Sting’s set list for Australian shows on My Songs tour revealed

Sting’s fans will get all the hits and a small dash of new stuff for the Australian leg of his My Songs tour. Here’s what you can expect to see him play.

Sting, 71, has an enviable 45 years worth of much-loved songs to play. Picture: Robin Little/Redferns

Sting has “bad news” – and some words of wisdom – for concertgoers who aren’t fans of his new stuff.

After a run of The Police and solo classics during his opening Australian concerts for his My Songs tour in Perth on the weekend, he introduced three new songs from his 2021 record The Bridge.

“You’ve heard some hits … I’ve got some bad news for you … I’m gonna play some new songs,” he told his Perth fans with a grin.

“You never know; they might be hits one day.”

Sting resumed his My Songs world tour last year celebrating 45 years of hits. Picture: Getty.

The new songs are If It’s Love, Loving You and Rushing Water and it’s not entirely Sting’s fault most music fans may have missed their existence when The Bridge was released in November 2021.

That was one of the biggest new release months of the decade with a deluge of Big Albums dropped by Adele, Taylor Swift, ABBA, Silk Sonic, Kanye West and Ed Sheeran.

And 71-year-old Sting, looking typically fit and sounding strong at his opening concerts, isn’t fazed by not matching the chart might of the pop “kids”; he has an enviable 45 years worth of much-loved songs to play.

Fans will be delighted to know he plays a hell of a lot of them in his 90-minute concert.

The show opens with the Police, breakthrough 1979 smash Message In A Bottle, the instantly recognisable Englishman In New York and the joyful 80s hit Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic before he delivers his new stuff.

In an added bonus, he brings his son and opening act Joe Sumner on stage to join him on King Of Pain.

Ahead of playing his first encore song, Sting quipped to the Perth audience that “I have no idea what you want to hear” before he and his band launched into Roxanne’s signature guitar riff and bass pulse.

That chorus did get a refresh last year when Swedish House Mafia reworked Roxanne for their song Redlight with Sting’s blessing.

Sting’s lookalike son Joe Sumner opens the show and joins him onstage to sing King Of Pain. Picture: Supplied

Sting does go against concert convention with his closing song.

“I always finish the evening with something quiet and thoughtful,” before playing the stunningly beautiful Fragile on acoustic guitar.

Sting set list, based on Perth concert on February 10:

1. Message in a Bottle (The Police song)

2. Englishman in New York

3. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic (The Police song)

4. If It’s Love

5. Loving You

6. Rushing Water

7. If I Ever Lose My Faith in You

8. Fields of Gold

9. Brand New Day

10. Heavy Cloud No Rain

11. Shape of My Heart

12. Seven Days

13. What Could Have Been

14. Wrapped Around Your Finger (The Police song)

15. Walking on the Moon (The Police song)

16. So Lonely (The Police song)

17. Desert Rose

18. King of Pain (The Police song) (with Joe Sumner)

19. Every Breath You Take (The Police song)

Encore

20. Roxanne (The Police song)

21. Fragile

Originally published as Sting’s set list for Australian shows on My Songs tour revealed