L-R: Peter Gabriel and Sting at Madison Square Garden June 27, 2016; Mark Sagliocco/Getty ImagesIn the final New York City-area appearance of their Rock Paper Scissors joint tour, Sunday in Coney Island, New York, Peter Gabriel and Sting acknowledged current events with song dedications, and thrilled fans with hits galore.
During this joint tour, Gabriel and Sting perform each others’ songs, both solo and as duets, and also sing their own hits. Sting commented on the Orlando nightclub shootings before introducing a joint performance of “Fragile,” while Gabriel dedicated a song called “Love Can Heal” to an acquaintance of his, British Labour Party politician Jo Cox, who was murdered June 16. In addition, Sting noted both he and Gabriel were “amused” by the recent “Brexit” vote, in which their home country had voted to leave the E.U., comparing it to “turkeys voting for an early Thanksgiving.”
Sting’s part of the set list leaned heavily on his Police catalogue of hits, including “Roxanne,” “Driven to Tears,” “Message in a Bottle,” “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” and “Every Breath You Take.” He also sang or duetted on a number of Gabriel’s hits, including “Shock the Monkey,” and “Solsbury Hill.” Gabriel sang fewer Sting numbers, though he did a memorable version of “If You Love Somebody Set Them Free” that was slowed down so much, it was almost unrecognizable.
Both Sting and Gabriel’s excellent bands were onstage with them during the show, Sting’s dressed in blue, and Gabriel’s dressed in red and black; all the musicians were comfortable performing both together and separately. The production values were top-notch, with a series of video panels displaying graphics illustrating the songs and footage from individual performers’ bodycams.
In an amusing aside, Gabriel noted that his previous visit to Coney Island had involved visiting the famous Coney Island Aquarium, where he “kissed a walrus with fishy breath.”
Here’s the set list:
Peter Gabriel — “The Rhythm of the Heat”
Sting — “If I Ever Lose My Faith in You”
Sting & Peter Gabriel
“No Self Control”
“Invisible Sun”
“Games Without Frontiers”
“Shock the Monkey”
Peter Gabriel — “Secret World”
Sting — “Driven to Tears”
Sting & Peter Gabriel
“Fragile”
Peter Gabriel — “Red Rain”
Sting — “Dancing With the Moonlit Knight/Message In a Bottle”
Peter Gabriel — “San Jacinto”
Sting — “Walking in Your Footsteps”/”Kiss That Frog”
Peter Gabriel — “Don’t Give Up”
Sting — “The Hounds of Winter”
Peter Gabriel & Sting
“Big Time”
“Englishman in New York”
“Solsbury Hill”
Sting — “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic”
Peter Gabriel — “If You Love Somebody Set Them Free”
Sting — “Roxanne/Ain’t No Sunshine”
Peter Gabriel — “Love Can Heal”
Sting — “Desert Rose”
Peter Gabriel & Sting
“In Your Eyes”
“Every Breath You Take”
“Sledgehammer”
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