As fans flocked to Petco Park for his headline set, Joel demonstrated his youthful musical instincts haven’t faded with age. He extended several songs like “Message in a Bottle”, adding dynamic tension and building up musical momentum with each repetition of lyrics and melody.
Fans ate up his tributes to genres like rhythm and blues and doo-wop. Additionally, he explored some of his first serious-minded albums such as Glass Houses and The Nylon Curtain.
1. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
Sting and Billy Joel kicked off one of several co-headlining concerts this summer by remaining after their respective sets to join forces on “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic.” On Saturday in Tampa, Florida, these music icons came together for their inaugural co-headlining concert together.
Sting’s performance that evening included influences of reggae, jazz and world music with fan favorites like “King of Pain”, “Roxanne” and “Fields of Gold”. Additionally, he brought new life into classic tunes – stretching out some – like “Walking on the Moon” for 12 minutes without ever overdoing it.
Joel paid his own tribute to New York City with vibrant city portraits that included video footage of Brooklyn Bridge footage during “Uptown Girl.” To cap it all off, Joel performed “Big Man On Mulberry Street,” featuring Sting in a Sinatra-style suit and hat for an intimate duet performance with Joel.
2. Big Man On Mulberry Street
As soon as the crowd at Petco Park heard the opening notes of “Big Man on Mulberry Street,” it became evident they were ready to dance. A screen displayed photos of Brooklyn Bridge during “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)”, while the Statue of Liberty rose up during a triumphant rendition of “New York State of Mind.”
Sting gave fan favorites such as “Message in a Bottle,” “King of Pain,” “Fields of Gold” and “Englishman in New York” new energy, blending reggae, jazz and world influences into his performances. While his vocals may have seemed off during “Spirits in the Material World”, his piano playing more than made up for any discrepancies; even inviting out an accompanying drummer for an uptempo jazz duet performance on “Big Man.” (Watch it here.)
3. The Lion Sleeps Tonight
At 74 years old, Joel may not be as iconic a presence anymore; yet his fans continue to show up to hear him perform his hits at stadium shows despite taking over two hours for every song to perform in succession.
Last night (March 28), at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium, Sting joined him onstage for duets that brought plenty of Empire State pride to a sold-out audience. A screen flashed images of Brooklyn Bridge during “New York State of Mind”.
People watching the concert on CBS were dismayed to see it preempted for 30 minutes to broadcast the 2024 Masters Tournament and cut off mid-“Piano Man.” Unfortunately, it was an incredible performance!
4. Walk On The Moon
Billy Joel and Sting collaborated on two duets at their co-headlining gig at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa last month, with Billy bringing out one of his band members for “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” followed by Sting returning later during Joel’s set to join in singing “Englishman In New York”.
Sting seamlessly blended the sounds of reggae, rock and world music to deliver powerful performances of fan favorites that were cheered along by enthusiastic applause from his audience.
At first, a screen showed images of Brooklyn Bridge during “Fields of Gold.” When he started spinning around to sing “New York State of Mind”, images of Lady Liberty appeared. This gesture paid a fitting homage to where he is from while also showing that this legendary singer can still command such an expansive arena.
5. Message In A Bottle
Joel wasn’t kidding when he sang: “It’s a pretty good crowd for a Saturday.” Petco Park was packed to capacity as fans adorned in colorful light-up ponchos sang along to classic hits such as “Roxanne,” “Englishman In New York,” and the newly released single, “Turn the Lights Back On.”
Sting brought his career-spanning show to Raymond James Stadium for a sold-out audience and delivered songs that still conveyed hope and meaning despite not reaching their former levels of performance.
At one point during his set, Sting and Joel joined forces again to perform “Big Man on Mulberry Street,” as seen below in fan-captured footage. This marked one of many collaborations that will occur during their joint tour; five-time Olivier Award nominee Kate Prince’s new dance-theater show called “Message In A Bottle,” inspired by and set to the iconic hits of Kennedy Center Honoree and 17-time Grammy Winner Sting is available for streaming now on Spotify and Apple Music.