Sting back to bass, still on top

MANILA, Philippines - Sting is among the few musical celebrities who made it big first as part of a singing group and later became bigger as a solo artist.

After making waves as the singer-songwriter of the legendary rock band The Police in the ’70s and the ’80s, he earned more accolades as a solo performer, rising to the top of rock music during those glorious eras.

More than a quarter of a century since then and until today, the British singing star has remained an enduring presence in music and entertainment, a towering icon and shining symbol of the finest in popular music adored by millions for his collection of great hits.

To celebrate his 25 years in the music industry, Sting has been doing a series of concerts in various parts of the world since last year in an epic tour that traces his musical roots.

Dubbed as Sting: Back To Bass Tour, the concert series brings Sting back to the country for a one-night-only live show to be staged by Ovation Productions on Dec. 9 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City as part of the tour’s Southeast Asian leg that also includes stops in Taipei, Hong Kong, Singapore and Jakarta.

The concert tour, which has drawn wide acclaim in North America, Europe, the United Kingdom and Africa, is also in support of Sting’s recently-released three CD-DVD box set collection, Sting 25 Years and the 12-track CD retrospective, Sting: The Best of 25 Years.

The Big Dome gig marks the return of Sting to Manila 18 years after his smash debut here in 1994, when he performed to a record crowd of more than 25,000 at the ULTRA outdoor stadium in Pasig City, also under the auspices of Ovation Productions.

It will showcase the iconic singer’s remarkable talents as musician and multi-instrumentalist through a rich catalogue of chart-toppers.

The concert will feature Sting playing his main instrument — the bass guitar — as he performs choice cuts from his work during his stellar career 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 also played 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. This was before he moved to London in 1977, joining Stewart Copeland and Henry Padovani (who was soon replaced by Andy Summers) in forming the New Wave 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 of 1983, Sting left The Police and went on to record several solo albums and win several awards.

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 Feb. 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 pain and 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, 2nd Avenue, Jack TV and The Philippine STAR. 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 details, call Ticketnet at 911-5555.)