Flashback | Jerry Garcia Sits In With Sting At RFK Stadium

Update 10/2: In honor of Sting’s 63rd birthday today, we’re resharing a piece we ran earlier this year on his solo band’s collaboration with Jerry Garcia from Washington, D.C. in 1993.

In an unexpected pairing, the Grateful Dead chose Sting to open 11 stadium shows on their summer tour in 1993. Sting took advantage of the attentive crowd and would mix it up from night-to-night at the same venue. The former Police front man also brought up Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia to sit in on portions of four sets.

One of Garcia’s guest appearances took place at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. on June 26, 1993. Jerry added guitar to a jazzy rendition of “Walking On The Moon” > “Consider Me Gone” > “Been Down So Long” that evening. Don Henley even made a cameo on “Been Down So Long” at RFK Stadium. Thankfully for us, a member of the Grateful Dead’s road crew recorded Sting’s set and the resulting soundboard audio allows us to hear what an amazing presence Garcia brings to Sting’s music.