and release.

No stranger to stadium concerts, Sting commanded the stage with an inviting combination of authority, wit and good-natured bonhomie. Even more so than Joel, he repeatedly engaged the audience in spirited, call-and-response vocal exchanges. Sting also delivered a few well-timed asides. (Introducing The Police’s 1981 gem, “Spirits in the Material World,” he deadpanned: “I can assure you it’s not a Madonna song,” a wry allusion to her 1984 hit, “Material Girl.”)

After the harmonica-led “Brand New Day,” Sting commented on the inclement weather, saying: “Man, it’s cold! I come from England, where it’s (now) sunny and warm. You can’t trust the weather anymore, which is what this next song is about.” He and his band then delivered an expertly calibrated version of “Heavy Weather No Rain,” during which he ad-libbed some extra lyrics: “You’re in San Diego — my ship just came in!”

Sting wisely let his music speak for itself, most notably on “Desert Rose.” Its snaking, Arabic-inspired melody seemed all the more poignant at a time when, sadly, war is again rife in the Middle East.

At 72, Sting remains an arresting musical force. The bar he set for Joel to follow Saturday was, ultimately, a bridge too far — although that may reflect the fact Sting tours constantly, while Joel currently averages just two concerts a month. Either way, on Saturday neither of them let the rain dampen their musical parade.

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CBS to Rebroadcast Billy Joel Concert After ‘Timing Error’ Cut Special Short During ‘Piano Man’

In some parts of the country, Billy Joel fans never heard that “they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar.”

CBS blamed a “programming timing error” that cut short Billy Joel: The 100th – Live at Madison Square Garden in the Eastern and Central time zones Sunday night as Joel, 74, performed “Piano Man,” the final song of his set. The broadcast abruptly cut to the local news, leaving viewers in disbelief.

To make up for it, CBS says it will re-air the concert in its entirety on Friday, April 19 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

“A network programming timing error ended last night’s Billy Joel special approximately two minutes early in the Eastern and Central Time Zones,” CBS said in a statement on Monday, April 15. “We apologize to Mr. Joel, his fans, our affiliated stations, and our audience whose viewing experience was interrupted during the last song.”

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The unlucky viewers were singing along to the final verse of “Piano Man” when the disruption occurred after Joel sang the lyrics “And the piano, it sounds like a carnival / And the microphone smells like a beer.” Those words were followed by several seconds of silence before the local news began.

Fans lit up social media after the debacle, bashing CBS not just for cutting off “Piano Man” but for, they say, botching the entire special.

“You couldn’t produce a worse product than CBS just did on the Billy Joel special,” one user wrote via X . “Way too many commercials, didn’t play some of his best songs, went extremely out of order in his set list, and then cuts away to the local news in the middle of Piano Man?!?”

Another X user noted that the network “cut out Billy’s duet with Sting on Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic, We Didn’t Start The Fire, Uptown Girl and a bunch of others. They also switched the order of songs. Terrible.”

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The broadcast itself started about half an hour late because CBS’s coverage of The Masters ran long. The concert was originally taped on March 28 to mark the 100th show in Joel’s MSG residency , which began in January 2014 and will conclude on July 25. He has performed close to 150 times at the World’s Most Famous Arena in his career.

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Joel spoke with USA Today before the concert aired, saying that particular show only felt different because “there were a bunch of cameras on stage.”

“I’ve been playing Madison Square Garden since the ‘70s,” he said. “The 100 just happened to be a round number and happened to coincide with a Garden show I was already doing.”

In addition to the rebroadcast, viewers can watch the entire special now on Paramount+.

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Cbs to re-air billy joel concert special after final minutes cut off.

Viewers in the eastern half of the country missed the conclusion of Sunday's show.

By Rick Porter

Rick Porter

Television Writer

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CBS is apologizing for a timing mixup that cut off the final moments of a Billy Joel concert special for many viewers Sunday night.

Viewers in the Eastern and Central time zones missed the final two minutes of Billy Joel: The 100th — Live at Madison Square Garden when the program cut abruptly to local news telecasts. Joel was singing the final verse of “Piano Man” when the screen went black and then cut to local newscasts.

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The special, initially scheduled for 9 p.m. ET Sunday, was pushed back by about a half-hour in the eastern half of the country after the network’s coverage of the Masters golf tournament ran into primetime. A CBS News special report also aired before the start of 60 Minutes .

