On August 7, 2008, The Police played their final show of their Reunion Tour, which ended up being the final show they've ever done at all.
So far.
From 1977-1986, Stewart Copeland, Andy Summers, and Sting brought their own spin on reggae, pop and prog which moved the Top 40 to them instead of the other way around.
By '83 they were the biggest band in the world and absolutely ready to implode.
In 1986 The Police broke up on the heels of their most successful album, Synchronicity, on a tour they all pretty much knew would be their last.
Quitting while on top does have a flair about it but it also points out how some entertainers fare much better during the valleys than the peaks.
All in all the trio delivered five solid records, 26 singles, and a greatest hits collection so good the only meh tune was the perfectly fine song someone told them to re-do for the album.
On the 30th anniversary of the band's formation, it had been agreed that they would tour again. The victory lap they never officially had. That 2007 tour led to another lap in 2008, seven legs around the world, 153 shows.
Best of all, the two Brits and the Yank were in top form.
As someone who was lucky enough to see the Synchronicity Tour in '84 and the Reunion in '08, the final lap was stronger and faster and more punk rock than the younger incarnation.
It was exhilarating.
As the end of the road got closer, more shows were added, frustrating some fans who were hoping they'd see The Last Police Gig Ever. Which is a messed up thing to be pining for, if you're a true fan, you should be hoping they'd see how crazy they were for not working out whatever differences they had, and keep playing the hits every 5 years.
Finally the finale performance was to be at Madison Square Garden, and the money would go to charity, and PBS would be involved and all would be well. But there was even drama about that.
The setlist was pretty much what appeared on the '86 Singles Greatest Hits, with the exception of a Hendrix and John Lennon cover.
And you know what, that's just fine. Even the deeper cuts like "Demolition Man," "Voices Inside My Head," "Hole in My Life" and "Invisible Sun" only helped emphasize how strong the band's catalogue was and is. With as many radio hits they had, it's nice to have some tunes in the set you haven't heard a gazillion times.
Sting has had a mildly successful solo career. He is Sting after all, but the sum turned out to be greater than the parts.
Too bad the parts hated each other. Or did they? Before the plague hit, Stewart said they only bickered when they were making those beautiful songs that will live forever.
“We like each other, and we always have," Copeland told Billboard in 2019. "There was creative tension, but our relationship with each other was then, and has always been, strong. … We always enjoyed each other's company -- and still do.”
Sting told Readers Digest in 2021 that he did have some regrets about the reunion years, and it was a hard slog.
"The issue is that although we're very proud of the music we made and very proud of the impact of the band, it was very difficult," the now-71-year-old front man said.
"The music each of us makes in our own world now is very wonderful and rewarding. We know that when we go in that rehearsal room together we're going to start screaming at each other again, and I'd rather laugh.”
If ever there was a band who needs to do 40 shows at the Sphere, pronto, it's these three blondes.
Together they still got it, still play it separately, and could truly have a farewell party in that magical Vegas venue that all ages could enjoy.
It would be a full circle reunion since the owner of Madison Square Garden where they had their final gig, is the creator and owner of The Sphere.
Sting is on tour where he plays lots of songs he wrote and sung in The Police.
He has a few shows in the US on his schedule as the headliner. He also has a huge co-headlining gig with Billy Joel at the football stadium in Las Vegas. Get your tickets on Sting's website.
