What to expect at Sting’s 3.0 Tour: Setlist, start time and more

Welcome to SeatGeek Front Row, where music writers share their tips for attending the biggest concert tours around the country. For this edition, Seattle resident Olivia Petty breaks down what it’s really like to see Sting's "3.0" Tour in person, sharing everything from the vibe to the setlist to the timing. Olivia is a freelance features and music writer in the greater Seattle area.

In the same way that Sting doesn’t need a surname in order for people to know exactly who he is, he doesn’t need a huge glittering marquee bearing his name in order to sell out an entire concert hall, either. 

The 75-year-old singer, bassist, and spunky former frontman of The Police has been making laps around the globe for his STING 3.0 Tour, a stripped-down production that puts his timeless, sprawling catalogue on display. Although the official tour began in 2024, he has continued to add dates in response to popular demand. The most recent run kicked off in Vancouver, B.C., before heading south to Seattle for two consecutive nights at Benaroya Hall.

It was a surprisingly intimate and buttoned-up setting for a Hall-of-Fame musician with 17 Grammy Awards to his name, but that was precisely the point. Instead of bringing a high-energy blockbuster production to arenas around the world, STING 3.0 is sticking to mid-sized theaters and symphony halls, including a six-night residency at Brooklyn Paramount. The setting allows longtime fans to experience some of the biggest songs of their time, up close and personal. And between Police classics and beloved solo songs, Sting gave the audience plenty of reasons to abandon their cushy seats and dance along. 

Here’s how the night unfolded, and what attendees may want to know for future Sting 3.0 concerts.

What a STING 3.0 concert is actually like

If you didn’t know any better, you might have mistaken Thursday evening at Benaroya Hall for a standard night with the Seattle Symphony. A polite, well-dressed crowd filtered through the grand lobby in no particular rush, chatting quietly before taking their seats. There were few obvious signs that one of Britain’s most celebrated bassists was inside, preparing to lead an entire orchestra hall through a night of new wave classics, sophisticated pop, and emotional ballads.

Sting (Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner) hails all the way from Wallsend, England, a hard-browed industrial shipbuilding town, and, as the singer revealed via a string of personal anecdotes in between songs, he comes from a long line of seafarers. A man of humble beginnings, Sting climbed his way into a serious music career after making the rounds in small jazz clubs, before eventually moving to London in the 1970s and founding The Police with drummer Stewart Copeland and guitarist Andy Summers. They quickly became one of the defining pop acts of the late 70s and 90s, blending punk, reggae, and pop sensibilities with ska-ish rhythmics to produce hits like “Roxanne,” “Message in a Bottle,” and “Every Breath You Take.” Sting’s solo career took a jazzier direction, establishing him as a perennially talented musician and making him one of the most decorated figures in rock history.

Unlike some legacy rock acts from a similar day and age, Sting is not on tour as “The Police,” despite performing as a trio. Rather than relying completely on nostalgia, STING 3.0 offers a more stripped-down showcase of the singer’s prevailing musicianship and charm.

Who is opening for Sting?

The main support for STING 3.0 is singer-songwriter Chance Emerson, though the Brooklyn Paramount residency dates will feature the band Fiction Plane, led by Sting’s son Joe Sumner. 

Emerson, who grew up between Hong Kong and Maine, is a powerful vocalist with warm, dulcet tones and sturdy acoustic songwriting that draws primarily on folk, country, and pop. His 30-minute set was an earnest and gentle introduction to the night, easy listening through and through, with approachable melodies grounded in lush, saccharine storytelling. Plan to arrive on time to catch the full bill.

What time did Sting’s 3.0 show start and end? 

Doors to the venue opened at 7 p.m. Chance Emerson began at 8 p.m. and ended just shy of 8:30. There was only a 20-minute turnover between sets, with Sting’s power trio (including longtime guitarist Dominic Miller and drummer Chris Maas) making their way onstage at 8:50 p.m. The show concluded at 10:45, including an encore.

What songs did Sting perform in Seattle? What was the 3.0 setlist?

It’s surprising how much familiar material Sting can pull from without relying fully on The Police’s greatest hits. In Seattle, he moved between energetic, rhythm-driven classics and slower, more introspective songs that color Sting’s solo career. There were moments to sing along to, moments to clap in rhythm, and moments to sit back and quietly enjoy, making for a varied set that never lost momentum. 