Social media reaction to the mixup was, unsurprisingly, not kind to CBS. One representative post on X rewrote the chorus of “Piano Man” as, “Sing us a half-song, you’re the Piano Man/Sing us a half-song tonight/’Cause we all heard part of a melody/And CBS producers aren’t bright.”

Billy Joel: The 100th was taped in March and marked the singer-songwriter’s 100th consecutive performance at Madison Square Garden.

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Billy Joel's 100th residency special cut during pivotal 'Piano Man' performance, CBS apologizes

CBS did not turn the lights back on during the  100th show of Billy Joel's residency .

The network in a statement on Monday apologized for ending the singer's "Billy Joel: The 100th – Live at Madison Square Garden" special two minutes early on Sunday, blaming a "network programming timing error." CBS also said it will rebroadcast the two-hour special on Friday at 9 p.m. ET.

"We apologize to Mr. Joel, his fans, our affiliated stations, and our audience whose viewing experience was interrupted during the last song," CBS said in a statement to USA TODAY Monday.

The special marked the centennial of Joel's record-setting run at Madison Square Garden , which began in January 2014 and will conclude July 25.

Excited fans who tuned in were upset after the broadcast was delayed by 30 minutes due to the 2024 Masters Tournament and ultimately cut off in the middle of Joel's larger than life "Piano Man" for local news programming.

The Barstool Sports account chimed into the discourse on X, formerly Twitter, writing , "How do you cut a Billy Joel Concert in the Middle of Piano Man?!"

"CBS has been promoting the Billy Joel concert special every two minutes for WEEKS. So what better way to air it than to preempt it for a half hour and the cut him off MID-PIANO MAN? C'mon guys," one upset fan posted .

Another wrote , "You couldn't produce a worse product than CBS just did on the Billy Joel special Way too many commercials, didn't play some of his best songs, went extremely out of order in his set list, and then cuts away to the local news in the middle of Piano Man?!? A total flop by CBS."

"Just an absolute disaster by CBS tonight producing the Billy Joel concert. Ineptitude at its finest. Start it late and cut it off early. Just horrible. #BillyJoel100," another dissatisfied viewer posted .

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Where to watch Billy Joel concert special

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In an interview with USA TODAY , the "Uptown Girl" singer said the 100th performance, including appearances from pals Jerry Seinfeld and Sting, was different from the earlier shows "because there were a bunch of cameras on stage!"

"I've been playing (Madison Square Garden) since the '70s. The 100 just happened to be a round number and happened to coincide with a Garden show I was already doing," he said.

When it came to including Sting in this particular show, Joel said, "I've known him quite a while,  since he was in The Police.  We became friends right away and I always admired his musicianship. We respect each other as musicians. It's very easy for me to work with him. It doesn't require a long rehearsal process. I hate rehearsal."

"I'm OK with making a mistake. A lot of the fun of it is in the spontaneity of the recovery," he added. "He and I have great bands, and if you're working with good musicians it makes life so much easier. I've written songs with Sting in mind, like 'Big Man on Mulberry Street,' which we do in this show."

Contributing: Melissa Ruggieri , Brendan Morrow

Billy Joel’s CBS Concert Special Abruptly Ends Mid-‘Piano Man,’ Baffling Viewers and News Anchors

By Larisha Paul

Larisha Paul

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.

The CBS broadcast of Billy Joel ‘s milestone 100th headlining show at Madison Square Garden was regrettably stuck between a rock and a hard place: the Masters golf tournament and the local news. The concert special, which captured the show held on March 28 and aired on Sunday evening, was subject to a number of scheduling changes that left fans — and news anchors — disappointed and frustrated when The 100th: Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden – The Greatest Arena Run of All Time was ultimately cut short for time.

The Masters caused the broadcast to begin 30 minutes later than its expected 9 p.m. EST start time, which might not have caused too much upset if it didn’t lead to the show abruptly ending in the middle of “Piano Man.”

On the original setlist, the “Piano Man” singalong marked the last song before the hit-filled encore featuring “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” “Uptown Girl,” “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me,” and “Big Shot.” In the broadcast, the order was shifted around to close with “Piano Man,” and only “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me” made the final cut.

