Billy Joel & Sting launched their One Night Only stadium tour of One Night Only co-headlining performances Saturday in Tampa. Both artists joined each other during each set to assist singing some classic tracks; The Piano Man also adjusted a verse in “New York State of Mind” to pay homage to Tampa newspaper The Tampa Tribune.
The Englishman
Joel’s music can evoke feelings of nostalgia among an entire crowd – yet with purpose: it brings people closer together.
Rock legend Stevie Nicks (74), brought plenty of Empire State pride to Tampa with him by flashing images of the Brooklyn Bridge and Statue of Liberty during “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song). Additionally, Sting made a return appearance for a jazzy rendition of Police classic “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic”.
He introduced his psychedelic anthem from 1982’s The Nylon Curtain album called “Scandinavian Skies,” a hallucinogenic tale about drug use in Scandinavia. To enhance the performance, Sting returned dressed as Sinatra (in his signature Sinatra suit and hat). Together, they sang “Scandinavian Skies’ chorus facing each other and appeared to feed off each other’s energy.
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
Family drama brimming with musical, poetic beauty. Kitten relies on magical thinking when she starts seeing tarot cards and an old mixtape appear around her home, only for tragedy to strike unexpectedly, leading her into new territories of loss and sorrow. Will her songs help guide her forward?
Sting’s set featured both his timeless hits as well as contemporary interpretations – such as covering Juice WRLD’s “Lucid Dreams.” Shane Sager from Sting’s talented band recreated Stevie Wonder’s harmonica parts on “Brand New Day”, making the performance feel almost spontaneously composed by Motown legend himself.
Joel gave RayJay plenty of Empire State love with a screen showing images of the Brooklyn Bridge during “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant.” And during “New York State of Mind,” Joel turned and pointed towards Lady Liberty – perhaps alluding to one or more co-headlining acts who performed that night.
Big Man on Mulberry Street
Sting’s set at The Bridgewater Hall featured both classics from his catalogue as well as modern interpretations – like his cover of Juice WRLD’s “Lucid Dreams.” Using his impressive bass skills and flawless impersonation of Stevie Wonder’s harmonica intro from Brand New Day, former Police frontman Sting proved that he still can be an exciting headliner.
Joel wrote the jazzy song while walking around Little Italy in his old neighborhood of Little Italy and performed it during OSU style performance with crowd participation singing along and joining in singing it together as one.
Joel closed his set with an encore performance of New York State of Mind and sent shockwaves through the crowd. At 74 years old, there was no sign of weariness from his sold-out audience; his voice may no longer match that of its prime years in the ’70s, yet his passion for music remains undeniable – this living legend and Tampa audience were proud to honor him!
The Lion Sleeps Tonight
On a pleasant Florida evening around three PM, Billy Joel and Sting fans started arriving for their co-headlining concert at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium. As the crowd grew larger, smiles spread across faces and stories were shared about previous concerts from both artists.
As soon as the lights dimmed, they took to the stage, the crowd began singing along. Sting’s set included songs both from his solo career as well as those written for The Police; his set closed with an encore performance of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”, featured both in Disney’s film and musical version of The Lion King.
Solomon Linda first recorded Mbube in South Africa under its original title of Mbube in 1939, before it was later translated by George David Weiss into English and recorded by doo-wop group The Tokens who enjoyed a number one hit in 1961 with it. Unfortunately, as reported by Radio Station RS in 2004, Linda’s descendants have only seen small benefits from such success of their song’s record sales.