In times of mega-concerts choreographed down to the last detail where houses full of beauties and influencers are set up, and the stage is crowded with musicians, backing vocalists, and dancers changing with each song, Sting has indulged in doing the complete opposite. With his world tour Sting 3.0, which landed this Saturday at the Iconic Santalucía Sevilla Fest in Plaza de España, the artist played his greatest hits, accompanied only by two musicians and a bare stage. No frills or nonsense. Nothing to distract from his musical gems.
A repertoire like Sting's, built over his successful and extensive career that began half a century ago, withstands the proposal. The anthems from his time with The Police were heard, such as Message in a bottle (1979), with which he opened the concert, Can't stand losing you (1978), So lonely (1978), Every breath you take (1983), and Roxanne (1978), both towards the end. And to close the recital, Fragile (1987), one of the most emblematic songs of his solo career. To perform it, Sting set aside the bass he had played all night and picked up the acoustic guitar. The finale sounded intimate, like a caress. No fireworks. And none were needed.
Sting, at 74 years old, is not one to jump around the stage much, despite his good physical shape maintained for over three decades through yoga. In fact, before sitting down to perform one of the songs, he said he was "a bit tired". The confession was immediately met with shouts of "handsome" from the audience, who were not up for much excitement either. A large part of the 18,000 spectators who packed Plaza de España, with the 'sold out' sign hung months ago, took their seats in the stands specially set up for this show.
Throughout the night, the well-known Englishman in New York (1987) was also performed, along with Mad about you (1991), Fields of gold and Shape of my heart, both from 1993, and Desert rose, Brand new day, and A thousand years, all three included in Sting's 1999 album.
The British artist, who has been based in New York for decades, showcased the skyline of the iconic American city in the austere visual display of his recital. For this tour, Sting is accompanied by guitarist Dominic Miller, a long-time collaborator, and drummer Chris Maas (Mumford & Sons, Maggie Rogers). Throughout his career, he has sold over 100 million records, combining his time with The Police and his solo career. He has received numerous awards and accolades: 17 Grammy Awards, four Oscar nominations, a Golden Globe, an Emmy... He has also appeared in over fifteen films and has been involved in social and environmental causes.
Sting's intimate and almost acoustic proposal closed the sixth edition of the Iconic Sevilla Fest, which since June 4 has been hosting concerts of all styles in the historic Plaza de España designed by architect Aníbal González for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929, which has also been the set for classics like Lawrence of Arabia.
The Iconic stage has seen performances by Lenny Kravitz and Aitana, both also sold out, Robbie Williams, Moby, The Prodigy, and Jamiroquai. National artists like Raphael, Califato 3/4, La Plazuela, Pablo Alborán, and Hombres G have also performed. From the 20,000 spectators at the first edition of the festival in 2021, attendance has grown to 360,000 for the thirty concerts this summer, positioning the Seville event as the most attended music event in Spain, surpassing Arenal Sound or Primavera Sound Barcelona, according to the data provided by the organizers of the Seville event. Iconic is coming to an end, but Sting continues his tour. Next stop: this Monday in France. Then Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, Croatia, and finally, the United States.