Sting tells Liverpool crowd city 'reminds him of home' in meteoric return...

The musical icon went ahead with his set, despite a very sad start to the night

The much-anticipated return of Sting to Liverpool after 46 years ended up being not just a conventional concert, but helped raise the spirits of a rain-soaked and shaken crowd. With the star headlining the fourth and final day of On The Waterfront festival in the shadow of The Three Graces, those in attendance experienced a rollercoaster evening.

Support act and local band The Christians were entertaining fans with a selection of hit singles when drummer Lionel Duke suffered a cardiac arrest on stage. Thanks to the incredible work of the emergency services, the performer was stabilised before being rushed to Broadgreen Hospital.

With the blessing of the band, it was announced that Sting would go ahead with his set. As the rain finally halted, The Police's former frontman took to the stage with their 1979 number one classic Message In A Bottle. Full of energy, he instantly raised the spirits of the crowd.

Jumping forward 45 years, the audience was introduced to the recently released I Wrote Your Name (Upon My Heart) before returning to familiar favourites of the 80s and 90s with If I Ever Lose My Faith In You and Englishman In New York.

Throughout his 2025 tour, Sting is supported by superb guitarist and long-time collaborator Dominic Miller as well as the extremely talented drummer Chris Maas. With the lead man on vocals and bass, it's clear the trio enjoy performing together.

Acknowledging the much-needed change in the weather, Sting spoke to the crowd for the first time and said: "Hello Liverpool. I'm glad the sun is shining out there." He announced that his last performance in the city was in 1979 - prior to that the North Eastern born singer had played at famed music venue Eric's in 1977. Situated opposite the Cavern Club, it has also hosted legends such as The Sex Pistols, Elvis Costello, The Clash, Talking Heads and more.

The multi-talented performer continued to fire out classic tracks from his repertoire such as Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic, Can't Stand Losing You and Wrapped Around Your Finger. During Fields Of Gold, he commented on how Liverpool reminded him of "home", as he also said to the crowd: "I know some of you are red and some are blue but I don't care, sing with me."

The man whose talents have covered both stage and screen gave an amazing rendition of Shape Of My Heart, used to great effect in a number of movies including the classic Leon.

During the second half of the set, hit after hit followed including The Police's second UK number one Walking On The Moon, So Lonely, and King Of Pain. Ending with the Ivor Novello award-winning song Every Breath You Take, 1983, there's no mistaking why it spent four weeks at number one and was voted Song Of The Year by Rolling Stone magazine.

The trio left the stage to rapturous applause before returning for an encore of Roxanne, and finally Fragile. Just before the final song, Sting sat down to update the crowd on the condition of The Christians' percussionist.

He said: "The drummer from The Christians is having an operation right now at Broadgreen Hospital. So, I want us to think about him very carefully and wish him all the best, strength, comfort. His name is Lionel Duke."

Leaving the stage, the 73-year-old musical icon promised a very satisfied crowd that he'd be back. Let's hope he is, sooner rather than later.

(c) The Liverpool Echo by Nina Crighton