Sting is chronicling his latest back-to-basics tour with a multi-format live album - and you'll have to be quick (and lucky) to hear it all.
The British rocker embarked on the 3.0 Tour last year; true to its name, Sting assembled a trio - having not toured with that few backing members since his days in The Police - consisting of longtime guitarist Dominic Miller and drummer Chris Maas. The result, which came to North and South American theaters as well as festival dates in Europe, was not only a faithful take on The Police's best-known tunes but a stripped-down approach to Sting's solo hits and even some long-unplayed cuts. (The trio also released a studio single, the Bo Diddley-esque "I Wrote Your Name (Upon My Heart)," to celebrate the tour.)
On April 25, Sting 3.0 LIVE will be released to stores everywhere after a 2LP release for Record Store Day this Saturday, April 12. The RSD version features new live recordings of favorites like "Every Breath You Take," "Message in a Bottle," "Wrapped Around Your Finger," "All This Time," "Shape of My Heart" and "Fields of Gold," along with a few tunes never released by Sting on a live set, including "Fortress Around Your Heart," "Be Still My Beating Heart," "I Wrote Your Name (Upon My Heart)" and other songs lacking the word "heart" in the title. Unfortunately, the general retail version on CD and LP in the U.S. will only feature the first nine songs of the RSD collection - literally just the first LP. You'll have to import the Japanese version to get the deluxe edition on two CDs. (In an even more unusual and slightly dated strategy, digital versions will get a recording of "Fragile" that's not on any physical edition.)
The standard version of Sting 3.0 LIVE can be pre-ordered at the links below. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Sting 3.0 LIVE (Cherrytree/Interscope/A&M, 2025)
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
- Message in a Bottle
- Englishman in New York
- Fields of Gold
- Seven Days
- All This Time
- Driven to Tears
- Synchronicity II
- Every Breath You Take
- Roxanne/Be Still My Beating Heart
- Fragile (digital bonus track)
2LP (available exclusively at participating Record Store Day locations)/2CD (Japan only)
- I Wrote Your Name (Upon My Heart)
- It's Probably Me
- Never Coming Home
- Tea in the Sahara
- Fortress Around Your Heart
- Wrapped Around Your Finger
- Shape of My Heart
- Can't Stand Losing You
To add to the ‘exclusive track’ chase, the Sting Fan Club Membership Gift this year is a USB with six tracks from the forthcoming live album including an exclusive track, ‘Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic’ not found on any other format.
Why? He needs a new yoga mat, I guess.
Thank you Sting and co. for an affordable CD release.