Sting 3.0

Summer Sessions in Glasgow have truly knocked it out the park this year.

DF Concerts have curated an eclectic mix of headliners that’s sure to satisfy even the most discerning music fan.

Tonight, the stage was graced by two legendary acts and a rising star.

The weather girl on TV said there’d be no rain... but the clouds above Bellahouston Park were telling a different story. Time would tell.

First, a shout-out to the promoters...

The approach and entry to the venue were first-class.

Stewards and signage were everywhere, staff were friendly and up for a bit of banter, and the layout was excellent.

The stage was high and easily visible from all angles, with side screens that were pin-sharp and crystal clear.

Big thumbs up for logistics and production.

Opening tonight’s events was exciting newcomer Sophie Grey who took to the stage waving a flag declaring her Glasgow debut.

Sophie – who describes herself as ‘retro electro’ delivered a solo set backed by a well-produced track which did a lot of the heavy lifting.

Her look was a creative blend—Madonna meets Gaga meets anime Barbie. Some in the crowd thought her stage presence was awkward, but it felt intentionally stylized—robotic dancing and a performance style that leaned into the surreal.

Her George Michael cover was a brave choice, though vocally a stretch. Still, respect for the effort. 

The crowd, initially sparse, grew steadily and sent her off with a warm, supportive round of applause.

An 80s playlist boomed over the PA to set the scene before the legendary Alison Moyet took the stage.

No introduction needed—especially after her recent sold-out Glasgow show. Celebrating 40 years in the business and fresh from a four-month world tour, Moyet could’ve played a ‘Greatest Hits’ set. Instead, she chose something braver: a reflective, introspective journey through her career.

At first, some in the crowd seemed caught off guard and a little miffed, hoping for Yazoo classics and early solo hits. The first few tracks were, in truth, outstanding but it wasn’t until she launched into ‘Nobody’s Diary’, everything clicked into place amongst the fans.

Highlights included ‘Changeling’ and ‘Beautiful Gun’—both delivered with rich emotion and stellar production. The sound mix could have been better (support slot limits, perhaps), but the performance never faltered. The biggest hit in the eyes and voices of the crowd was definitely ‘Only You’; a timeless classic which everyone sang along to with gusto.

An acoustic number led into an incredible reimagining of ‘Love Resurrection’—an absolute standout moment. It was evident that the demurely gothic attired Moyet was having a great time as her huge smile and trademark random ramblings on the microphone became more regular... she loves a good conversational ramble during her gigs!

She ended (somewhat ironically) with ‘Don’t Go’... and then she did.

At 60-something, this might be a farewell to the live stage from Alf—but if so, what a legacy she leaves. A discography rarely equalled, never bettered.

A dramatic shift in mood and volume marked the changeover, with anthem after anthem (including the anthem that is ‘Ace of Spades’) hyping the crowd for the main event.

No intro needed—Sting walked on to the legendary Glasgow roar and launched straight into ‘Message in a Bottle’. The first track was ‘Message in a Bottle’!!! How’s that for starters?

Wearing his trademark slightly ripped t-shirt, jeans, and trusty old, slightly battered,bass... Gordon Sumner was on top form—radio mic strapped to his face, giving him free reign over the stage like a man half his age. He makes everything look effortless...

The sound was immaculate. Tight, crisp, confident. The lighting and staging were stripped back—simple, tasteful, and letting the music speak.

‘I Wrote Your Name’ took us nicely into a reworked ‘If I Ever Lose My Faith in You’ which gave Sting the chance to introduce his stellar band.

Then came what my phone autocorrected notes insists was ‘Anglian in My Yoke’ — let’s assume it meant ‘Englishman in New York’. The first real crowd singalong moment of the night, complete with the now-traditional “WWHHOOOOAAA” echo chant demanded by Mr Sting.

Sting then explained the genesis of the next track... ‘Fields of Gold’ was inspired by the vista from the front door of his little cottage (for clarity, he clarified he meant castle).

‘Driven to Tears’ landed particularly hard, given the current world political backdrop. A raw, powerful performance made more impactful by stark visuals behind the band.

The songs flowed from here and every track was flawlessly delivered. Even the two surprise songs picked by guitarist Dominic (A Thousand Years and Can’t Stand Losing You) were well received, though Sting fumbled a lyric or two—not that anyone cared.

Crowd interaction ramped up again—now with an upgraded “EEEEEEEAAAAAAOOOOOO” in place of the basic “WWHHOOOOAAA”—and the final stretch of hits came one after another.

‘Walking on the Moon’ flowed seamlessly into ‘So Lonely’ in an epic mash-up that brought the crowd to an epic peak.

Then, in a perfect crescendo, ‘Every Breath You Take’ rang out across the now rain-soaked crowd—nobody cared. Arms in the air, voices unified, the Church of Sting in full communion.

But hold on... there was a sting in the tale as Mr Sumner and his mates brought ‘Roxanne’ to the encore party and a ‘Fragile’ ending as the skies cleared to wave goodbye to the ecstatic fans.

A night of legends and legacy.

Sophie Grey showed promise, Alison Moyet gave us the soul of an artist still evolving in her 60’s, and Sting reminded us all what musical mastery looks and sounds like 71 years of age... 71!!

Even the Glasgow skies couldn’t dampen it.

(c) Scottish Music Network by John Brown

Sting, Alison Moyet, Sophie Grey, Summer Sessions, Bellahouston Park, Glasgow, 25/06/2025...

Organisers DF Concerts have hit the nail on the head with the mix of artists for the 2025 Glasgow Summer Sessions. With Frank Carter & The Sex Pistols opening proceedings the previous Saturday it was now time for Sting to entertain the masses followed by Simple Minds and Stereophonics over the weekend, all three of these shows will be covered by Bring The Noise. The organisation of the Summer Sessions was first class, no queues to gain entry and ample stewards to keep things ticking along nicely.

