Rock ‘n’ roll legend Sting headlined the Carmel venue on May 8...

Out on the road as part of his extensive “My Songs” tour, Sting played to a sold-out crowd in Carmel on Sunday night, treating fans to a two-hour set of songs from throughout his decades-long career.

Rather than opening up the show with a fan favourite, the rock ‘n’ roll icon instead chose to play the song “Russians” from his 1985 solo album The Dream of the Blue Turtles — a move inspired by the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia.

Backed by his dynamic band, Sting quickly picked up the pace with the set’s second song, jumping into the Police’s 1979 classic, “Message in a Bottle.”

Despite turning 70 last October, Sting showed few signs of his age throughout the night, freely roaming the stage while also hitting all the notes fans have come to expect of him.

After an opening stretch of classics, Sting jumped into a collection of songs from 2021 solo album The Bridge. “I’ve got bad news,” he joked. “I’m going to play some new songs for you.”

Sting made the most of the intimate Palladium atmosphere, showing off his trademark charm between songs with candid stories from throughout his life.

Somewhat surprisingly, Sting shared with the crowd that one of his greatest childhood wishes was to become a cowboy when he grew up. For this reason, he said it meant a lot when Johnny Cash covered his 1996 song “I Hung My Head.”

Sting’s band featured the father-son guitar duo of Dominic and Rufus Miller, who gave the British icon’s classic songs the spirit they required.

Over the span of his two-hour set, Sting often clustered songs together, splitting the night into themed movements. During the reggae portion of the concert, for example, he played The Police’s “Wrapped Around Your Finger,” “Walking on the Moon” and “So Lonely” in succession, while also intermingling a few snippets from Bob Marley’s “Get Up, Stand Up” and “No Woman No Cry.”

Backup singers Gene Noble and Melissa Musique shined brightly throughout the night, occasionally receiving ovations of their own after moments of vocal greatness.

After playing 1999 solo standout “Desert Rose,” Sting embarked on his last trip down memory lane, kicking off the show’s final stretch of hits with “King of Pain” from The Police’s 1983 Synchronicity album.

The night’s final instalment of sing-a-long’s featured a pair of Police classics back-to-back in “Every Breath You Take” and “Roxanne,” as fans roared in approval.

After giving the band one final chance to shine on 1980 Police song, “Driven to Tears,” Sting closed out the night on a quiet note, capping off the show on acoustic guitar with the title track from his 2021 solo album The Bridge.

The son of Sting, Joe Sumner opened up for his father at the Palladium, playing a 30-minute set of acoustic tunes that included a selection from his band Fiction Plane.

(c) Nuvo.net by Seth Johnson