Sting’s show with the Philadelphia Orchestra was its priciest-ever ticket. Did they deliver?

Inquirer music critics Dan DeLuca and Peter Dobrin went to see Sting perform with the Philadelphia Orchestra at Verizon Hall on Friday night. The two-night stand continues Saturday. Here is their review of opening night.

Dan DeLuca: Hey there, Peter. We saw the Big Sting String Thing in the venue that is soon-to-be Marian Anderson Hall. These shows were marketed as rare, once-in-a-lifetime events — though Sting actually performed with the orchestra once before, in 2010. And it was a super-expensive ticket, with some going for $800 and VIP packages as much as $1,500.

So did that sense of special occasion come through? Did you feel Sting’s star power?

Peter Dobrin: People don’t believe me when I say I only listen to classical music. I never listened to Sting — he wasn’t part of my world growing up or as a young adult. So last night was a purely musical experience for me, and not an especially powerful one.

What I did appreciate was seeing a lot of listeners clearly feeling it and arm-dancing in their seats along with the music. They seemed to be reliving who they were decades ago when Sting was first hardwired into their brains.

What did you mean when you told me Sting has a distinct sound? Last night, was he the Sting you remembered?

DD: Part of what I was talking about was what I would call Vocal ID — a quality Sting has that most other pop singers would envy. The moment he opens his mouth, you instantly know it’s him. It’s not so much about hitting all the notes — which on Friday he tended to nail in his upper range (fairly impressively since he’s 72, and most rock singers lose that first) and not so much down low.

It’s more about persona, and the lilt in his voice that takes you back to the reggae-fied late ‘70s and early ‘80s hits like “Roxanne” and “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” that he did early Friday during the first of two one-hour sets.

The intimate setting by Sting’s standards led him to do a lot of non-hits and take the time to tell stories, like Quentin Crisp inspiring “Englishman in New York” and how watching Bonanza on TV as a boy led him towrite a country song like “I Hung My Head,” which he sang while wearing a black Stetson hat in tribute to Johnny Cash.

What did you think of Sting as a showman?

PD: Ironically, he was at his best in a tune without the orchestra — in the song by Rob Mathes and Sting called “Practical Arrangement.” It’s a lovely little ballad with just piano, bass, and drums, and I really liked the way he wasn’t being the obvious showman. The voice wasn’t great, but in a way that’s what was great about it. The vocal part is very exposed and leaves the singer vulnerable, which is what the story-teller in the song is — a man putting it all on the table with a woman he loves, telling her that he’ll take her on whatever terms she is willing to take him. I wish there had been more of that Sting, even in songs with the orchestra.

DD: Yeah, that was nice. From his musical The Last Ship. Which leads me to my main question for you. You’ve seen some other of these classical-pop mash-ups. We both went to the Brahms v. Radiohead in 2022, and the orchestra has often brought in pop people for the Academy Ball.

How did this compare to you? The orchestra was a little squeezed on stage: they had to make room for Sting’s band, while he sat on a stool next to conductor Damon Gupton. Was the orchestra able to flourish, or were they crowded out on songs like “King of Pain” and “Fields of Gold”?

PD: This was clearly Sting’s show, not the orchestra’s. There were some smart orchestrations and classical references, like when violist Kirsten Johnson played the quote from Prokofiev’s Lieutenant Kijé in “Russians,” and the white-hot solo for concertmaster David Kim. Sting was clearly impressed. And it was a nice tip-of-the-hat when he called the orchestra world-renowned.

But at best, the orchestra was able to operate at 25% of capacity in terms of showing what it can do, how it can change its sound, and what an incredibly powerful and subtle instrument it can be. It’s a little like having a Maserati at your disposal and only driving it to the supermarket down the block.

DD: Before “Russians,” Sting spoke out against “Mr. Putin” and his war with Ukraine. The song about our shared humanity might have also presented an opportunity to talk about the Israel-Hamas war, but he didn’t go there. Not many popular entertainers want to touch that subject.

The David Kim solo was on “What Could Have Been,” a song from Arcane, a 2021 Netflix series based on the League of Legends video game.

I have to hand it to Sting in that regard. I interviewed him last year when he put on his One Fine Day festival with Shaggy at the Mann Center, and he talked about avoiding the predictable. “Surprise is the element in any art that I desperately need,” he said. “I want to be surprised, and I want to surprise people.” These orchestra shows aren’t exactly experimental, but they do get him out of his rock show comfort zone.

PD: I’m sure it took the orchestra out of its comfort zone. The listener in the shiny dress Sting plucked from the audience to do a dance was probably a new experience for most of the musicians. Maybe orchestra chief Yannick Nézet-Séguin should steal the idea. I hope there’s some residual benefit to the orchestra from this encounter. It would have been generous for Sting to have reminded Friday’s apparently well-heeled audience that the orchestra is on stage every week doing great things. You think any of the listeners who came for Sting will be back?

DD: That dancer was pulled up during “Desert Rose,” which Sting did back in 1999 with Algerian singer Cheb Mami in 1999.

The woman is apparently a Sting superfan. It felt a little forced and strange in the august concert hall. But yes, go for it Yannick! The orchestra needs to be open to any and all audience expanding ideas, right?

Will Sting fans come back for more? Some will, I bet. If they were able to pony up for those tickets, they certainly can afford a much cheaper night at the orchestra. And Yannick is an A-list celebrity too now, right? Especially post Maestro.

But you’re right, the shows this weekend are really Sting shows, not orchestra shows. I thought the evening dragged at times, especially in the second set. But for Sting fans who splurged, it was a classy night out that was undoubtedly worth it. Not so much for what the orchestra added, but for how it was presented as an intimate evening with a charming, internationally sophisticated rock star. Up close and personal with Sting.