[Review] Sting @ Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne 23/02/2023
There aren’t many appropriate words to describe the greatness Sting’s influence on music, whether it’s his songs themselves or the known influences he draws from all corners of the world, notably classical renaissance and Jamaican reggae. What made this recent tour of his so special was Gordon Sumner bringing his son, Joe, along as a support act, and what better way to experience this at it’s fullest than joining my own father who’s been impacted by Sting’s music as early as the Police days.
Joe Sumner beautifully demonstrated his own musical prowess through a heartfelt track list of original, folky, acoustic numbers clearly demonstrating his authentic love and pursuit of his artwork. His opening tune, Looking For Me Looking For You, was a standout in itself for me personally being a lover of certain musical elements with the way Joe doubled up his vocals with a guitar lick. Other stand outs included Jellybean, a very personal soliloquy, almost nursery rhyme dedicated to his children, and Hope, joined by Paul Dempsey that provided a powerful finale to this supporting act. Joe Sumner’s authenticity as an artist and mind-blowing high vocals was in itself a treat to witness, an performance that would undoubtedly make his father proud
You know when you see someone so legendary up close long enough that you start doubting your own present reality? This is honestly a feeling I can’t describe better as Gordon Sumner himself, along with his remarkable band, entered the arena opening the set with none other than the famous letter on solitude, Message in a Bottle. This was followed closely by other iconic Police tracks like Englishmen in New York and the up-tempo wholesome love letter that is Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic. It was a struggle to find any member audience, mixed with both old and young fans alike, dancing on their feet and belting every word, including myself proudly. This was all before Sting acknowledged and thanked the fans for their lyrical cooperation, and then almost apologetically expressed a humorous, exaggerated disdain for the amount of new/solo material he would be performing for a large portion of the night.
There was nothing to even jokingly apologise for however, for Sting had demonstrated a magical setlist filled with heavy influences such as classical, R n B gospel, reggae sounds from the many artistic streets of Jamaica, and even the instantly recognisable licks and musical language of Arabic impact. Amongst this artistry, Gordon’s vocals never wavered, and this was only beautifully accompanied by the highly energetic and sensational backing vocalists, whose spirit/image never failed to plaster my face with a grin as their enjoyment of the night were never disguised. Sting also had the entirety of Rod Laver Arena wrapped around his finger between songs as his humour and level of storytelling is unmatched. The story telling impacted me most as he described his home which surrounded itself with barely fields, perfectly setting up the plaintive thirst of Fields of Gold, in which its nostalgia alone set off every emotion in my body and soul.
Right before Sting concluded his two-hour magical recital with remaining Police hits, an almost orchestral performance of What Could of Been, joined by an emotional but breathtaking montage of scenes from the hit animated show Arcane in which the track is featured on it’s OST. The energy picked up afterwards however as the iconic keys-doubled Bassline of Walking On The Moon echoed through the venue, later on followed with Stings’s son, Joe Sumner, once again joining the ensemble on stage for King Of Pain, and the strangely beautiful but haunting Every Breath You Take.
Encores have not yet exited large shows like this, and annoyingly exciting as they are, for Sting and his band only made the wait short before re-entering the stage. Sting once again let his humour run wild as he teased us fans by jokingly forgetting one last chart-topping Police number, humorously complaining about his straining vocals as every one of us screamed ROXANNE, before finally the guitarist broke the tension performing the iconic introductory reggae skanks of the legendary tune. This song did not conclude the night however, as Sting sat on a stool with an acoustic six string and wanted to formerly conclude the night with a beautiful, heartfelt rendition of Fragile dedicated to harrowing disasters currently happening over in Ukraine, Russia and Turkey, giving a voice to families or individuals who is left to do nothing but Endure and Survive through such horrific events. Another tear jerker that concluded such a breathtaking and unforgettable night that will continue to flood my soul with joy months after its performance.
Interview with Joe Sumner
We’re proud to announce the release of a new LIVE EP from Joe Sumner, Feelin’ The Love, Tastin’ The
Fear. The 5-track affair is an unfiltered chronicle of a performance in France in November 2022, complete with Sumner's undeniable raw energy and French language repartee played to a lively and engaged audience. The tracks will be featured on Sumner’s debut studio album, Sunshine In The Night, due out later this year.
