Sting soothes nerves with a jazzy set of hits at the Masonic...

“Did anybody else have a rough night last night?” Sting asked Wednesday night at the Masonic as he kicked off the first of two shows, in the wake of Tuesday’s Presidential election. The former bassist and vocalist for ’80s chartbusters The Police was in town for his Sting 3.0 tour, which began in September and ends next week with a pair of dates in Los Angeles.

The “3.0” refers to Gordon Sumner performing with a trio rather than a full band. While this is the same power trio configuration as The Police, Sting’s touring band consists of himself along with longtime collaborator Dominic Miller on guitar and Chris Maas on drums. Together, the band played a number of The Police’s bigger hits, along with a sampling from Sting’s solo albums.

Sting and company launched into “Message in a Bottle,” from 1979 album Regatta de Blanc. Clad in a white T-shirt and black pants and fitted with a headset microphone, Sting encouraged the audience to clap along with the beat. The evening’s second song, “If I Ever Lose My Faith in You,” from his 1993 album, Ten Summoner’s Tales, included some very timely lyrics. “Some would say I was a lost man in a lost world/ You could say I lost my faith in the people on TV/ You could say I’d lost my belief in our politicians/ They all seemed like game show hosts to me,” Sting sang over the lush groove.

“Like you, I had a pretty rough night last night,” the British citizen said between songs. “I will say this: I love your country. We want what’s best for your country and we have to stick together.”

Sting then introduced “Fields of Gold,” explaining how he was inspired by the fields of barley that grow near his “little house on the English countryside; actually it’s more of a castle.”

Miller added velvety vocal harmonies during that tune as well as “Shape of My Heart,” a song the two of them wrote about a gambling philosopher. “All gamblers become philosophers eventually,” Sting said.

The crowd responded loudest to Police hits like “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic,” “Walking on the Moon” and “Can’t Stand Losing You,” which the band transitioned seamlessly into the title track from Regatta de Blanc. Miller is responsible for picking a song out of Sting’s extensive catalog for each tour date, selecting “Wrapped Around Your Finger” on Wednesday.

Maas provided some thundering drum fills on “All This Time,” from 1991’s Soul Cages; and “I Burn For You,” which Sting explained was the oldest song performed that night, written in a classroom when he was a 24-year-old school teacher. Miller added guitar noise to the intro for “Driven To Tears” before taking a face-melting solo during the song from 1980’s Zenyatta Mondatta.

While fans sat in their seats for some of the more sedate material, they jumped to their feet for the biggest hit of the night as Miller delivered the signature palm muted guitar part of “Every Breath You Take.”

Earlier in the evening, Sting personally introduced his opening act, jazz pianist Eric Lewis (ELEW). Sting explained that he’d seen Lewis perform in New York City and immediately asked him to open for him on this tour.

ELEW dressed in a black suit, is a kind of stunt pianist, often manipulating the strings inside the piano’s case with his hands. The resulting effect, particularly on Lewis’ cover of the Swedish electronic duo The Knife’s song “Heartbeats,” sounded somewhere between a piano and guitar.

Lewis broke a piano string during a cover of Breaking Benjamin’s “The Diary of Jane.” He said the string was “the first casualty” of the tour as he held it out for everyone to see. He also demonstrated his virtuosity with his flying fingers on a cover of jazz great Sonny Rollin’s “Oleo.”

Having played on six of the jazz legend’s records, Lewis also performed a cover of Wynton Marsalis’ “Delfeayo’s Dilemma.” Lewis said he learns a medley of songs related to each location on tour, before stringing together Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” and Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” much to the crowd’s obvious delight.

Lewis closed his set with a frenetic and bombastic cover of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” After his set, a short ad for Lewis’ video game featuring the first jazz superhero, “Protect the Swing,” played on a screen behind the stage.

(c) Riff magazine by David Gill

Sting Unites Fans with Emotion and Rock Hits in an Intimate, Post-Election San Francisco Show...

Sting’s “3.0” tour opened its two-night residency in San Francisco last night, with a powerful performance at the intimate Masonic Auditorium, marking a departure from the larger venues he usually fills. This smaller setting fostered a close-knit energy, drawing fans into an emotional, poignant experience. Just one night after the 2024 presidential election, Sting addressed the weighty atmosphere head-on, sharing, “Like you, I had a pretty rough night last night. What a gut punch. And although I’m British, I will say this: I love your country. We want what’s best for your country, and we have to stick together.” His words were met with resounding applause, creating a unifying moment that elevated the concert’s already-charged atmosphere​.

Backed by his power-trio lineup, Sting showcased an impressive mix of rock classics and crowd favorites, further enhanced by the talents of guitarist Dominic Miller and drummer Chris Maas. Miller, a longtime collaborator, brought a seasoned, expressive edge to the set with his intricate, emotive guitar riffs, perfectly complementing Sting’s unmistakable voice and bass lines. His solos struck a balance between subtlety and virtuosity, bringing richness to songs like “Roxanne” and “Every Breath You Take.” Maas, a newer addition to the band, infused the performance with a fresh energy, seamlessly blending power and precision in his drumming. His work added a heightened rhythmic intensity that lent these familiar hits an electrifying new pulse, capturing both the spirit of The Police and Sting’s solo work​

The concert felt like a tribute to Sting’s decades-spanning career, with each song resonating uniquely in the current context. Hits such as “Message in a Bottle” and “If I Ever Lose My Faith in You” took on new depth, tapping into themes of hope and resilience that mirrored the evening’s undertone. The Masonic’s acoustics enhanced the soundscape, with the trio’s setup allowing for both space and clarity in each instrument, giving fans a rare opportunity to experience the raw talent of each musician up close​.

Sting’s San Francisco show demonstrated why his music endures; his performance reminded everyone of music’s power to bring people together in challenging times. With one more night at the Masonic, Sting’s Bay Area fans are sure to savor every moment of this rare, intimate experience.

(c)  Music in SF by Louis Raphael