NEW YORK (AP) – They say it’s practice, practice, practice that gets you to Carnegie Hall. But for Sting, it was a chance encounter with Britain’s Queen Mother when he was 10 years old that gave him the ambition and drive he needed to reach that hallowed stage.
The rocker told the story of that fateful encounter Monday night during an ebullient show – at once intimate and grand – that marked his first solo headline gig at the venerable New York venue, despite his having performed many times there. He was accompanied by the powerful Orchestra of St. Luke’s, with many of his old classics arranged by conductor Rob Mathes.
The 64-year-old singer arrived to a standing ovation, and immediately began with “Englishman in New York,” aptly enough, with the crowd singing along to the lyric, “Be yourself no matter what they say.”
“I sincerely hope that THIS Englishman in New York has earned a place here,” he said, to cheers.
He performed many of his hits from his Police years and then from his solo career, and included a couple songs from his recent Broadway show, “The Last Ship.” He also paid tribute to Frank Sinatra in his centennial year, performing “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning” along with trumpeter Chris Botti. He recounted how Sinatra had addressed an autograph to him – the only autograph he possesses – as “the new blue eyes.”