Sting at the Piece Hall, Halifax...

Sting serenades a packed venue with a selection of highlights from his enduring songbook

For someone who has honed his craft for over 40 years, Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner CBE, aka Sting, is still as relevant in today’s music world as he was back in 1977.

Bringing his ‘My Songs’ tour to the marvellous Piece Hall in Halifax, the former frontman, bassist and songwriter of The Police carries a substantial portfolio of influential and well-known hits.

Throughout his four-and-a-half decade strong career, Sting has bestrode the music industry with a constant presence. He has been nominated for over 100 awards, won over 40 including Grammys, Brits and American Music Awards, and has written some of the most well-known pop songs ever.

Tonight, he is supported by his very talented son Joe Sumner and the alluring Dagny at a sold-out show in the piazza of one of Yorkshire’s favourite landmarks.

As 9pm approaches, the sun is residing and the atmosphere is electric as Sting takes to the stage.

With a myriad ‘My Songs’ to choose from, Sting opens with a euphonic trio – two from his time in The Police, Message in a Bottle and Everything She Does is Magic, sandwich one of his best-known solo numbers, Englishman in New York.

If that didn’t whet the appetite of an already serenading crowd, he follows it with If I Ever Lose My Faith, the enduringly popular ballad Fields of Gold and The Police’s 1979 chart-topper Walking on the Moon.

With a magnanimous selection of tracks to choose from, the thought that went into choosing a quintessential greatest hits set list must have been thorough. With around 20 albums, including his time in The Police, the song numbers rise into their hundreds.

Sting rounds off his set with Every Breath You Take and Desert Rose, then encores with two classic hits, Roxanne and Fragile.

At 71, Sting is in magnificent form, pitch perfect, joyful and in pretty amazing shape. The set was relaxed, charismatic and a masterclass to songwriting. His genre-hopping covers such a vast range from pop to reggae, with every track established as a masterpiece.

(c) Yorkshire Post by Anthony Longstaff

Sting at The Piece Hall in Halifax...

As the sun set on Piece Hall, bathing the historic courtyard in a gorgeous summer haze, Fields of Gold was the perfect soundtrack.

Music legend Sting delighted a packed crowd with his headline show at The Piece Hall last night (Tuesday, July 4).

It was, he told us, his first time in Halifax and he was clearly impressed with the "beautiful" surroundings of the 18th century cloth hall.

Opening with Message in a Bottle, Sting delivered a cracking set of crowd-pleasers - both solo hits and Police classics - including Set Them Free, Englishman In New York, If I Ever Lose My Faith In You, Every Breath You Take and Walking On The Moon.

Highlights included the hypnotic Desert Rose and gut-wrenching Police anthem So Lonely.

With an excellent band of musicians and backing singers, Sting remains a hugely charismatic performer and seemed genuinely happy to be singing the hits that have been so loved by so many over the years. Lean, tanned and relaxed, he looked - and sounded - incredible.

The night ended with Roxanne - rocking out with a rousing audience sing-along - then, seated with his guitar, Sting left us with a gentle, moving performance of the sublime Fragile.

Support came from excellent Norwegian electro-pop act Dagny and Sting’s son, singer-songwriter Joe Sumner, who joined him for a terrific performance of Police track King of Pain.

Sting's headline set was the latest in this summer’s Live at The Piece Hall series of concerts, which continue tonight with rock greats The Cult. George Ezra returns for his second sell-out night of the week on Thursday, and indie heroes James play on Friday and Saturday.

Madness, Embrace, Queens of the Stone Age and Rag 'n' Bone Man are among the acts who have headlined the stage in recent weeks, with Orbital and The Charlatans and Johnny Marr coming up in August.

There is nowhere else like the Piece Hall. It's great to see this jewel of West Yorkshire play such a major role in the UK's summer concert circuit.

(c) Telegraph & Argus by Emma Clayton