The EP release runs concurrently with a 3-month string of tour dates in support of Sting, and spanning no less than 10 time zones, taking him from Abu Dhabi to South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore and more.
Now living in Los Angeles, Joe maintains “proud dad” status, while churning out highly listenable indie folk pop masterpieces, including “Hope,” the studio version of which had a hot point during the 2020 Election, co-opted by the Biden campaign and concurrently used as source material for a star studded video clip featuring folks like Gaby Moreno, Ben Folds, Juliana Hatfield and Joe’s dad, in a heartfelt singalong. MSNBC Morning Joe premiered the video, which also featured the show’s Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski.
2 more tracks, “You You You” and “Looking For Me, Looking For You,” also to be featured on Sunshine In The Night and performed live in Strasbourg, were ceremoniously rolled out in 2022 with the help of American Songwriter, Rolling Stone and others amid an almost ceaseless touring agenda supporting Sting and playing solo dates in EU, UK and stateside.
Kicking off his musical career in London in the nineties, Sumner has spent far more than the perfunctory 10,000 hours perfecting his craft. There, he formed a band called Santa’s Boyfriend, which subsequently became the beloved trio, Fiction Plane. The band enjoyed a moment, well, several years of moments, a few record labels, a small handful of releases, a well-cultivated fan base and an 18-month tour supporting another trio, The Police before parting ways.
Joe Sumner’s Feelin’ The Love, Tastin’ The Fear is out now…
Joe Sumner will open for his father Gordon Sumner (aka Sting) on all his Australian dates. The tour kicks off tonight in Perth.
Sting dates are:
10 and 11 February, Perth, Kings Park & Botanic Gardens
15 and 16 February, Sydney, Aware Super Theatre
18 February, Hunter Valley, A Day On The Green
19 February, Mount Cotton, A Day On The Green
21 February, Adelaide, Entertainment Centre
23 February, Melbourne, Rod Laver Arena
25 February, Mt Duneed, A Day On The Green
26 February, Bowral, A Day On The Green
STING: MY SONGS Critically Acclaimed World Tour adds new Dates in Sydney
Sting’s concert at Sydney’s Aware Super Theatre on Wednesday, February 15 has sold out and due to overwhelming demand, a second and final concert is confirmed for Thursday, February 16. This follows last week’s announcement of a second show in Perth.
Tickets go on sale on Thursday, October 6 at 10am (local time).
Sting fan club pre-sale commences at 10am on Wednesday, October 5, concluding at 9am on Thursday, October 6. Live Nation pre-sale commences at 10am on Wednesday, October 5, concluding at 9am on Thursday, October 6. All times are local.
For complete tour and ticket information, visit: livenation.com.au
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 hear ‘Englishman In New York,’ ‘Every Breath You Take,’ ‘Roxanne,’ ‘Message In A Bottle’ and many more. Sting will be accompanied by an electric, rock ensemble, with Special Guest Joe Sumner on his first solo Australian tour.
Following a sold out six-night residency at the London Palladium, My Songs was hailed “a masterclass” by UK’s The Times; “Sting remains an undeniably skilled performer with a gold-plated back catalogue”. A musical journey taking in hits like ‘Fields of Gold’, ‘Shape of my Heart’, ‘Roxanne’ and ‘Demolition Man’, the concert was described as “a rare treat” by The Telegraph and saw Sting praised as “near peerless” by The Guardian with “sublime pop alchemy”.
Sting’s My Songs tour will commence in Perth on Friday, February 10 and Saturday, February 11 at Kings Park & Botanic Garden, followed by Sydney’s Aware Super Theatre on Wednesday, February 15, Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Tuesday, February 21 and Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena on February 23.
STING
MY SONGS
AUSTRALIA 2023
With special guest Joe Sumner
KINGS PARK & BOTANIC GARDEN, PERTH
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 10 – SOLD OUT
KINGS PARK & BOTANIC GARDEN, PERTH
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 11 – NEW SHOW
AWARE SUPER THEATRE, SYDNEY
WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 15 – SOLD OUT
AWARE SUPER THEATRE, SYDNEY
WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 16 – NEW SHOW
ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE, ADELAIDE
TUESDAY FEBRUARY 21
ROD LAVER ARENA, MELBOURNE
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 23
TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16 AT 11AM (LOCAL TIME)
Sting fan club pre-sale: Commences at 10am on Wednesday, October 5, concluding at 9am on Thursday, October 6.
