Fans were delighted to witness two legendary rock stars come together for an opening duet performance of “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic.” It marked their debut performance together since starting their co-headlining tour back in February at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium.
Sting’s set featured both solo hits and Police classics, and featured special guest Shaggy for “Englishman in New York”.
The Englishman in New York
Fan-captured videos showed Sting returning to the stage after Joel had finished performing to duet with him on “Big Man on Mulberry Street,” much to the delight of the crowd and sound quality was fantastic. Both sang beautifully together with great audience applause.
Sting is known for his iconic tune “My Sweet Lord”, but it was quite surprising when his singer from The Police joined him onstage for this classic tune from his book Quentin Crisp’s Life, featuring an eclectic blend of reggae, classical, and jazz sounds to encapsulate city life – especially Brandford Marsalis’ incredible soprano sax solo which impressed the crowd immensely.
John Hurt first shot to fame with his portrayal of Crisp in The Naked Civil Servant (1975 telefilm), but this film marks a satisfying and gentle endpoint of his career. More fully developed than its predecessor, it showcases Hurt’s brilliant, detailed performance while further cementing his status as one of Hollywood’s premier straight actors who have played gay characters.
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
As rock legends Sting and Joel come back together this summer, they’ll each take turns joining each other onstage for exceptional performances. At Ray James Stadium, Joel joined Sting to perform “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic”.
Although his voice had softened since its prime years, it still proved more than capable of carrying every line of this stirring track. Even though Foreigner’s “Waiting for a Girl Like You” and Dame Olivia Newton-John’s heartfelt compassion of Fragile outshines it musically, Sunward remains an unforgettable song with lyrics that send our spirits skyward.
Don’t miss your opportunity to witness two of music’s esteemed recording artists perform live at Petco Park! Get your tickets today for this once-in-a-lifetime concert event featuring iconic hits from each artist’s legendary careers. Ticket packages may even include accommodation, dinner with them, VIP services and a late checkout on your last day!
Big Man on Mulberry Street
Billy Joel made a strong first impression as co-headlining artist alongside Sting in Tampa on Saturday night with a lively set that combined some of their biggest hits along with enthusiastic covers and song snippets. At 66 years old, Joel performed strong and soundly while engaging his audience by dragging the microphone across stage during “Roxanne” for audience participation as well as giving an unforgettable rendition of “Your Song,” complete with Elton John impression.
One of the highlights was when Sting joined Joel onstage for a duet performance of “Big Man on Mulberry Street.” They had previously performed this song together at both 2013 New Orleans JazzFest and Sting’s 2014 Madison Square Garden show; an extended live version can be found on Kohuept album. Lyrically, “Big Man on Mulberry Street” depicts an average guy who strives to become Big Man on Mulberry Street; its jazz influence provides an assertive melody, while it references Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse film Singin’ in the Rain (1974).
The Lion Sleeps Tonight
After performing new songs all night long, Joel invited Sting back onto stage for a surprise duet performance of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”. Dressed in an iconic trucker hat, Sting joined Joel in singing “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”
Originating as “Wimoweh”, which was released by South Africa’s Gallo Record Company, the song soon received a major boost through The Weavers live version in 1957 and further popularity when Brill Building composer George David Weiss added lyrics making it “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”. Since then it has sold millions of copies and inspired multiple film adaptations.
Sting was an adept singer for Joel’s classic Tokens tune “Every Time We Touch”, sounding flawless together as they were applauded by an appreciative Raymond James Stadium audience. Clapping along, Joel and Sting started their show off right; fans at Raymond James Stadium cheered their old-school collaboration which began during an encore performance using an iPad to replicate its four-part harmony harmony of original version by The Tokens.