Rock singer Sting, who first shot fame to as principal songwriter, lead singer and bass guitarist of the legendary rock band The Police in the 1970s and 1980s before becoming a successful solo artist, makes his long awaited return to Manila for a major concert on December 9 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City.
Staged by Ovation Productions, the “Sting: Back To Bass Tour,” is part of Sting’s ongoing world tour and support of Sting’s recently-released three CD-DVD box set collection, “Sting 25 Years,” and a 12-track CD retrospective, “Sting: The Best of 25 Years.”
The gig will reunite Sting with his millions of Filipino fans 18 years after his smash debut appearance here in 1994 at the Ultra outdoor stadium in Pasig City, also produced by Ovation Productions.
It will showcase the iconic singer’s extraordinary talents as musician, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist through a rich catalogue of chart-topping hit songs that he created and performed for The Police and as a solo act during a successful career spanning more than 35 years.
The concert, which has drawn wide acclaim in North America, Europe, the United Kingdom and Africa, shall feature Sting playing his main instrument – the bass guitar –as he performs choice cuts from his work with The Police, as well as those from his hit solo albums, including “Roxanne,” “Can’t Stand Losing You,” “Every Breath You Take,” “If Ever I Lose My Faith In You,” “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” “Driven To Tears,” “Demolition Man,” “Message In A Bottle,” “All This Time,” “Seven Days,” “Fortress Around Your Heart,” “Fields Of Gold,” “Heavy Cloud, No Rain,” and many more.
The man born Gordon Matthew Summer in Newcastle, England developed an interest in music at an early age and even while he was performing his professional duties as a certified primary school teacher in his home city.
After playing in jazz/rock bands like “Last Exit” and various other groups, including a dixieland jazz band, where he got the nickname “Sting” because of the yellow and black striped shirt he wore, he moved to London in 1977 and joined Stewart Copeland and Henry Padovani (who was soon replaced by Andy Summers) in forming the New Wave rock trio The Police.
Between 1978 and 1983, the group released five chart-topping albums and won six Grammy Awards. Its last album, “Synchronicity” (1983), included its most successful song, “Every Breath You Take,” which is officially listed as the most requested radio song of all time.
In August, 1983, Sting left The Police and went on to record several solo albums, earning a reputation as one of the most literate songwriters and talented musicians in the world.
He made his debut solo appearance in September, 1984, performing solo versions of “Roxanne” and “Message In A Bottle” on all four nights of the fourth Amnesty International benefit, “The Secret Policeman’s Other Ball;” while his first solo album, “The Dreams Of The Blue Turtles,” was released in 1985 and garnered for Sting a Grammy Award nomination for Album of the Year.
His 1991 album, “The Soul Cages,” which was dedicated to the memory of his recently-deceased father, featured the Top 10 song, “All This Time” (No. 5 on the US pop chart) and the Grammy Award-winning single, “The Soul Cages.”
His 1993 album, “Ten Summoner’s Tales” (which peaked at No. 2 in the UK and US charts), went Platinum in just one year and earned a nomination for the Mercury Prize in 1993 and for the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1994.
One of the singles in the album, “If I Ever Lose My Faith In You,” won for Sting his second Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 36th Grammy Awards in 1993 following his first Grammy Award for the same category in 1987 for “Bring On The Night.”
Two more Grammy Awards and three more Grammy Awards nominations followed, while his 1999 album, “Brand New Day,” which included the Top 40 hits, “Brand New Day” and “Desert Rose,” won the Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Song of the Year in 2000.
In February 2001, he garnered another Grammy Awards for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for his rendition of “She Walks This Earth (Soberana Rose)” on “A Love Affair: The Music Of Ivan Lins.”
As a solo musician and as member of The Police, Sting has received a total of 16 Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards, a Golden Globe Award, an Emmy Award and several Oscar nominations for Best Original Song for his work.
He is a member of both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame.
He was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) during the 2003 Queen’s Birthday Honors List for his services to music.
On February 11, 2007, Sting reunited with other members of The Police and performed as the opening act in the 2007 Grammy Awards, setting the stage for the Police Reunion Tour that started on May 28, 2007 in Vancouver, Canada before 22,000 fans at one of two nearly sold-out shows and lasted for more than a year.
Recently, Sting took time off from his ongoing world tour and joined a slew of other A-list celebrities in a benefit concert organized by NBC Universal on Nov. 2 to help bring relief and ease the suffering of victims of Hurricane Sandy in the US.
Others who took part in the live one-hour musical event hosted by “Today” show’s Matt Lauer from Rockefeller Center in New York City were East Coast natives Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Jon Bon Jovi, Christina Aguilera and Mary J. Blige, as well as Jimmy Fallon, Jon Stewart, Kevin Bacon, Tina Fey, James Gandolfini and Al Roker.
(“Sting: Back To Bass Tour” is produced by Ovation Productions in association with Live Nation and RZO Entertainment, Inc. It is supported by Jack TV, ETC, 2ndAvenue, Jack TV and Manila Bulletin. Tickets are priced at P15,840 (VIP-reserved seating), P10,560 (patron-reserved seating), P7,920 (lower box-reserved seating), P5,810 (upper box A-reserved seating), P3,700 (upper box B-reserved seating) and P1,030 (general admission-free seating). Tickets are on sale at all Ticketnet outlets or may be purchased online at www.ticketnet.com.ph. For more info, call Ticketnet at 9115555. — )