Here's some synchronicity for you.
The Police plan to reunite to perform at next month's Grammy Awards, an appearance widely believed to be a precursor to a full-blown world tour later this year to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the release of the band's first single, "Roxanne."
Sting, guitarist Andy Summers and drummer Stewart Copeland will open the 49th Annual Grammy ceremony scheduled for Feb. 11 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and broadcast live on CBS, according to a Tuesday press release by the Recording Academy, the folks behind the awards.
The gig marks the first time the Police have taken the stage together since a much-heralded reunion at the 2003 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.
Famed for a fusion of reggae with elements of pop, rock and jazz, the bleach-blond threesome scored a slew of hits in the late '70s and early '80s, including "Roxanne," "So Lonely," "Walking on the Moon," "Don't Stand So Close to Me," "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da," "King of Pain," "Invisible Sun," "Wrapped Around Your Finger," "Message in a Bottle" and their greatest hit, "Every Breath You Take."
Although the Police never graced the Grammy stage during its heyday, the band did score five trophies and Sting won another for Song of the Year for "Every Breath You Take," which beat out Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" in 1983.
But at the height of their stardom, the band began to implode, mostly due to a growing acrimony between Sting, the Police's principal songwriter, creative force and public face, and Copeland, its mercurial founder. Following the end of the Synchronicity tour in March 1984, members began pursuing various solo projects and the group never got back in synch, save a short-lived revival in June 1986 for a trio of concerts for Amnesty International and a brief set at Sting's 1992 wedding to Trudie Styler.
Sting forged a successful post-Police career, releasing platinum-selling, Grammy-winning albums and appearing in the occasional film. Summers and Copeland stayed relatively under the radar, with their most notable accomplishments coming with film and TV soundtracks (Summers scored Down and Out in Beverly Hills and Weekend at Bernie's; Copeland received a Golden Globe nomination for Francis Ford Coppola's Rumble Fish). Copeland also joined Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio and Primus bassist Les Claypool in the prog-rock outfit Oysterhead.
But neither Copeland nor Summers could quite give up the dream of getting the Police back on the beat. In January 2006, Copeland debuted the documentary Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out at the Sundance Film Festival, featuring footage he shot himself.
Summers, meanwhile, told Billboard last summer that the Police's decision to take early retirement may have been premature.
"The more rational approach would have been, 'Okay, Sting, go make a solo record, and let's get back together in two or three years,' " the musician said. "I'm certain we could have done that...We were definitely not in a creative dry space. We could have easily carried on, and we could probably still be there. That wasn't to be our fate. It went in another way. I regret we never paid it off with a last tour. We snuck out the back door, which is what we were told to do, until it just became too frustrating to lie about it."
The Grammy announcement comes weeks after speculation first surfaced about a 30th anniversary tour. A radio station in Vancouver said Sting, Summers and Copeland were holed up at a studio there rehearsing not only for the Grammys but also for a road trip that could see them playing upward of 80 dates.
Earlier this month, Universal Music announced it was releasing a digitally enhanced CD retrospective of Police material, as well as concert DVDs.
Adding further fuel to the fire, a rep posted a statement on Sting's official Website indicating that something was in the works.
"As the 30th anniversary of the first Police single approaches, discussions have been under way as to how this will be commemorated," the statement says. "While we can confirm that there will indeed be something special done to mark the occasion, the depth of the band's involvement still remains undetermined."
No word yet on any official tour dates, but given the trio's enduring popularity, expect sold-out arenas or possibly even stadiums, should the Police opt to play larger venues.
Apparently, the Police are taking a cue from Simon & Garfunkel, who put their differences aside to open the 2003 Grammys with a performance of "Sounds of Silence" and then embarked on a hugely popular reunion tour.
Aside from the Police, other big acts set to perform at this year's Grammys include Christina Aguilera, Beyoncé Knowles, Mary J. Blige, the Dixie Chicks, Gnarls Barkley, John Legend, Ludacris, John Mayer, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Corinne Bailey Rae, Carrie Underwood, and Justin Timberlake.