Sting and Billy Joel successfully transported Tampa into “New York State of Mind” Saturday night at Raymond James Stadium with video screens flashing images of New York landmarks such as the Brooklyn Bridge during “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)” and Liberty during a jazzy rendition of “Big Man on Mulberry Street”.
Sting’s set included both solo and Police hits. He even joined Joel for a duet!
The Piano Man
Piano Man may be Joel’s signature song, but the singer-songwriter has written many others that have found success. The Library holds several collections of his work including two albums and various singles.
Joel was initially inspired by The Beatles and other rock bands before embarking on his solo career in the early 1970s. Although Cold Spring Harbor failed to gain much traction initially, an unexpected live performance of Captain Jack caught Columbia Records’s eye. They signed him that year.
Actor Kevin Spacey welcomed Joel, who took the stage after performing a brief set and performed songs (including Movin’ Out). Next he received his Gershwin Prize medal from Librarian of Congress James H. Billington and Supreme Court Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor as well as special guests including singers Tony Bennett, Boyz II Men Michael Feinstein Gavin DeGraw Natalie Maines John Mellencamp.
The Downeaster
Joel’s song tells the tale of an impoverished fisherman from Long Island who is struggling against overfishing and environmental regulations, while Joel is adept at weaving personal narrative with social themes into his musical compositions. This piece highlights Joel’s signature musical style of weaving personal narrative with larger social topics.
Billy Joel fans and concert attendees still love this track from Alexa even though it only reached #57 on the US Billboard charts. A music video for it features an Long Island fisherman as he navigates powerful waves and stormy weather aboard their boat named Alexa.
The Downeaster is a regional passenger train operating between North Station in Boston and Portland Transportation Center in Portland, Maine. Managed by Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority and operated by Amtrak, this service features a cafe car as well as coach class and business class seating or combined cafe/business class options.
The Longest Time
Billy Joel was entranced by the sounds of doo-wop when writing The Longest Time. This genre of rhythm and blues first popularized during World War II is distinguished by tight harmonies, nonsense syllables, gospel influences, and tight harmonies that would fill street corners throughout New York City – something Billy remembered fondly from his teenage years when singing doo-wop was an essential part of growing up there. This song pays homage to those early memories, when Billy would perform doo-wop in New York with friends while singing doo-wop tunes he learned while attending college – something this song commemorates during its creation!
At odds with some of his previous ballads since Turnstiles, this ballad’s lyrics are decidedly upbeat and positive – an affirmation of love even amid uncertainty.
Sting and his band brought lots of energy to the Tampa show, from their impressive bass skills to contemporary interpretations of old favorites like Brand New Day. Both artists also shared some personal tales with the audience, creating more of an interactive concert experience than just another concert performance. It will be fascinating to witness their continued evolution as co-headlining artists throughout this brief co-headlining tour.
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
After two albums that demonstrated Sting’s songwriting prowess like an immortal Mr. Universe, Synchronicity finds him exploring Jungian concepts about seemingly disparate events taking on meaningful connections. This idea is explored on two songs — “Tea in the Sahara” and “O My God,” where Sting augments riffs and licks with atmospheric synthesizer beeps and chirps for added atmosphere.
Copeland often plays with rhythm riffs beyond simple rhythm riffs into full songs, as on “Demolition Man” and the frenetic self-perpetuating frenzy of “Too Much Information,” where his lyrics echo perfectly the modern digital age. Sting’s vocals don’t stand out as much on this record as they will on Ghost in the Machine later.
This fantastic tune became more widely recognized after appearing in Xanadu with Olivia Newton-John. Unfortunately, however, this track doesn’t get more radio airplay as it truly deserves more recognition; additionally it serves as an effective reminder that Sting can sing just as well as any of his famous rock singer peers.