Sting will hit Philadelphia on May 1st for the kick-off to his 2020 “My Songs” tour. Sting, who last played The Met Philadelphia back in November, will return for what looks as though his only non-Las Vegas tour date before beginning his eight-night run at “Sin City's” Colosseum at Caesars Palace. The general onsale for Philly is set for Thursday (January 16th) — at 10 am.
The former-Police leader will have his hands full during the first part of the year, hoofing it onstage during the five-city residencies of his ill-fated Broadway play, The Last Ship, when it runs in L.A.; San Francisco; Washington, D.C.; and Detroit. Sting will star as shipyard foreman, “Jackie White,” and will perform the role at every performance.
Sting told us that the element of surprise is key in keeping music interesting and ageless — which is something he tried to inject into the My Songs album, which revamps his old Police and solo classics: “I've never been afraid to challenge people's expectations; and for me, the most important element in any music is surprise. I need to surprise people within four bars, eight bars. . . When I listen to music, I need to be surprised otherwise I stop listening — if I know what's coming next. I think of those songs no matter who I'm working with at the time. Y'know, I'm a songwriter, I always have been. But I'm always excited by other people's take on the basic bones of the song.”
Sting recently told us that he's especially proud of how adaptable his music is for most any genre he chooses to tackle onstage: “I've always said a good song will survive almost anything. Y'know, I could sit there and play all of these songs on a guitar and just accompany myself, I can do them with a three-piece rock band, I can do them with a slightly larger group with a few jazzers in 'em. Now we can take them to a symphony orchestra and say, 'Well does this work?' And lo and behold, nine times out of ten it does.”
UPDATED: Sting North American tour dates (subject to change):
May 1 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met Philadelphia
May 22, 23, 27, 29, 30 – Las Vegas, NV – The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
June 3, 5, 6 – Las Vegas, NV – The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
August 15, 19, 21, 22, 26, 28, 29 – Las Vegas, NV – The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
September 2 – Las Vegas, NV – The Colosseum at Caesars Palace