The concept of a co-headlining concert – in which two major artists tour together – is not a new one. Typically, the shows feature two separate, full length sets by the headliners. In the case of the Rock Paper Scissors tour from iconic Englishmen Peter Gabriel and Sting, both artists appeared on stage together, with a 12-person band. Although noted as "Team Red" for Gabriel and "Team Blue" for Sting, the cohesiveness of the group lead to a night of music that will long remain in the memories of the 12,000+ that packed the Saddledome.
Gabriel took to the stage first, the stage bathed in red for a pulsating rendition of The Rhythm of the Heat that the audience felt as much as heard. Sting sauntered casually onstage next for the instantly recognizable If I Ever Lose My Faith In You to a massive cheer. The two men then met mid-stage to talk to the audience, one of the few chatty moments in a night that focused mostly on the music. They gave an idea of what to expect – working together to sing with each other, doing backup vocals on each other’s songs and rarely leaving the stage. It was clear that the two have a great deal of respect and admiration for each other, which made the evening that much more special.
The list of recognizable songs went on and on including each artist taking on the other’s track – Sting singing Shock The Monkey and Gabriel taking on If You Love Somebody Set Them Free. Message in a Bottle brought the crowd to their feet while Gabriel’s duet with backup singer Jennie Abrahams on Don’t Give Up was chill inducing. Rousing sing-alongs of Solsbury Hill and Roxanne brought the audience to their feet to clap and sing along.
Amusing choreography – in which everyone spun and did step work together, amazing visual effects, and an incredibly talented, tight group of musicians all together made for what amounted to concert perfection. It was a remarkable, once in a lifetime type of show. One that should inspire more acts to pursue a similar style of co-headlining tours. In an industry where more and more artists half their age or younger are performing for less than 90 minutes, the 64-year-old Sting and 66-year-old Gabriel displayed concert perfection. Other bands should study them on how to send the fans home satisfied.
Almost two and a half hours later, things ended on a high note with Gabriel’s Your Eyes and an encore of Every Breath You Take and Sledgehammer. An appropriate finale to really drive home the evening. Whether it was the first time seeing either artist, or a fan of multiple decades you were undoubtedly impressed. The word "icon" is often thrown around loosely. On this night it was the only apt description. Sting and Peter Gabriel are icons who brought one of the best shows in recent memory to Calgary, and we were lucky to witness them on stage together.
