When you get two living legends on a stage, one playing the piano and another playing the guitar, there’s no telling what’s going to happen. But you can bet on this: when it’s Sting and Lady Gaga, it’s going to be magical. In 2011, Sting turned 60, if you can believe that. But he didn’t have a quiet family dinner with a birthday cake and 60 candles. That’s just not Sting’s style. He celebrated in a way that was guaranteed to bring a lot of fun to the occasions, plus some excellent music. Gathering together a handful of his very famous friends, Sting performed some of the best hits he made by himself and with The Police, and they started singing. At the party were the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder, will.i. Am, Mary J. Blige, Rufus Wainwright, Robert Downey Jr., and of course, Lady Gaga. Here’s the best part of this birthday party: all of the proceeds from the tickets went to support the Robin Hood Foundation to fight poverty.
The setup for this gig was huge. On stage were at least 20 musicians that included backup singers and a string section. Lady Gaga played the piano wearing a sparkly dress with super broad shoulders and sunglasses. Her take on The Police’s hit song “King of Pain” was powerful, and she brought to it the kind of passion you’re accustomed to getting from Lady Gaga. “King of Pain” was released in 1983 on The Police’s last studio album, “Synchronicity.” Sting wrote the song as a sort of post-separation goodbye song when he and his wife divorced.
So does Sting feel old at 60? Nope. He says that 60 feels comfortable because he’s always felt “sort of old.” I guess that’s his way of saying he’s an old soul, and that’s probably true.
Image via YouTube
Watch this epic duet below. It’s not often you see a performance like this, and you won’t soon forget it.