2018 in Review: The Odd Couple, Sting and Shaggy

Hi everyone,

In 2017, shortly after he finished his 57th and 9th tour, I knew Sting was working on something. On Instagram, he posted images of recording sessions – in Jamaica. I didn't pay too much attention because I like to be surprised by his projects. This time, it came in the form of a reggae album with Shaggy, called 44/876. This release was followed last year by a couple more surprises that I assumed, of course, were just for me.

National Hockey League Finals, Game 3, Pregame Performance, National Portrait Gallery (June 2, 2018)
I heard that Sting and Shaggy were going to perform during the pregame show for the National Hockey League's Game 3 of the playoffs, which was scheduled for the following day. I caught this on the local news because D.C.'s team was competing. I never watch hockey and assumed the pregame show would be indoors for those who bought tickets. Maybe I'd be lucky and catch it on TV.

At 3 p.m. the next day, though I saw that Sting posted more information about it on Instagram: the performance would be filmed downtown outside of the National Portrait Gallery at 6 p.m. As soon as I walked up to the building, a little before 5 p.m., he and Shaggy walked out to begin rehearsals. Sting and I have good timing like that.

Their performance was being filmed for TV, so they played the one song that would be featured, "Got to Get Back My Baby," repeatedly to get it the way they wanted it. They all sounded the same to me, but after each version, Sting said things like, "We're going to do that one again...and we're going to do it right this time," and "I'm getting too much E in my ear." (Sting also sneezed twice and, both times, people in the crowd responded by yelling, "Bless you!" Being a celebrity must be so weird.) By the time this event was over, I knew the words to this song very well.

I found this behind-the-scenes perfectionism fascinating, but to keep everyone entertained, they sang some other songs too. They performed a mix of five or six new and old songs, including Shaggy's "Angel" and The Police's "Roxanne." And, of course, they finished with "Every Breath You Take." Shaggy has so much energy; he danced around the whole stage. Sting chilled in one spot, playing his bass. They made a good team, and this performance got me excited about seeing them on tour in September.

As soon as they finished, I got out of the hockey fan crowd. I was trapped between two hippies in a conversation about vaping. (One was vaping while the other asked if vaping was better than cigarettes.) My answer was neither, please! I moved away from them, but then I got stuck behind a tall idiot who held his iPad above his head to record the entire mini-concert performance! While dancing and swaying, and therefore ruining whatever video he was getting, he blocked the real view for everyone behind him while ignoring our complaints (even when we tapped him on the shoulder several times). Some people are dumb.

Still, it was hard to dampen my mood about this surprise visit. Sting just showed up in front of one of my favorite museums, walking distance from my apartment building,  to sing me some songs! Thanks, friend! I needed that.


44/876 Tour, The Theatre at MGM National Harbor (September 19, 2018)
When Sting first showed up at the theatre at MGM National Harbor in during his 57th and 9th tour, I complained because it's a pain to get there from D.C. without a car. Apparently, he didn't hear me, so here we were again.

Unlike last time, no numbered wristbands were distributed to secure a spot in line for this general admission show. (This option had allowed me to pick up a wristband at 10 a.m., and then do whatever I wanted until 5 p.m., when it was time to line up by wristband number for the show.) Instead, I just had to get there early and wait in line until showtime. I arrived later than I planned, around 3 p.m.,  and was third in line – behind Mike, the same guy who was ahead of me last time. (He'd been there since 2 p.m., which was my original goal.) The doors were scheduled to open at 7 p.m. for the 8 p.m. show. Don't worry, I was prepared with a sandwich and snacks.

At 6:15 p.m., the MGM staff split our long, single-file line in half and moved the bottom half up front to a newly formed line next to our original line. Mike and I were fuming because many of those people just arrived while the rest of us had been waiting in line for hours. Luckily, we are good runners and made it to the front row anyway.

I never expected to be in the front row. I've never been in the front row of a Sting concert. As a result (and without realizing it), I took an overwhelming number of photos with my phone. If you scroll through them, it's like watching a silent movie. It's practically a second-by-second, play-by-play collage. I didn't put anything about this concert on social media after I got home because I still can't decide which are the best shots to share, and I get delirious whenever I try. 

This show was fun! Sting and Shaggy genuinely like each other and have a good time together. Mixing both of their catalogues, they sang about 25 songs – most as duets. During Sting's songs, Shaggy's rapping conversed with the song lyrics. During Shaggy's songs, Sting harmonized on the choruses. During "Every Little Thing She does is Magic," for example, Sting sang his usual lines, but Shaggy interjected:
Sting: I decide to call her up
Shaggy: Did you now?
Sting: A thousand times a day
Shaggy: Dude, that's a lot.

The same happened during "So Lonely." Shaggy rapped toward the end, and Sting sang to the "So Lonely" melody, "I've been listening to you, Shaggy; it makes no sense at all!"

For a new song, called "Crooked Tree," Sting changed into a back-and-white striped shirt to play the role of prisoner while Shaggy wore a black robe and long judge's wig. He even stood behind a podium and used a gavel. (I think one of the roadies played the policeman who kept Sting in his place while they sang the song.)

In the set, I was most excited to hear old songs that Sting hasn't played in a while, like "We'll be Together" and " Love Is the Seventh Wave." They wrapped up the show with two encores. The first kept us dancing on our tired feet, with Sting's "Desert Rose", Shaggy's "It Wasn't Me," and The Police's "Every Breath You Take," and the second calmed us down with Sting's "Fragile" and a traditional song called "Jamaica Farewell." Until we meet again...

Sting and Shaggy just wrapped up their 44/876 tour. Shaggy released a new album this month, called Wah, Gwaan?! He's touring now throughout the United States. Sting also just released a new album of reimagined hits, called My Songs. Catch him on tour now, mostly in Europe, or during his Las Vegas residency next year.

See you at the next show,