Sting may be best known by the classic rock of his solo career and the reggae-tinged new wave of his group the Police, but he is taking a different approach for his upcoming tour. Sting will hit the road with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra this summer, beginning with a June 2 performance in Vancouver. Sting spoke with Billboard.com about his upcoming road trip, revealing that he will put a classical spin on Police hits like “Everything Little Breathe You Take,” “Roxanne” and “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic.”

Sting worked with Royal Philharmonic Maestro Steve Mercurio to sift through versions of 40 or so Police and solo songs to create the set list. Veteran arrangers like Dave Hartley, Vince Mendoza, Michel Legrand and Rob Mathes lent their talent with the arrangements for the tour as well.
“I’ve always said a good song will survive almost anything. And some of these things were ripped off wholesale from classical music, anyway,” Sting told Billboard.com about the unlikely combination of rock and classical music on his tour.

Fans with Sting tickets can see him perform his array of hits with the backing of the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra in cities like Portland, Ore.; Auburn, Wash.; Morrison, Colo.; Chula Vista, Calif.; Hollywood, Calif.; Las Vegas, Nev.; New Orleans, La.; Tampa, Fla.; Uncasville, Conn.; New York, N.Y. (for two shows at the Metropolitan Opera); Chicago, Ill.; Cincinnati, Ohio and more. Sting will wrap up his road trip in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. on July 31 so get Sting tickets online.

Sting was inspired to tour with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra after performing with orchestras in Philadelphia and Chicago. He revealed to Billboard.com that he will have a core orchestra with him on tour and may even play some guitar and harmonica (if he gets up the courage!). “One of my things was I didn’t want the orchestra just sitting behind me sawing whole notes on a pop ballad,” Sting explained. “That is deadly boring to me and probably deadly boring to them and the audience. I wanted the orchestra to be a very important rhythmic element to the music, and so the music would be challenging them rhythmically, if not technically.” The tour is likely to be anything but boring!

Before embarking on his tour, Sting is readying his May 13 benefit concert for he and wife Trudie Styler’s Rainforest Fund. Sting recruited Lady Gaga, Dame Shirley Bassey and Sir Elton John for the charity gig and joked with Billboard.com that “everybody’s titled,” adding that he is “the lowest on the rank because I’m only a Commander (of the British Empire).”

The Kamagra day after the benefit, on May 14, Sting will kick of NBC’s Today annual summer concert series with a performance outside the morning show’s studio at Rockefeller Plaza in midtown Manhattan. Sponsored by Toyota, Today’s 2010 summer concert series will also feature performances by Justin Bieber, Rascal Flatts, Christina Aguilera, Lady Gaga, Maroon 5, Maxwell, John Mayer, Carrie Underwood, Enrique Iglesias, Keith Urban, Train, Katy Perry, the Script and others.

Author Bio: This article is sponsored by StubHub. StubHub.com is a leader in the business of selling Sting tickets, sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets and special events tickets.

Category: Music
Keywords: Sting, music, concert, tickets, entertainment, pop, rock