We were lucky enough to get a perfect spot at the barrier just behind the golden circle as Sophie Grey took to the stage just after at 6.15pm, describing herself as ‘retro electro’ which is also the name of her latest album release. Sophie studied piano at The University of Southern California, she swaggers onto the stage with a portable keyboard on her back while carrying a flagpole bearing her name, bearing in mind that this is Sophie’s Glasgow debut she shows great confidence already wearing an outfit reminiscent of Madonna back in the day. Before playing second track Mr Right (is It You?) she asks the crowd, “I am looking for my Mr right, is he here tonight?” and this is quickly followed by a cover of Wham song Everything She Wants with some good crowd involvement in singing the chorus back to the stage. We really enjoyed the set, especially Dirty Thoughts and last song On Hold, we are sure to be hearing more from this talented ‘one woman band’ especially having been given the opportunity to tour with Sting across Europe. 8/10

Alison Moyet has been on the music bucket list for years so today is the day. She immediately tells the audience that it won’t be a greatest hits show as such but more of a celebration of forty years in the music industry, with such a back catalogue to choose from this will be interesting. Moyet of course was part of Yazoo back in the day alongside Vince Clarke, we were glad to hear Nobody’s Diary, Only You as well as Don’t Go that was played as the last song of the set. All the Yazoo tracks had a great crowd reaction as did the better known solo ones such as Love Resurrection and All Cried Out. Overall it was a great performance but we would have liked to hear more from the Alf album. 9/10

Sting has been all across the planet touring already this year taking in an exhaustive list of countries including USA, across South America, South Africa as well as Europe and he now brings the Sting 3.0 entourage to the ‘dear green place’ that is Glasgow’s Bellahouston Park, that nickname coming from the fact that Glasgow has so many parks. Touring as a three-piece band Sting is joined on stage by guitarist and long-time friend Dominic Miller and drummer Chris Maas and the crowd are delighted to hear The Police classic Message In A Bottle as the first song of what would be an impressive twenty-one track set. He is strutting around the stage with his trademark worn bass acting more like a twenty-three year old defying his seventy-three years! Next up is a new song released in September 2024, I Wrote Your Name (Upon My Heart) that is maybe not too familiar to most tonight but it’s not long until the more recognisable tracks hit hard with the solo material being prominent throughout the night with If I Ever Lose My Faith In You and the always excellent Englishman In New York that has plenty of crowd participation.

Sting hops back and forth between The Police tracks and the solo ones, Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic takes us way back to the 1981 album Ghost In The Machine from which album we would have loved to also hear Invisible Sun and Spirits In The Material World but sadly not tonight, maybe next time? We then get a solo section that includes the melodic Fields Of Gold, Never Coming Home, Mad About You, Why Should I Cry For You and All This Time quickly followed by another Police song Driven To Tears, the third one of an impressive nine in the set. A chance for guitarist Dominic Miller to pick two songs to play at random was a touching moment, A Thousand Years is played beautifully tonight as the crowd falls silent taking in the lyrics “I may have lived a thousand lives, a thousand times/An endless turning stairway climbs to a tower of souls” while Can’t Stand Losing You and Walking On The Moon provides an opportunity for the fans to get involved, which they do.

Other than Desert Rose it is almost The Police all the way to the end now with So Lonely, King Of Pain and the instantly recognisable Every Breath You Take … well after the set so far we all needed to take a breath or two. They are soon back on the stage for the timeless Roxanne as the crowd give everything they have left before ending with solo track Fragile. Sting has played to literally millions of people across the planet this year and is still as relevant now as he was way back in the 1970s. 10/10

(c) Bring The Noise by Alan Brown

Sting, Glasgow review: 'polite and occasionally perky'...

On the whole, it was the Police songs which drew cheers of recognition from the crowd at this Glasgow show.

“You know this song,” Sting reassured his audience with a grin, three songs into his outdoor set at Bellahouston Park, having already warmed up with a bubbling Message in a Bottle, the decidedly low-key I Wrote Your Name (Upon My Heart) and If I Ever Lose My Faith in You, one of his most honestly romantic songs.

The song was Englishman in New York, the acme of his pleasant, coffee table reggae solo sound, but it didn’t need the preamble. The main reason that Sting, at the age of 73, can feasibly take on a gig of this scale (clearly not sold out, but still very substantially attended) is that he really does have loads of songs that people know.

These fall into two categories - songs by the Police and songs not by the Police - and the former were very much the ones which drew cheers of recognition and dance moves from the crowd. The joyful Every Little Thing She Does is Magic kicked things up several gears, and the second half of the main set was packed with what in Sting’s catalogue might be termed bangers; Can’t Stand Losing You, Walking on the Moon, So Lonely and Every Breath You Take.

These highlights were performed confidently as just a Police-like trio, and extended by various instrumental adornments. Sting delivered well-practiced links which ran between the corny (hellos to “bonnie Scotland” and “’Glasgee’, as you call it”, and explaining how Fields of Gold is about the view from “my house in the country… it's more of a castle, actually”) and the affectionate, like his memories of the Glasgow Apollo in 1979 and his dedication of Why Should I Cry For You? to “my daddy”, who always wanted him to be a sailor.

As the late evening mizzle broke through, his lesser-known solo songs didn’t gee the crowd as much as his earliest work. An encore of the inevitably well-received Roxanne was upstaged by a sit-down, acoustic finale of Fragile, and it felt like this polite, occasionally perky set would have been better served were it played indoors to an entire audience in seats.

(c) The Scotsman by David Pollock