Sting, Billy Joel pack the hits into Allegiant Stadium show...
Sting lit up “Roxanne” and Billy Joel uncorked “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” at Allegiant Stadium on Saturday night.
Impress your friends, or not, by knowing which of those songs is featured in a topless revue on the Strip.
That would be the Sting number in “Fantasy” at Luxor. (That show’s singer, Lorena Peril, texted during Sting’s performance to see if he could actually return to the show after his performance at Allegiant. It was not out of the question, as he did visit “Fantasy” and Carrot Top on the same night two years ago).
“Scenes” is recited by “Piano Man” Kyle Martin in his Joel-Elton John tribute at V Theater at Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood, and also Bronx Wanderers at South Point Showroom.
The point is that Sting and Joel have built a legacy in Las Vegas outside of their recurring live performances. And they packed Allegiant Stadium on their dual headlining tour, a collective performance that would send a charge into the Sphere, to throw some speculation to the public.
Sting was out first, arriving just after the 7 p.m. start time. This is important to note because about half of the crowd was still waiting to enter the building. It seemed all 50,000 or so arrived at the stadium around the same time.
A reminder to plan ahead, especially with all the construction around the venue. Add an extra half-hour, or maybe two half-hours, for events at Allegiant Stadium. Once they arrived, they heard what might have been the cleanest sound setup ever for a show at Allegiant. Bank this formula and repeat.
Joel had played Allegiant in February 2022, but Sting had not. A couple of years ago, the Police co-founder crushed it during his residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. At times during the run, he donned an amazing yellow suit. This suit was so glorious it was mentioned in several reviews of the show, including my own. The former Police front man occasionally joked from the stage that his suit got better reviews than his music.
On Saturday, Sting came out in a white T-shirt and charcoal jeans. No fancy wardrobe for this show. His hits won the night.
The 73-year-old icon rocked it with Joel on “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” to open, and summoned such high-performance Police classics as “Can’t Stand Losing You,” “Message In a Bottle,” and “Walking On The Moon.” He closed with “Every Breath You Take,” not just the Police’s greatest hit, but the biggest hit of any single in the U.S. and U.K. in 1983. He tapped into his solo career with “If I Ever Lose My Faith In You,” “Englishman in New York” and “Fields of Gold.”
Joel showed up promising to sing his old songs because “there aren’t any new songs.” His catalog is so extensive that it can be argued — and I’ll argue it — “Vienna” is as beautiful as anything he’s produced. The deep-B cut on “The Stranger” still soars.
The architect of the modern sing-along, Joel swayed from behind the piano with “My Life,” “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song),” the oft-overlooked “The Entertainer,” “Allentown” and “Only The Good Die Young.” Sting returned, now silver-suited, for “Big Man on Mulberry Street.”
“Piano Man” came late, of course, but not as the walk-off. The great Wikipedia tune, “We Didn’t Start The Fire,” a thumping “Uptown Girl,” a sneering “Big Shot,” and the rocking confession “You May Be Right” ended the spree.
Joel also covered “Viva Las Vegas,” as only he can. Which means he fell behind on the lyrics from the start and played catch-up the rest of the way. Joel also produced a couple of Elvis-styled windmill moves.
As he says he’s not a front man, he is the piano man and (wait for it) he had us feelin’ all right.
(c) Las Vegas Review-Journal by John Katsilometes
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