Live Nation pre-sale: commences at 10am on Wednesday, October 5, concluding at 9am on Thursday, October 6.
All times are local.
For complete tour, ticket and VIP Experience information, visit: sting.com & livenation.com.au
ALSO PERFORMING AT A DAY ON THE GREEN
BIMBADGEN, HUNTER VALLEY SATURDAY 18 FEBRUARY
SIRROMET WINES, MOUNT COTTON, SUNDAY 19 FEBURARY
MT DUNEED ESTATE, GEELONG SATURDAY 25 FEBRUARY
CENTENNIAL VINEYARDS, BOWRAL SUNDAY 26 FEBRUARY
TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16 AT 11AM (LOCAL TIME)
Sting fanclub pre-sale: Tuesday September 13, 11am – Friday September 16, 10am
ADOTG pre-sale: Tuesday September 13, 11am – Friday September 16, 10am
Presented by A Day On The Green; visit www.adayonthegreen.com.au
STING: MY SONGS Critically Acclaimed World Tour Confirms Australian 2023 Dates
Sting will return to Australia in February 2023 for the first time in nearly 7 years, on his critically acclaimed My Songs tour. 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 hear ‘Englishman In New York,’ ‘Every Breath You Take,’ ‘Roxanne,’ ‘Message In A Bottle’ and many more. Sting will be accompanied by an electric, rock ensemble, with Special Guest Joe Sumner on his first solo Australian tour.
Following a sold-out six-night residency at the London Palladium, My Songs was hailed “a masterclass” by UK’s The Times; “Sting remains an undeniably skilled performer with a gold-plated back catalogue”. A musical journey taking in hits like ‘Fields of Gold’, ‘Shape of my Heart’, ‘Roxanne’ and ‘Demolition Man’, the concert was described as “a rare treat” by The Telegraph and saw Sting praised as “near peerless” by The Guardian with “sublime pop alchemy”.
Sting’s My Songs tour will commence in Perth on Friday, February 10 at Kings Park & Botanic Garden, followed by Sydney’s Aware Super Theatre on Wednesday, February 15, Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Tuesday, February 21 and Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena on February 23.
General public tickets go on sale on Friday, September 16 at 11am.
Sting fan club pre-sale commences at 11am on Tuesday, September 13, concluding at 10am on Friday September 16. Live Nation pre-sale commences at 10am on Wednesday, September 14, running for 48 hours. All times are local. For complete tour and ticket information, visit: livenation.com.au
STING
MY SONGS
AUSTRALIA 2023
With special guest Joe Sumner
KINGS PARK & BOTANIC GARDEN, PERTH
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 10
AWARE SUPER THEATRE, SYDNEY
WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 15
ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE, ADELAIDE
TUESDAY FEBRUARY 21
ROD LAVER ARENA, MELBOURNE
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 23
TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16 AT 11AM (LOCAL TIME)
Sting fanclub pre-sale: Tuesday September 13, 11am – Friday September 16, 10am
Live Nation pre-sale: Wednesday September 14, 10am – Friday September 16, 10am
For complete tour, ticket and VIP Experience information, visit: livenation.com.au
ALSO PERFORMING AT A DAY ON THE GREEN
BIMBADGEN, HUNTER VALLEY SATURDAY 18 FEBRUARY
SIRROMET WINES, MOUNT COTTON, SUNDAY 19 FEBURARY
MT DUNEED ESTATE, GEELONG SATURDAY 25 FEBRUARY
CENTENNIAL VINEYARDS, BOWRAL SUNDAY 26 FEBRUARY
TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16 AT 11AM (LOCAL TIME)
Sting fanclub pre-sale: Tuesday September 13, 11am – Friday September 16, 10am
ADOTG pre-sale: Tuesday September 13, 11am – Friday September 16, 10am
Presented by A Day On The Green; visit www.adayonthegreen.com.au