Fans can expect a neat-and-tidy new wave evening, with familiar favorites like “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” and “Can’t Stand Losing You” jived alongside solo heavy-hitters like “Fields of Gold,” “Shape of My Heart” and “Desert Rose.” The initial set concluded with a dreamy rendition of “Every Breath You Take,” followed by a lively encore featuring an extended version of “Roxanne” (which was, naturally, drenched in red light). The final song of the night was a surprising pick, as Sting traded his bass for an acoustic guitar for a thoroughly moving and masterful performance of “Fragile.”

Here’s the full setlist, in order:

1. Message in a Bottle (The Police song)

2. If I Ever Lose My Faith in You

3. Englishman in New York

4. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic (The Police song)

5. Fields of Gold

6. Never Coming Home

7. Seven Days

8. Why Should I Cry for You?

9. Mad About You

10. When We Dance

11. Driven to Tears (The Police song)

12. A Thousand Years

13. The Hounds of Winter

14. Can't Stand Losing You (The Police song)

15. Shape of My Heart

16. So Lonely (The Police song)

17. Desert Rose

18. Every Breath You Take (The Police song)

Encore:

1. Roxanne (The Police song)

2. Fragile

What did the stage and production look like?

If you’re expecting towering video screens, elaborate set pieces, or arena-sized pyrotechnics, STING 3.0 is not that kind of show. The stage setup was simple, with one large screen covering Benaroya’s signature pipe organ set into the back wall. Basic abstract visuals accompanied the songs, sometimes giving way to a live feed of Sting captured by a track-mounted camera on the front of the proscenium. Otherwise, there were no major scene changes, confetti cannons, or elaborate light shows competing for attention, proving just how much the music can stand on its own two legs.

What does Sting’s 3.0 tour merch look like?

There was a solid merch selection available for STING 3.0, including a hoodie ($95), four styles of t-shirts ($50), a tote bag ($30), a baseball cap ($45), a bass-shaped keychain ($15), and Sting 3.0 live LPs or CDs ($20-$40). Chance Emerson was also selling t-shirts ($50) and vinyls ($40). The line for merch was not long, averaging about a 5- to 15-minute wait before the show began. 

Is the show family-friendly?

Although Sting’s set is comfortable for all ages and his lyrics are family-friendly, performances at Benaroya Hall are not all-ages unless specified. The atmosphere was much more reserved than at a typical arena rock concert, as it was a formal performing arts venue with a seated audience. Be sure to check the age policy for future STING 3.0 venues.

What it’s like attending a Sting concert at Benaroya Hall

Benaroya Hall, home of the Seattle Symphony, is a very different setting from the arenas and stadiums that typically host major touring acts like Sting. Located in downtown Seattle, the venue has a grand lobby and a polished, classical-concert atmosphere. The doors to the lobby opened at 7 p.m., with a full bar and special VIP (“Founder”) areas offering their own food and drink options. The doors into the auditorium itself did not open until 7:30 p.m. 

What was seating like at Sting’s 3.0 concert at Benaroya Hall?

Benaroya Hall is designed exclusively for seated performances, with no general-admission floor or standing-room pit. As with any concert hall, your perspective will depend on the section and row. All photos of the auditorium in this article were taken from Box Q on the Third Tier of the hall, unless otherwise specified; this is the highest level and, effectively, the nosebleed seats. Most seats have a completely unobstructed view of the stage, though the high-up box seats do require some leaning and craning to see the full setup.

Was there a dress code for Sting’s 3.0 concert at Benaroya Hall?

There is no official or consistent dress code for a Sting 3.0 concert at Benaroya Hall. And although there’s no need to treat a Sting concert like a black-tie event, attendees certainly dusted off their formal wear for the night, stopping just short of full-on cocktail attire. Seattle formalwear tends to skew more casual than other cities, but the symphonic nature of the venue lends itself to a dressier atmosphere. Comfortable, neat clothing is a sensible choice, though many attendees wore jeans and t-shirts under their blazers. 

How should I get to Benaroya Hall?

Benaroya Hall is conveniently located directly above the Symphony light rail stop on University Street, making it the easiest and most streamlined way to get there. Typically, the light rail runs until midnight, but some stations close for late-night construction or maintenance.

Other transit options include the King County Metro bus routes that serve plenty of downtown stops within four blocks of Benaroya Hall, all of which run at least an hour after concerts. If you need to drive and park, the venue has an attached parking garage that is accessible from Second Avenue. Parking availability and rates can vary, as with street parking and other downtown garages. 

How can I get tickets for an upcoming Sting concert on SeatGeek?

Head over to Sting’s artist page on SeatGeek and put in your location to see if there are any upcoming shows near you. When you’ve found a show date, pick how many tickets you’re looking to buy and choose a seat using the interactive venue map. Once you’re happy with your choices, hit “checkout,” and get ready to rock with Sting.