Playing Northeast Ohio for the first time in 15 years, British legend Sting performed at Akron’s EJ Thomas Hall Sunday night, the first of a two-nighter. The Police frontman continued his “3.0 Tour,” which has bypassed larger stadiums for smaller, more intimate venues. Akron’s included.
His longtime guitarist, Dominic Miller, and drummer Chris Maas in tow, Sting played an almost two-hour concert. The 20-song gig provided a mashup of Police tunes and several of his solo works with an emphasis on the hits. A few deeper cuts, such as “So Lonely” and “Driven to Tears” were fitting counterpoints to the evening’s opening tunes, “Message in a Bottle” and “If I Ever Lose My Faith In You.”
Notably absent from the lineup were “King of Pain” and “Don’t Stand So Close to Me.” Otherwise, Sting’s set was a crowd-pleaser as it was reassuring. At 75, Sting’s voice has aged as remarkably well as has the rest of his body. (He was more than ready to flex his muscles).
While some deeper cuts peppered the show, he offered “Wrapped Around Your Finger” and “Shape Of My Heart” as mid-set confections, and wrapped things up with “Every Breath You Take.” The trio left the stage and then came back out to thunderous applause, rounding out the night with “Roxanne” and “Fragile.”
