Sting to perform benefit concerts for New York’s Public Theater

Rocker Sting is set to perform 10 concerts at New York City’s Public Theater this autumn (13) to help raise money for the arts organisation. The Shape of My Heart hitmaker will kick off the series of shows at the Anspacher Theater on 25 September (13) and the proceeds will be donated to the struggling non-profit.
The former Police frontman will play songs from his upcoming album The Last Ship, many of which were inspired by his work on a musical of the same name, about a shipyard in Newcastle, England, near where Sting spent much of his youth.
The play will debut on Broadway next year (14) and artistic theatre director Oskar Eustis says, “Sting is one of the great artists of our time, a brilliant songwriter who is also a model of activist commitment. The Last Ship is shaping up to be a masterpiece, both an elegy for and a celebration of the working-class life of the Newcastle shipyards.”
The rocker, real name Gordon Sumner, will also celebrate his 62nd birthday on stage – one of his final gigs falls on 2 October (13).