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Concerts

Sting Returns to Montreal’s Théâtre St-Denis for the First Time in Almost 50 Years

The legendary musician first played the venue back in 1979 as the frontman of The Police.

L-R: Dominic Miller, Sting, Chris Maas

L-R: Dominic Miller, Sting, Chris Maas

Carter B. Smith

Sting is set to have a full-circle moment in Montreal.

Following a series of sold-out shows across the globe, the Grammy-winning singer has announced a new fall leg of his “STING 3.0” tour across North America. He’ll play two shows at Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Oct. 6 and 7, before heading to Montreal’s Théâtre St-Denis on Oct. 26 and 27.


The British rocker returns to the intimate Montreal venue for the first time in nearly five decades. He initially played the theatre back in 1979, during his stint as lead singer for The Police. It was during the peak of the band’s North American breakthrough, following the success of their hit “Roxanne.”

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In the years following, Sting has returned to the city and fondly reflected on his previous performances in Montreal, most recently at a sold-out Bell Centre show in 2022. Almost 50 years later, he’s making his grand return to Théâtre St-Denis, which holds just over 2,000 people.

On the road, he’ll be joined by longtime guitarist and collaborator Dominic Miller and drummer Chris Maas (Mumford & Sons, Maggie Rogers). While Sting can definitely fill larger spaces, the trio are set to deliver a tight-knit concert experience that reinterprets tracks from his discography, ranging from fan favourites to deep cuts.

Sting is no stranger to small Canadian venues. Seven years ago, he took the stage at Toronto’s Horseshoe Tavern. The 400-capacity space was the first-ever venue that The Police played in Canada on November 2, 1978 — weeks before the release of their debut album, Outlandos D'Amour.

As the band's popularity in Canada skyrocketed, they promptly returned to perform in larger venues across the country. In the early ‘80s, they went on to headline their namesake summer festival, The Police Picnic, in Toronto and surrounding cities.

Although the band broke up in 1986, Sting went on to have a strong solo career. On the Billboard Canadian Albums chart, he scored three albums in the top 10: 2003’s Sacred Love, 2010’s Symphonicities and 2001’s ... All This Time. In 2024, he went on to secure his debut entry on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 (which debuted in 2007), “Dreaming,” a collaboration with Marshmello and P!nk. It peaked at No. 64 and spent five weeks on the ranking.

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In addition to Sting’s newly-announced Canadian shows, the fall 2026 dates include stops in Seattle, Minneapolis, Rockford, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Akron, Cincinnati, Wallingford, Brooklyn and a rescheduled show in Tampa. In New York, Sting will take the stage for six nights, with support from rock group Fiction Plane, fronted by his son, Joe Sumner.

Tickets go on sale to the general public on March 6 at 10 am ET, following a series of presales between March 3 and 5. Sign up at sting.com and see the full North American tour dates there.

Sting — Sting 3.0: Canadian Dates

Oct. 5-6 – Vancouver, BC – Queen Elizabeth Theatre

Oct. 26-27 – Montréal, QC – Théâtre St-Denis

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Paul Martin
Courtesy Photo

Paul Martin

FYI

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This week we also acknowledge the passing of hit songwriter and recording artist Neil Sedaka and American guitar ace Travis Wammack.

Paul Martin, a Toronto guitarist, singer-songwriter and music publisher best known as a member of the Blushing Brides, died on Feb 24, his 67th birthday. A cause of death has not been officially reported

The origins of the Blushing Brides date back to the late '70s when vocalist Maurice Raymond agreed to join Martin's Kingston band Consilium. The Canadian Pop Encyclopedia reports that "In early 1979, two Kingston, Ontario, musicians, Maurice Raymond (vocals) and Paul Martin (guitar), decided to fill the musical gap left with the absence of a tour every four or five years by their mutually favourite band The Rolling Stones. Soon they laid down the groundwork for a tribute band called, simply, The Blushing Brides.

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