On March 14 New York experienced quite a nasty blizzard, an unusual experience in mid-March. Parts on New York north of the city were hit a little bit harder than the city itself, but it made travel rather difficult. But the storm didn’t stop some shows from continuing on, including Sting’s sold out show at Hammerstein Ballroom.
The show was a rather intimate affair for an artist like Sting, who could of course, have easily played at even larger venues. But the show was a nice in-between for fans to catch him in a medium-sized venue, a little larger than his last stop at Irving Plaza, and much smaller than his shows at Madison Square Garden last year with Peter Gabriel.
The peformance was the last U.S. date of his tour in support of his 2016 album 57th & 9th (released via Interscope) before continuing on into Europe. He delivered a 23-song performance, a mix of his solo career as well as a wide variety of The Police’s greatest hits, as well as a cover of David Bowie’s “Ashes to Ashes.” Before the opening performances from his son, Joe Sumner, and The Last Bandoleros, Sting began the show with a solo acoustic performance of “Heading South on the Great North Road.” The two openings took turns with twenty minute performances, before handing the torch to Sting. It was an interesting show set-up, one that felt more like a collective shared performance than your typical show, which was a breathe of fresh air.
Find the setlist posted below, along with a gallery of photos from Sting,
Sting Setlist:
1. Heading South on the Great North Road (Solo/Acoustic before opening acts)
2. Synchronicity II (The Police)
3. Spirits in the Material World (The Police)
4. Englishman in New York
5. I Can’t Stop Thinking About You
6. She’s Too Good for Me
7. One Fine Day
8. I Hung My Head
9. Fields of Gold
10. Down, Down, Down
11. Petrol Head
12. Shape of My Heart
13. Pretty Young Soldier
14. Message in a Bottle (The Police)
15. Ashes to Ashes (David Bowie cover w/ Joe Sumner)
16. 50,000
17. Walking on the Moon (The Police)
18. So Lonely (The Police)
19. Desert Rose
20. Roxanne (The Police)
Encore:
21. Next to You (The Police)
22. Every Breath You Take (The Police)
Encore 2:
23. The Empty Chair
Joe Sumner:
The Last Bandoleros:
Sting:
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