Roots, Rock, Reggae with Sting & Shaggy at Fillmore Miami Beach...

Sting and Shaggy brought their 44/876 tour to the Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theater on Saturday, Sept. 15th. 

The place was packed for the veteran rocker and his new reggae rapper pal, Shaggy.  I heard of some last minute tickets going for as much as $500!  Luckily, there are NO bad seats at the Fillmore!  You've got a great view no matter where you are.

There was no opening act.  Sting and Shaggy came on with the band, launching right into his 1987 hit, "Englishman In New York"; the song's lyrics taking on new meaning with the current national debate over immigration. The duo then segued into the title track of their surprise collaboration; "44/876"; a reference to the area codes of the countries the two were living in while recording it.

Sting and Shaggy are obviously having a great time together on this tour and it shows on stage. Their voices complementing each other, the show also features a generous number of Police and Sting solo hits-considering they are touring behind a new album. The band delivered knockout versions of songs like "Message In a Bottle" and "Walking On The Moon" in addition to Shaggy's many hits such as "Angel of the Morning" and "Boombastic"!  Yes, "Boombastic"! They even threw in some classic reggae with Bob Marley's "Get Up, Stand Up"!

The Fillmore just kept getting hotter and hotter with each song-the entire mezzanine was a gigantic dance party, as was the special admission section on the floor below! Sting and Shaggy delivered a great night of hits and new sounds to a very appreciative house full of fans. 

(c) Local 10.com by Brian Doughty