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Another added : “You couldn’t produce a worse product than CBS just did on the Billy Joel special. Way too many commercials, didn’t play some of his best songs, went extremely out of order in his set list, and then cuts away to the local news in the middle of Piano Man?!? A total flop by CBS.”

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For now , The 100th: Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden is streaming on Paramount+ , though the stream of the special still omits “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” “Uptown Girl,” and “Big Shot.”

This article was updated on Monday, April 15 at 2:25 p.m EST to include a statement from CBS .

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Concert film Suga – Agust D Tour ‘D-Day’ The Movie from Trafalgar Releasing took in $990k for Saturday alone, rounding out the North American box office top ten — testament to the power of concert films post-Covid and the enduring popularity of the K-Pop powerhouse. The band is currently on hiatus as members entered military service required in South Korea. But Suga, the second oldest, got in one last solo concert in Seoul last year. It was released into theaters globally for two playdates on April 10 and April 13, for a cume of $2.2 million.

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The showtimes were limited, mostly to one 7 pm screening, although some theaters had more than one. Additional screenings continue at select locations through April 21.

North America Imax grosses for Suga were $705k — a notable 32% of the cume to date.

Trafalgar said  the top three North America engagements were Regal Dole Cannery (Honolulu, HI), Regal Edwards Mira Mesa (San Diego, CA) and Regal Stonestown Galleria (San Francisco).

The Long Game from Mucho Mas Media was no. 8 in North America on 1,030 with an estimated $1.39 million. Julio Quintana’s sports drama starring  Jay Hernandez  and  Dennis Quaid , is the true story of five young Mexican American caddies in 1955 who created their own golf course in the middle of South Texas brush country. Despite outdated and inferior equipment and no professional instruction at first they would go on to compete against wealthy all-white teams and win the 1957 Texas State High School Golf Championship.

Other solid specialty openings include horror-thriller Sting , with a projected weekend gross of $860k from 975 screens. Well Go USA’s widest-ever theatrical release, directed by Kiah Roache-Turner, stars Alyla Browne as 12-year-old Charlotte, whose pet spider rapidly transforms into a giant flesh-eating monster, forcing the young girl to fight for her family’s survival.

Sasquatch Sunset is grossing $93k in its first weekend in limited release on nine screens for a weekend at $10.3k. Nathan and David Zellner’s dialogue-free quirky imagining of the daily lives of a Bigfoot tribe in northern California is getting great press ahead an expansion to 800 screens this Friday. Stars Jesse Eisenberg, Riley Keough, Christophe Zajac-Denek and Nathan Zellner — unrecognizable as the hairy tribe of four.

Indigo Girls : It’s Only Life After All is seeing $14.2k on 14 screens. The Oscilloscope release by Alexandria Bombach’s has a cume of $147k including a one-night event showing on 98 screens last week.

Holdovers: Sony Pictures Classics’ Wicked Little Letters is at an estimated $820.4k on 1,009 screens (last week 1,002), for a cume of $2,8 million. Director Thea Sharrock’s British period comedy, R-rated for profanity, stars Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley.

IFC’s Late Night With The Devil took in another $440k on 607 screens for a cume of $9.3 million. By Cameron and Colin Cairnes, starring David Dastmalchian.

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‘Sesame Street’ Writers Approve WGA Strike Authorization Vote as Contract Expiration Looms

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Writers employed by “Sesame Street” producer Sesame Workshop have voted unanimously to support a strike authorization vote from the Writers Guild of America as the April 19 expiration of the current contract approaches.

The 35 writers represented by the union have been in negotiations with the production company behind “Sesame Street” and other children’s programs since February. If the sides can’t reach a deal by April 19, picketing will begin outside Sesame Workshop’s Manhattan headquarters on April 24, the WGA said Tuesday.

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Sesame Workshop is a nonprofit organization, which means it’s in an unusual position of facing a strike threat. WGA East president Lisa Takeuchi Cullen acknowledged the awkwardness of the situation.

“No one wants to see a picket line on Sesame Street,” said Takeuchi Cullen. “Millions of parents and families around the world are going to have a lot of questions. They might ask why the bosses at Sesame Workshop are ignoring their company’s own messages of kindness and fairness.”

Sesame Workshop’s other shows include animated series “Bea’s Block,” “Esme and Roy” and “Mecha Builders” — all produced for Max.

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