As the lights dimmed upon the CalCoast Amphitheater, the deafening roar of anticipation heard from the crowd signaled that Sting was about to take the stage.
British singer-songwriter Sting finally returned to touring after a long hiatus caused by the Coronavirus pandemic. On Oct. 4, Sting performed at CalCoast, treating San Diego to an evening of his most popular tunes.
After the initial applause began to die down, the opening notes of “Message in a Bottle,” from The Police’s 1979 album Reggatta De Blanc, resonated from the stage. Fans rose up out of their seats once they recognized this iconic, arpeggiated guitar riff.
Sting, who had just turned 72 two days before, kept the energy high as his band transitioned into one of his most popular songs titled “Englishman in New York,” featuring a reggae inspired groove that drives it. The crowd sang as one during the song’s outro, repeating the line “be yourself, no matter what they say.”
Whether he was doing vocal tradeoffs with his backing vocalist on soulful songs like 1993’s “Heavy Cloud No Rain” or reaching for the crowd during the timeless Police track, “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” the singer fully displayed his retained vigor. Sting also set the mood when the situation called for it, opting to sit on a chair close to the stage’s edge on slower, more intimate songs, such as the 2021 track “Loving You,” from his album, “The Bridge.”
A high point of his set came when he played his 1993 song, “Shape Of My Heart.” After playing through a few of the song’s verses and choruses, backing singer Gene Noble took center stage to deliver a powerful rendition of “Lucid Dreams,” by the late artist Juice WRLD, which samples the guitar riff from “Shape Of My Heart.” The crowd could be heard joining along in singing Higgins’ lyrics while also applauding the tribute. This however, wasn’t the only tribute paid of the night. While performing the heavily reggae influenced Police hit “So Lonely,” Sting and his band rejoiced with the audience, interpolating lyrics from Bob Marley’s “No Woman, No Cry.”
Sting closed the set with notable Police songs like “King Of Pain” and their most known hit, “Every Breath You Take.” Fans were also delighted with having Sting’s son, Joe Sumner, join him on stage to play guitar and sing before finishing the set.
Fourth-year San Diego State business student Kevin Steinhilber was on his way home from a late class when he heard “Every Breath You Take” radiating from the amphitheater, at which he then decided to take a seat and listen to the rest of the show.
“It’s pretty cool that you can hear a lot of the show just from sitting behind the theater,” Steinhilber said.
Sting and his band re-emerged for a two song encore, playing the fan favorite “Roxanne,” by the Police and an emotional rendition of “Fragile,” a song from Sting’s 1987 album titled “…Nothing Like The Sun.” Extending the list of tributes, snippets of Duke Ellington’s “It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)” could be heard by keen listeners during the band’s performance of “Roxanne.”
Sting and his band followed by thanking the audience and promptly exiting the stage, to which they were met back with a roar of applause from the audience.
After the show ended, Colin Taquino, a third-year music recording and audio design student, recounted his admiration for Sting and his performance. Taquino stated that his parents urged him to see the show after they learned that Sting would be performing, something which he says he was glad to do.
Logan Bishop, a multi-instrumentalist and third-year accounting student, stated that he was personally inspired by the music of Sting and The Police, citing original Police drummer Stewart Copeland as his main drumming influence. Sting on the other hand, plays more of a direct role in influencing Bishop’s songwriting and composition.
When asked his favorite song of the night, Bishop stated that it was the Arabian inspired “Desert Rose” that surprised him the most with how many elements of the studio recording were able to be reproduced live.
Bishop emphasized the significance of someone with legendary status such as Sting coming around.
“Opportunities to see legacy artists like this don’t come too often, he said”
