Selected Miscellaneous Shows

Sting closes his Latin American charity tour in Mexico City...

Without pausing for breath, British singer Sting brought his Latin American charity tour to a close in Mexico City, raising funds for education.

With tickets priced at 7,500 pesos (about $580 USD), Mexico's high society gathered tonight amidst expensive dresses, elaborate canapés, and luxurious sofas at the iconic colonial Colegio de las Vizcaínas, located in the capital's Historic Center.

The concert - opened by local artist Ely Guerra - raised 5.1 million pesos (about $400,000 USD) for the "Learning for Life" program, which will train 5,000 elementary school teachers in underserved areas and provide scholarships for 210 students.

The musical parade of the former Police frontman began with one of his solo tracks, "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You," followed by one of the trio's most popular anthems, "Message in a Bottle."

From there, the concert became a showcase for (almost) all his greatest hits: "Englishman in New York," "Roxanne," "Fields of Gold," "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic," and so on, totaling sixteen songs in about eighty minutes.

With barely any time between songs, not even enough to maintain the suspense during the encores—barely 30 seconds passed between his exit and re-entry from the stage—Sting interacted with the audience more through warm gestures than with broken Spanish, aside from the obligatory "Buenas noches" (Good evening) and little else.

Focused on not missing a single breath and masterfully weaving one chord after another, the virtuoso closed with a celebrated rendition of "Every Breath You Take" and his pacifist anthem "Fragile," where he did offer a phrase or two in Spanish.

The artist also donated two signed bass guitars for an auction of celebrity memorabilia taking place this May, which aims to raise more funds for teacher training (Sting himself was a school teacher before achieving musical success).

Among the items seeking buyers are the charro hat worn by idol Alejandro Fernández at a memorable concert in Mexico City's Zócalo and the silver lucha libre mask used by El Hijo del Santo to conceal his identity.

Also up for auction are a dress belonging to the transgressive singer Gloria Trevi, the gloves of Mexican national soccer team goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, and the drumsticks of pop star Belinda, among other treasures.

Sting's charity tour, sponsored by a liquor company, took him to Caracas and Bogotá this week. In both cases, the proceeds went toward vocational training for rural communities, offering them an opportunity for advancement.

In 2009, Sting's spot was filled by another Briton, Elton John - who, coincidentally, performed last night in the coastal city of Veracruz - accompanied by his compatriot James Blunt. A year earlier, when this event began, the honor had gone to American Jon Bon Jovi.

(c) ABC.ES by Juan Ramón Peña