On Saturday night at Raymond James Stadium – home to American football team the Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Billy Joel co-headlined a sold-out show alongside Sting. Both artists performed their hits for audiences before joining forces on several songs together.
Both rock music legends had previously collaborated, touring together before. This marked their first time sharing the stage as headliners.
1. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
Billy Joel and Sting: For one night only at Allegiant Stadium, two legendary recording artists will take to the stage together and perform their greatest hits from throughout their storied careers. Don’t miss this exciting concert event!
Joel helped Tampa enter a New York State of Mind at Ray James Stadium by projecting an image of Brooklyn Bridge during Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song) and pulling out his guitar to perform jazzy “Big Man on Mulberry Street”.
Sting subsequently returned dressed like Sinatra for another duet performance.
2. Big Man On Mulberry Street
Billy Joel delighted the sold-out crowd at Raymond James Stadium with his extensive and diverse set on Saturday. Sting joined Billy for an opening duet of The Police’s “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic.”
After Joel left, Sting took back to his set with an uptempo jazz track about an unemployed individual lingering around Mulberry Street in Little Italy. Many fans had anticipated bringing Joel back out for another encore of Englishman In New York but instead Shaggy made an unexpected brief appearance instead.
3. Walk On The Moon
After an unexpected rainstorm flooded Petco Park with raincoats, Joel returned to his best performance with the assistance of reggae fusionist Shaggy on “Englishman In New York.”
Sting donned what looked like a Sinatra-esque suit and hat for his jazzy rendition of The Big Man on Mulberry Street that Tampa hadn’t heard for many decades – one of the highlights of the show. The crowd was in awe.
4. Every Breath You Take
As Sting’s iconic song filled the stadium, it provided everyone at Petco Park a moment to appreciate that all this really was happening.
“Every Breath You Take” tells an unsettling tale of obsession and possessiveness despite its appealing melody and cheerful chorus.
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5. Every Time I Think Of You
Billy Joel and Sting kicked off their groundbreaking series of co-headlining concerts with an explosive debut at Tampa on Saturday. Both legendary recording artists showed up during each other’s set to sing some classic tunes from their repertoires.
Joel, now 74 years old, may no longer be the boy wonder of his youth, but his voice still rings with power and his catalog spans decades. Among his songs was one from his latest release called “Turn The Lights Back On”, creating a sense of shared nostalgia throughout Raymond James Stadium.
6. The Entertainer
Billy Joel amazed thousands of fans at Raymond James Stadium with an astounding show. Although Billy will soon close his Madison Square Garden residency this summer, he plans to perform several concerts together with Fleetwood Mac singer Stevie Nicks before the end of 2018.
Joel’s voice remained strong and clear despite his age; he sang several songs a half-step down in key to accommodate for his aging vocal cords. Joel spread plenty of Empire State love during “New York State of Mind”, with images flashing of the Brooklyn Bridge flashing across a screen during “New York State of Mind”.
7. The Nylon Curtain
Billy Joel established himself as a top chart-topping artist after the success of chart-topping singles The Stranger, 52nd Street, Glass Houses and Songs in the Attic in 1982 with The Nylon Curtain, an album which explored more mature artistic themes while reflecting upon Baby Boomers entering adulthood during the Reagan administration. This complex and multilayered opus became an artistic masterwork and remains highly acclaimed to this day.
This album‘s thematic focus explores barriers that obstruct our dreams and desires as individuals and as a society – a subject also addressed in Joel’s earlier song, “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant.”
8. The Stranger
Billy Joel brought an sold-out crowd to Petco Park for one unforgettable show despite some light raindrops – none could dampen their enthusiasm!
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