Sting’s set was equally captivating. He brought classic songs like Roxanne, Message in a Bottle and Fields of Gold back to life with an energy that connected deeply with many members of the audience.
Joel and Sting kicked off their series of one-night-only co-headlining concerts at Raymond James Stadium on Saturday.
The Piano Man
Petco Park was filled to capacity on Saturday night for two of rock music’s iconic performers for an unforgettable one-night-only concert, even as rain began to fall shortly after Joel took the stage. That did not deter fans from singing along, dancing and cheering their hearts out!
Set list highlights included fan favorites like “Vienna,” “Only the Good Die Young,” and “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant.” New Yorkers were shown plenty of Empire State love when images flashed up of Brooklyn Bridge during “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)” and Statue of Liberty during “New York State of Mind.”
Sting joined Joel for a duet performance of “Big Man on Mulberry Street”, as well as his rendition of The Police’s “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic”. Furthermore, Sting accompanied Joel on piano for their collaboration on “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic”.
Big Man on Mulberry Street
This jazzy tune tells of an insecure loser who longs for glory, written by Joel as he strolled along Mulberry Street in Little Italy. With an assertive melody, it makes an unforgettable listen. According to Joel himself, he composed this gem while out and about on Mulberry Street!
This episode also featured a dance sequence inspired by Gene Kelly/Cyd Charisse from Singin’ in the Rain. Stanley Donen choreographed this scene because he is an old acquaintance of Joel’s.
This song, in G Mixolydian key, displays excellent scores for Chord Complexity, Melody Complexity and Chord-Melody Tension as well as Harmonic Complexity and Chord Progression Novelty.
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
Sting’s demo version of “You Might Think That I Am” remains one of my all-time favorites from him; its combination of smooth vocalizations, emotional leaping tonsils and Stewart Copeland’s meaty beats and flourishes creates an amazing balance; but its full album version even more so; drummer Tony Williams captures its danceability perfectly through rat-a-tat slashes and climactic cymbal smashes, as on Ghost in the Machine.
At Raymond James Stadium on Saturday night, 72-year-old singer Steve Earle opened his second set with a lively rendition of his 1993 funk album Heavy Cloud No Rain with its catchy line: “Heavy cloud no rain.” No one can tire of listening to this incredible record that could illuminate any party; to finish things off he transformed his audience into choir for his rendition of Roxanne; it truly marked an impressive performance and provided memorable crowd participation moments rarely seen at shows.
New York State of Mind
These two vocalists were perfectly in sync on captivating renditions of Scenes From an Italian Restaurant, Only the Good Die Young and Piano Man. Additionally, their harmony on New York State of Mind provided the atmosphere of one of New York City‘s swanky cabarets.
Sting’s 16-song opening set was truly impressive. No matter how often he had performed songs such as Roxanne, Message in a Bottle, Fields of Gold or Walking on the Moon; his voice always brought them alive with new vitality. In order to build dynamic tension he extended certain songs – such as Walking on the Moon’s winding Arabic-influenced melody – for longer.
The two men performed for almost four hours during a concert that was interrupted in some markets by local news programs during Billy Joel’s performance of Piano Man. CBS announced on Wednesday that it will re-air and stream back the entire concert on Friday; fans can catch up with what may have been missed while also watching their local news at that same time. This gives fans a chance to catch up and catch all they may have missed when also viewing local news at that same time.