Watch CBS News

Free Sting Show A 'Best Buy'

Sting is winding up the U.S. leg of his Brand New Day tour in New York City's Central Park, where he will give a free concert next month, VH1's Rebecca Rankin reports for CBS News.

Following in the footsteps of artists like Elton John, Garth Brooks and Cheryl Crow, who've all given free concerts to huge crowds in the park, Sting is set to give the outdoor performance September 12.

Englishman In New York
The son of a milkman in Newcastle, England, Gordon Sumner, better known as Sting, boasts a life of accomplishment. CBS News' Charles Osgood spends a day at his home on Central Park West in New York City.
"I know people from all over the world want to come see it. It won't just be New Yorkers, it will be the world," the former Police frontman and Grammy-winning solo artist said after a recent tour stop in Los Angeles.

Performing should be second nature for Sting -- he's regarded by some as one of the sexiest and coolest musicians today. Surprisingly, he doesn't always feel that way up on stage. "I only feel comfortable after about half an hour," he confessed. "I'm busy working the audience as if they don't know me as if they don't know any of the songs. As if they don't necessarily like me."

Sources say there may be some surprise guests at the concert, and Sting notes, "I'm pretty open about requests. People are always holding up banners of what they want to hear. You know sing with me, dance with me. I'm usually pretty accommodating."

More Buzz
Click here for the official Web site of all things Sting.
Click here for Sonicnet's Sting archive, featuring frecustomized e-mails with news, concert dates and more.
Sounds like a must-see show, but there's a catch: fans can't just show up. Tickets, although free, will be required for admission to the big event.

Best Buy, the retail chain sponsoring the event, will handle the approximately 25,000 tickets to be distributed. Sting will give out the first ticket at a press conference Sept. 7.

The stores are planning a series of contests to dole out the rest of the prized tickets.

CBS Worldwide Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Reuters Limited contributed to this report

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.