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the chance to see them perform.

Sure, I've seen Sting and his tour with jazz musicians, Brandford Marsalis, Kenny Kirkland and Omar Hakim and that was hot but it was not the Police.

"What can I do? All I want is to be next to you."

Earlier this year, the Police announced they would reunite and tour to celebrate the thirty year release of "Roxanne." Nothing against other Hall of Fame rock and roll acts, but the Police were never ones to band together for monetary reasons and rehash old hits like aging rock veterans, The Who or the Rolling Stones. I was resolved to the fact that I would never see them perform.

That was until they announced they were coming to my backyard, Tampa, Florida, to play the St Pete Times Forum, ironically two days before my 39th birthday. My mother and stepfather, who live in Tampa, have connections at the Forum. I told my mother, who's always been prone to spoiling, that all I wanted was tickets to see that show. Well, you know who came through. A bottle of Dom Perignon and several Jack and Cokes later, we strolled into the Arena, bubbling with anticipation. This event had been earmarked on my calendar for nearly twenty-five years.

Well, when I say my mother and stepfather have connections at the St Pete Times Forum, I mean just that. How about first level, front row seats to see my favorite band of all time. Thanks, hugs and love can not nearly express my gratitude. Nor can this blog. We were a horseshoe toss away from Sting and the gang, standing so close to them, it was as if my backup vocals resonated through his microphone.

In front of an obvious sell-out crowd of over 22,000 fans who all seemingly new every word to every song, the Police opened with "Message in a Bottle" and then proceeded to play for over two hours, including three encores. They delved into old material and. wait, it's all old, isn't it. They performed lesser known hits like "Driven To Tears," "When the World is Running Down," "Voices Inside My Head" and "The Bed's Too Big Without You." The highlight of the evening, aside from spending time with the ones I love in front of a band I love, must have been their sparkling rendition of "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic," which in my opinion, is the second greatest rock and roll song ever, taking a backseat only to Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On." And before you rebut, remember John Cusack's (Nick Hornby's) line in "High Fidelity" "How can a personal, musical preference be wrong?"

Sting, now 55 years old, was in incredible shape and despite Copeland's interminable energy, when the band covered "Truth Hits Everybody," Sting joked "we used to play that song much faster."

Although this isn't a sports blog, I felt it was something I had to write. I want to thank mom and John for making this experience so unforgettable, nearly a half a lifetime of waiting. I couldn't help but tear up as I recited each song lyric.

If you're a fan of the Police and are somehow able to catch a show near you, I highly recommend you do so. And I hope it means half as much to you as it did to me.

"Love can mend your love but love can break your heart."

Learn more about this author, Chris Humpherys.
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