In Tulum, Sting opens the first edition of Quintana Roo's Mexican Caribbean Music Fest...

The former leader of the legendary band The Police was the highlight of the event.

With almost the punctuality of an Englishman, as if hand-sculpted for his 73 years, and with the demeanor of a musical legend, singer Sting mobilized baby boomers, Generation Xers, and millennials alike to a jungle stage set up on the outskirts of Tulum, to travel and vibrate between the nostalgia of songs that have left their mark and the impeccable execution of pieces that fuse pop and jazz, with a voice practically intact.

The British singer, former frontman of the legendary band The Police, was the highlight of the Mexican Caribbean Music Fest, an event promoted by the Quintana Roo government as the "evolution" of the successful Riviera Maya Jazz Festival, which took place at Mamitas Beach, Playa del Carmen, in November each year since 2003, but was discontinued in 2022.

Last night marked the premiere of a new venture, the first edition of this Mexican Caribbean music festival, which aims to be a traveling event.

This time, it was a "Tuluminati" atmosphere, filled with foreign residents, tourists, and locals who arrived at Zamná Park, within a complex that began as a collection of eco-cabins and, due to its large size, has already hosted electronic music events, such as the Zamna Festival, since 2017.

Sting took the stage at 10:07 p.m. Dressed in a black T-shirt and pants, bass in hand, he opened with "Message in a Bottle," igniting the mood with The Police's first hit, released in the United Kingdom in 1979, which evokes loneliness and the need for connection with others.

Interacting with the audience, while chanting "sending out an S.O.S.," he saluted Tulum, called on those present to sing, and moved with the cadence of the Caribbean heat.

He then jumped forward at least 20 years to explore one of the singles from “Ten Summoner’s Tales,” an album released in 1993, as a solo artist, after the dissolution of his band.

Then came "If I Ever Lose My Faith I'll Lose You," which raises the fear that, after losing faith in everything, you will also lose faith in someone.

His third piece was the beginning of the climax, as we heard the introduction to one of the British singer's most iconic songs from his time as the lead singer of The Police in the 1980s.

It was "Englishman in New York," the story of an eccentric English writer who migrated to the city of skyscrapers—admired by Sting—due to his courage to be true to himself, being openly gay in a hostile era when he was seen as "weird."

"Be yourself, no matter what they say..." he repeated into the microphone, first crossing his arms, then pretending not to hear, and then letting go of the bass and placing one hand on his head and the other on his waist, moving rhythmically.

The song was sung along by the thousands of people attending the concert. “Oh, oh, I’m an alien, I’m a legal alien/ I’am an Englishman in New York,” was heard in a venue with a capacity of 20,000 people, according to the organizers.

At that point, the heat of over 30 degrees Celsius, the humidity and sweat, and the struggles to get there—through ADO bus rides or by car—regardless, with valet parking that turned out to be much better than expected.

The fourth arrow launched by the multiple Grammy Award winner spoke of someone under the spell of love who feels unable to confess it: "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic," also written by him and a hit with his former band.

Back in the '90s, Sting toned down the tune, but not the intensity, and transported the audience to the atmosphere of the Fields of Gold, which in Tulum was more like a jungle with people smoking marijuana, the aroma of which filled the air.

"So she took her love/ For to gaze awhile/ Upon the fields of barley/ In his arms she fell as her hair came down/ Among the fields of gold."

What followed was a run-through of other songs that kept the mood and applause high, sometimes immersing them in a deeper space and other times, explosive, with rather sober lighting effects and him, a near-legend, constantly interacting with the crowd.

The guitar chords were unmistakable, anticipating: "He deals the cards, like a meditation/ And those he plays never suspect/ He doesn't play for the money he wins/ He doesn't play for respect (…)", the opening of Shape of My Heart.

Some remember that piece as part of the soundtrack to the film "Demolition Man"; others, from the film "The Perfect Killer," starring Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, and a nearly child, Natalie Portman. And there will be some who evoke it as part of their personal soundtrack.

"I know that the spades are the swords of a soldier/ I know that the clubs are weapons of war/ I know that diamonds mean money for this art/ But that's not the shape of my heart."

