Sting, fresh from Grammy win, headed for The Joint

Spencer Patterson

Friday, Feb. 13, 2004 | 8:23 a.m.

After generating a resounding buzz for the past week, the Man of the Year is ready to sting Las Vegans once again this Sunday.

Last Friday the 52-year-old Sting was honored by MusiCares, an arm of the Grammys, for his musical, humanitarian and environmental accomplishments.

A star-studded lineup that included Elvis Costello, Elton John and Dave Matthews paid tribute to the MusiCares Man of the Year at a black-tie affair on the Sony Pictures lot in Culver City, Calif.

Two nights later Sting performed twice at the 46th annual Grammy Awards, once with Vince Gill, Pharrell Williams and Matthews on the Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There" and once with dance-hall star Sean Paul on "Roxanne," a hit by Sting's former band, the Police.

Sting also picked up a Grammy, the 16th of his career, for his duet with Mary J. Blige, "Whenever I Say Your Name," in the Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals category.

Sunday night at 8, Sting lands at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel for his first Southern Nevada concert in more than two years. Trumpeter Chris Botti opens the show.

Sting (born Gordon Sumner) is touring behind September's "Sacred Love," his eighth solo album. The British native served as the bassist, vocalist and primary songwriter for the Police from 1977 through 1985.

That legendary trio -- which also included guitarist Andy Summers and drummer Stewart Copeland -- got together briefly last February, performing at the band's induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Rumors of a full-fledged Police reunion have not materialized, however.

Las Vegas has occupied an interesting position in Sting's recent concert history. He opened 26 months of near-nonstop touring with three shows at The Joint in October 1999, then concluded his long sojourn with a stop at the Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts in December 2001.

Who: Sting.

Where: The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel.

When: 8 p.m. Sunday.

Tickets: $152, $352, $502.

Call: 693-5066.

Opening act: Chris Botti.

Personnel: Sting (vocals, bass), Keith Carlock (drums), Mark Eldridge (synthesizer, vocals), Donna Gardier Elliott (vocals), Rhani Krija (percussion), Dominic Miller (guitar), Jason Rebello (keyboard), Joy Rose (vocals).

Latest release: "Sacred Love" (2003, A&M).

Album feedback: "In spots -- such as the sleekly trance-y 'Never Coming Home' -- 'Sacred' samples some of the strengths that made the Police so arresting in the first place. Sting seems like a man focused on the future but drawing more freely upon his past with heart and soul." (Rolling Stone, 3 1/2 stars); "It's far from a bad listen, nor is it embarrassing, but it's entirely too predictable, coming across as nothing more than well-tailored, expensive mood music." (All Music Guide, 2 1/2 stars).

Essential releases: "Nothing Like the Sun" (Sting, 1987), "Outlandos d'Amour" (The Police, 1978), "Regatta de Blanc" (The Police, 1979), "Synchronicity" (The Police, 1983), "Zenyatta Mondatta" (The Police, 1980).

What to expect: A heavy dose of "Sacred Love," a sampling from Sting's other six solo albums and a few choice Police cuts. According to several reports, "Synchronicity II" has been a consistent highlight, along with the usual crowd-pleasers such as "Roxanne" and "Every Breath You Take."

Recent set list: Fillmore Auditorium, Denver, Feb. 5: "Walking on the Moon," "Send Your Love," "Inside," "Forget About the Future," "Hole in My Life," "Dead Man's Rope," "Synchronicity II," "Whenever I Say Your Name," "I Was Brought to My Senses," "This War," "Fragile," "Fields of Gold," "Sacred Love," "Stolen Car," "Englishman in NY," "Roxanne," "Never Coming Home." Encores: "Desert Rose," "If I Ever Lose My Faith," "Every Breath You Take," "A Thousand Years" (from fansite www.stingus.net).

Tour feedback: "Sting's voice, always an endearing, sandpapery croon, has aged magnificently. Sting can now stretch it and toy around, scat, send it soaring and demonstrate its fine, rich nuance." (St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times); "The svelte blonde frontman was at his best when throwing his sterling bass work into the extended jams that accompanied a handful of numbers." (St. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer Press).

Previous Las Vegas appearances: April 2, 1998 (Aladdin); May 14-16, 1993 (Sam Boyd Stadium, opened for Grateful Dead); Sept. 1, 1996 (MGM Grand); Oct. 14-16, 1999 (The Joint); Aug. 19, 2000 (MGM Grand); Dec. 14, 2001 (Aladdin).

Says Sting: "I really appreciate that kind of thing, but I don't go around thinking I'm a hero or a higher being. I promise you, I'm not," referring to his recent MusiCares Man of the Year tribute.