STING- Central Park, The Great Lawn

The Great Lawn of Central Park before the people arrive.

  Written by Backstage Bruce

    The Great Lawn in Central Park has played host to a handful of performances of historic proportions. Concerts that have drawn estimates of a million people, maybe less, maybe more. When the crowds are that big it's almost impossible to get an actual count, but according to NYC Parks department, their appraisement is one million.

    Talented acts like: Simon & Garfunkel, Diana Ross, Sheryl Crow, Paul Simon, and Garth Brooks have all drawn massive amounts of music lovers. The Diana Ross concert, in 1983, was the largest ever recorded in Central Park. It rained so hard and she just kept singing during the downpour, belting it out. There was real concern that she could be electrocuted. The nearby playground was renamed the 'Diana Ross Playground' to commemorate her performance.

    Then the new millennium arrived, welcome 2000. The days of crowds that huge were over. The first free concert on The Great Lawn in Central Park, in 2000, was conducted by Sting. A new rule was put into place where you were no longer allowed to just show up. You must first go, in the afternoon, and get your free tickets from various ticket distribution centers. The limit of tickets to be dispersed was 25,000.

    They were snapped up immediately, I didn't get any. I made no plans to go, I had already seen Sting, in 1988, during 'Nothing Like The Sun' tour. The show was great then. At 5:00 p.m. the evening news comes on, a reporter was broadcasting from Central Park live. It looked like it was a fun scene going on. The reporter interviewed the parks commissioner and he stated "If you do not have a ticket, do not come here tonight." I had to go now.  

BSP from the first time I saw him

    I get to The Great Lawn and start to look for a way in. I take it all in. Nice end of summer night, the air crisp, no humidity, thousands of people arriving with tickets, another thousand or so without. There was music being played over the speaker system that could be heard very clearly on the other side of the fence. If I couldn't get in, I would certainly be able to hear it at least. 

    The sun starts setting and the concert gets underway. Sting takes the stage with his backing musicians and the crowd erupts. A sense of urgency ensued amongst us outside. There were a few people milling about. We were chatting, one idea that we collectively came up with was to just climb the fence. It was a chain-link fence, those are so easy to climb. It's like they supplied us with a ladder. Our only concern was that security would be on the other side and they would see us when we went over. That idea was immediately nixed.

    Meanwhile the show started. They kicked it off with 'If You Love Someone Set Them Free'. It sounded really good from where I was at. I'm looking at this fence, contemplating, and I noticed, at one spot, that there is a gap underneath. On the other side was a lot of bushes which would provide great cover if someone were to make it under. 

    I'm standing there, thinking, I mention it to a couple who I had been talking to. I pointed it out to them, the three of us were standing there looking at it, questioning whether or not we would be able to fit when all the sudden the girl, who was the smallest of us, sat down and started scurrying underneath. She wasted no time.

Sheryl & Sting from that night

    Immediately, as I watched her make her way under the fence, a line from The Police song 'Roxanne' came to mind, which I sang out loud "You know my mind is made up", because her mind was made up! Our little group quickly grew to roughly eight people. We all made it under the fence and dispersed. Everyone first needed to dust themselves off, after they got back on their feet, then be on their merry way.      

    The second song started up and I was in. Then he/they played 'We'll Be Together'. I really like that one. That show was closing night of Sting's summer tour 'Brand New Day', the very last one, finito. It really was so much fun seeing the show underneath the stars. 

    The evening progressed and the night grew darker which made the stage with all the lights really come alive. The band played about three new songs in a row, which was fine. We want to hear the new stuff too, he'll get to the classics. We're in no hurry, we've got all night. 

    Sting then invited Sheryl Crow on stage to play 'Fill Her Up'. She was the musical guest of the evening. (Sheryl Crow had performed her own concert on The Great Lawn, exactly one year earlier in September, 1999.) She sounded great too. 

From the collection- Sheryl Crow autographed CD and BSP from 1997

    That was about the halfway point and from there on out every song was a smash hit. They played 'Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic', 'Englishman in New York', 'Brand New York (Day)', 'Roxanne', 'When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What's Still Around', 'If I Ever Lose My Faith in You', 'Every Breath You Take', plus a few others. Sting pulled out the acoustic to play 'Message in a Bottle', outstanding. 

    The entire concert was really great. The audience loved him/them and it showed. In addition to cheering and applauding, they did dance to all the hits. I am so glad I decided to get off the couch and go enjoy life.