Sting’s delayed concerts rescheduled for April

Five months after he was due to go on stage in the UAE, Sting will launch his Middle East and North Africa tour with two concerts at Dubai's Aviation Club tennis stadium on April 19 and 20. During the concerts, timed to coincide with the star-studded Dubai Pro-Beach Soccer tournament, Sting will perform two songs with Cheb Mami, including their hit single "Desert Rose". Sting's manager Phil Banfield, who pulled the plug on the British star's involvement in last month's ill-fated Desert Rose Festival, confirmed the new dates.

"The shows are back on for April and we are definitely coming," he told Gulf News from the Cayman Islands where he is currently on holiday. "Sting was very disappointed last time and that's why he wanted me to reschedule the shows as soon as possible. We were always coming to Dubai in April as part of other Middle East shows, but the other offer which came in for November contained a clause barring any other shows in the country for a year, which ruled out our plans for April."

Sting pulled out of the Dubai Desert Rose Festival just weeks before it was due to take place, blaming its organisers for failing to live up to their contractual obligations. Banfield said legal action is being taken against the promoters of the event which had initially been described as a week-long festival to promote Abu Dhabi but then switched venues to Dubai at the last minute., "The dispute is still ongoing and the lawyers are dealing with it," he said. "We are dealing with a different promoter now, one who has promoted other shows before.

"Contracts have been signed and exchanged and all the technical details have been worked out so, barring accidents or illnesses, we will be in Dubai in April. "There was never any question of us not coming to Dubai, even after the problems of last time. I've read most of the letters in the local press from fans who were disappointed, but I want them to know it wasn't our fault.

"We weren't prepared to come and play a concert that wouldn't have been very good. If we had done that the fans would have been upset with Sting for a poor show and and not with the promoter. "People in Dubai can look forward to a two-hour set featuring most of the hits, and Cheb Mami will be there as well to sing the 'Desert Rose' track," Banfield said.

"Sting's happy to be definitely coming this time after so many people were disappointed. He's done this song 'Desert Rose' which crosses over to incorporate a Middle East sound and, following the success of the record, is looking forward to actually playing it in the Middle East." The Dubai dates are being promoted by Dubai-based CSM who also organise and run the annual beach soccer competition.

Pancho Campo, Managing Director of CSM said, "It is an honour for CSM to be bringing an artist of Sting's stature to perform in the UAE for the first time. "It just goes to show that this country is on par with the rest of the world when it comes to hosting events of this standard.

"We hope it acts as a catalyst and urges other major artists to consider the Emirates when scheduling their tours. We have known about it for some time but didn't want to make any announcements before every detail was finalised such as the venue, ticket outlets, ticket prices and so on," Campo said. "With the Dubai Pro Beach Soccer Tournament taking place as well, it's going to be a great time for residents and visitors. We believe that both events will compliment each other."

Tickets for the two Sting concerts will go on sale from January 7, priced at Dh150 standing, Dh185 seated and Dh450 for VIP seating. After the Dubai concerts, Sting will perform in Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Spain and all the way up through Europe, finishing in London at the end of July.