The Police

About the Police World Tour:

The Police have made official what's become one of the worst-kept secrets in the music industry: the long-dormant trio will reunite for a tour later this year.

"There's no reason why we shouldn't be 25 years better than we were then--and we were good then," frontman Sting said during a Monday morning (2/12) press conference/rehearsal at The Whisky on West Hollywood, CA's Sunset Strip.

Set to launch May 28 in Vancouver, British Columbia, the North American portion of the outing so far includes a mix of arena and stadium gigs, as well as a June 16 appearance at Tennessee's Bonnaroo festival.

Stops in 13 cities currently are confirmed. According to a press release, additional North American shows are planned for Chicago; Columbus, OH; Detroit; Edmonton, Alberta; Hartford, CT; Houston; Los Angeles; Miami; Philadelphia; Tampa; the San Francisco Bay Area; the Minneapolis/St. Paul region; and the Washington/Baltimore area. Details about those shows will be announced in the next few weeks.

Rock trio Fiction Plane, which is scheduled to issue its second album in May, will open the tour's North American leg.

Following the initial North American shows, The Police will head to the UK, Holland, Germany and Italy, among other European destinations. The group is expected to return to North America in October for another round of shows, to be followed by stops in Mexico, South America, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

At the press conference, Sting said the tour would be a stripped-down affair. "It's going to be three guys on stage--that's all," he said. The setlist will consist entirely of material from The Police--none from Sting's solo career, he later added.