Weekend Concert Series

The Night Watch Concert by Sting

Live at Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam

Photo by Fabrice Gueho on Unsplash

“Music for me is like… it paints pictures and stories. Narratives.” — Sting

Whenever I think of Sting’s musical trajectory, my mind almost always takes me back to his days with The Police. Still, the other night I found myself sitting in my living room watching him perform in Amsterdam, and I could not help to acknowledge how long and varied his career has been.

Truth be told, Sting remains one of the most prolific and enduring artists of our time, having sold more than 100 million records throughout his career. As a solo artist he has released fifteen studio albums between 1985 and 2021, though I must admit I have not kept up with all of them in detail.

The one I do know well, and which currently sits high on my vinyl-hunting wish list, is the 1987 album Nothing Like the Sun. “Englishman in New York” and “Fragile,” both featured on the record, have long been among my favorite songs in his repertoire.

I have never seen Sting perform live, so on Friday night I was delighted to welcome him into my living room while watching The Night Watch, a concert recorded at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The performance supports the promotion of his musical The Last Ship, which is currently headed to Paris before arriving in New York City in June 2026.

A well-rounded artist, Sting has allowed his craft to evolve alongside the different seasons of his life. His innate storytelling ability enables him to create vivid imagery through his lyrics, something that becomes particularly evident in his album The Last Ship. Released in 2013, the record grew out of the development of the musical of the same name, which premiered in 2014.

Inspired by Sting’s upbringing in the historic shipbuilding town of Wallsend in northern England, the work offers audiences a rare glimpse into the early influences that shaped him as both a songwriter and a storyteller.

The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam is a marvel on its own right. Home to Dutch art masters Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Van Gogh, it holds some of the most outstanding pieces in art history. But on one particular night, it also served as backdrop to Sting’s outstanding musical performance.

[embed]Sting — Sounds Like Art concert at Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.

Set List:

1. Intro
2. Message in a Bottle
3. Shape of My Heart
4. Island of Souls
5. Ghost Story
6. I Was Brought to My Senses
7. The Last Ship
8. The Night the Pugilist Learned How to Dance
9. Every Little Thing She Does is Magic
10. Fields of Gold
11. Mad About You
12. Roxanne
13. All This Time
14. August Winds
15. Fragile
16. Every Breath You Take
17. When We Dance