After just over an hour and a half, Sting chose to close his participation in the Festival with the emblematic "Every Breath You Take" and "Roxanne," with which he concluded by saying goodbye with: "Thank you, Tulum, you're a poem."

Before him, the festival was opened by sitarist Leonardo Prakash, the Mexican rock band Liquitis, and Los Aterciopelados.

The Telenora trio moved from the Hindu rhythms of Leo to the alternative sound of Ro, Edi, and Teo, accompanied by a performance that harmonized with the always disruptive musical and visual proposal of the Colombians led by Andrea Echeverri.

Aterciopelados rocked with Bolero Falaz, Baracunatana, Maligno, and He venir a pedirte perdón (He came to ask you forgiveness) - a tribute to Juan Gabriel - in addition to a new version of “La ciudad de la furia,” a collaboration for Soda Stereo's acoustic album, which this year celebrates 25 years of shaking up the music scene, featuring Andrea and Gustavo Cerati.

(c) El Universal by Adriana Varillas

How did Sting do in Tulum? He was a knockout!

There's no deadline that's missed, and Sting had a date with his audience in Tulum, Quintana Roo, as part of and headliner of the first edition of the now-named Mexican Music Caribbean Fest, which took place in the space where Zamna usually takes place.

In this first edition, the festival brought together more than 20,000 people of all ages, who came to enjoy the 3.0 international tour of the British artist, who at 73 years old demonstrated why he's a rock legend and why his stage presence is unmissable for music lovers.

It all started shortly after 6:00 p.m. when thousands of people began flooding the venue to take their seats from the start and enjoy performances by artists from around the world. The person in charge of warming up the audience was Franco-Mexican Leonardo Prakash, who gave a brief presentation and was graciously received by the audience almost at sunset, which tinged the sky with a reddish hue that framed the first edition of this event.

Next up were Los Liquits, from the State of Mexico, who returned to the music scene after a six-year absence. As part of their latest tour, they took to the festival stage for a magical tour of their hits and two new songs from their upcoming album. The most applauded by the audience were "Jardín" and "Desde que...", to which they danced to the audience, who were amazed by their new tour, which kicked off last April at the Metropolitan Theater in Mexico City.

And then it was the turn of the Colombians on the bill: Los Aterciopelados, who turned the space into a center of community, brotherhood, and protest against the industry's pressures on women who have been questioned over time and because of their bodies. Andrea Echeverrí explained that they would play songs from their album "Genes rebeldes" and remix new versions of the band's classic songs like "Rompecabezas," on which they collaborated with Vivir Quintana and Los Auténticos Decadentes to raise funds for bird sanctuary. From the stage, she remembered friends of the band like Rubén Albarrán, vocalist of Café Tacvba, and the late Gustavo Cerati, whom she called the most handsome man in the world before performing "La Ciudad de la Furia."

To close, he paid tribute to our country by performing his cover of Juan Gabriel's "He venido a pedirte perdón." Anecdotally, Los Aterciopelados' confusion remains, as they always referred to the audience as residents of Yucatán and not Quintana Roo.

Punctual as usual, the British singer took to the stage, which was already packed. Without a word, he unleashed a torrent of hits with "Message in a Bottle," "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You," "English Man in New York," and the first song by The Police, which was very well received: "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic."

There were few interactions with the audience, but resounding applause, and the tour of his greatest hits continued with unforgettable moments like "Mad About You," "Driven to Tears," "Can't Stand Losing You," "Shape of My Heart," and "Walking on a Moon." The show then kicked off with two classics that define the musical history of this iconic rock solo artist, who has remained relevant despite all the changes in the industry: "Every Breath You Take" and "Roxanne," which brought more than a few tears to the eyes of the fans who enjoyed this show.

Sting quickly said goodbye and left the stage. It's known among the locals that the British singer is a frequent visitor to the tourist destination, which is why Tulum was a must-see for the former leader of The Police, who has canceled a couple of shows on his 3.0 tour due to health issues, primarily a throat condition.

(c) UnoTV by David Rubí