Sting Decided to Leave the Police After Their Biggest Concert: ‘After This Everything is Just Diminishing Returns’
Most people would never think of leaving their hit rock band at the peak of their success, but Sting, frontman of The Police, revealed why he and the rest of the group decided to disband after performing one of the biggest shows of their career.
The Police were one of the biggest bands of the 80s
The Police formed in 1977. The band’s lineup Included Sting, lead vocalist and bass guitar player, Andy Summers, guitar player, and Stewart Copeland, drummer.
The group’s big break came in 1979, with the release of their second album, Regatta de Blanc, which spawned hit singles “Message in a Bottle” and “Walking on the Moon.” Both went No. 1 in the UK.
The Police were huge hitmakers throughout the 1980s, burning up the charts with singles like “Don’t Stand So Close to Me,” “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” and “Every Breath You Take.” However, by 1983, Sting was ready to call it quits.
Sting said The Police’s ‘biggest gig’ caused him to break up the band: ‘It got boring’
In 1983, The Police played a show at Shea Stadium, something Sting called their “biggest gig” and “the apotheosis of bigness” in an interview clip that’s now making the rounds on TikTok. While most musicians would find that exciting, Sting revealed that it was actually what made him want to break up the band.
“I thought, after this, everything’s just diminishing returns,” the rock star explained. “I spoke with the other guys and said, ‘We can’t just keep doing this. It’s boring. It got boring. We’ll hate it.’ They agreed.”
The Police went on hiatus for a few years, but once they were back in the studio, they called it quits again
The Police didn’t break up for good, though, promising fans that they were just taking a hiatus after their 1984 Synchronicity Tour. All three band members went on to pursue solo careers, recording albums.
Sting’s first solo project, The Dream of the Blue Turtles, was released in 1985. The album took the No. 2 spot on the Billboard chart. It was also nominated for Album of the Year, Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, Best Jazz Instrumental Performance and Best Engineered Recording.
In 1986, The Police performed a few live shows together and returned to the studio, but a fall from a horse left Copeland unable to play the drums. The band split up and all three continued to work on their solo projects.
Sting found major success as a solo artist with songs like “Fields of Gold,” “Shape Of My Heart,” and “Englishman in New York.” He was a Kennedy Center Honoree in 2014 and, combining his sales with The Police and as a solo artist, has sold over 100 million records.
In 2007, The Police reunited to perform at the Grammys, before launching a successful reunion tour. However, once again, the group announced they would be breaking up, with Sting proclaiming “There will be no new album, no big new tour. Once we’re done with our reunion tour, that’s it for The Police,” per Billboard.
