2008-05-06

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MillionTreesNYC and last concert announcement
2008-05-06.jpg
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg gives keys to the city to The Police. Photo copyright Kellie M. Walsh.
Date: 2008-05-06
Location: Times Square, New York, NY, USA
Attendees: Sting, Stewart Copeland, Andy Summers, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg

On 2008-05-06, The Police appeared in Times Square in New York City for a press conference with Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. The band members received keys to the city while announcing their $1-million contribution to the MillionTreesNYC initiative and their "final concert ever" to take place in the city at a date and venue to be announced later. The concert would be a performance to benefit local public broadcast stations Thirteen/WNET and WLIW New York.

One eyewitness report

News crawl before the event (1)
News crawl before the event (2)
News crawl before the event (3)
  • Some notes from witness Kellie M. Walsh:
    • The event occurred on the triangular island between Broadway and Seventh Avenue, either between 43rd and 44th or 44th and 45th Streets. (Next time I see it, I'll fix this.) It was a clear blue day, and the sun was strong.
    • The event appeared to be centered around the MillionTreesNYC initiative, with signs and even trees trucked in and placed on the back of the stage.
    • The band and Mayor Bloomberg took the stage late. Before they had even begun the press conference, a news zipper on a building adjacent to the event announced that the Police's final concert would take place in New York City to benefit local public television.
    • Sting read a statement and fielded a question or two, including one about his rainforest foundation, which days before had made headlines due to alleged questionable accounting practices. Andy and Stewart did not speak.

The event was, frankly, confusing. The decor was tree-centered, with no public broadcasting signage in sight. The event looked to be created to announce the band's contribution to the MillionTreesNYC initiative, and many guessed that the tie-in with the final concert announcement would be that the show would occur in Central Park. (Lots of trees.) Rumors had already appeared on websites suggesting as much.

Then the final show was announced as benefitting local public television, which had nothing to do with trees. (Tree-themed t-shirts made specifically for the last concert would later be sold at the concert and on the city's website to benefit MillionTreesNYC, but we didn't know that at the time.) Public television representative Neal Shapiro spoke, but there was no indication as to what public broadcasting and MillionTreesNYC had to do with each other: Thirteen/WLIW weren't even listed as MillionTreesNYC sponsors. It felt like two press conferences squished into one.

Despite the copious speechifying, the final concert announcement seemed almost an afterthought: we were told the show would occur in New York, but we were given no date or venue. If I remember correctly, it was only when a journalist asked from the audience if the show would occur in Central Park that such questions were even acknowledged, if not addressed. Mayor Bloomberg asked Sting if he wanted to elaborate; Sting did not. Bloomberg (being Bloomberg) declined to give specifics but mentioned that the show would likely occur "indoors," leaving only Madison Square Garden as a possibility.

For historical (not necessarily factual) purposes only: anonymous sources, however, have said that the last concert was, in fact, originally planned to occur in Central Park, possibly for free. It is said that the band and city, however, could not agree on the arrangements. This information is unverified and being included for historical memory of the time only. (Saith Kellie M. Walsh)

Press release

05.06.08 Mayor Bloomberg and The Police announce contribution to MillionTreesNYC and reveal that their last ever concert will take place in New York City to benefit local public televisions stations...

$2 Million Contribution to MillionTreesNYC - $1 Million Pledged by The Police, an Amount Matched by the City - Will Plant 10,000 New Trees and Help Reforest 2,000 Acres

Final Concert Will Raise Funds for Thirteen / WNET and WLIW New York.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg joined Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland of The Police to announce that the band's final concert will be in New York City and their commitment to MillionTreesNYC, the City's initiative to plant one million trees by the year 2017. MillionTreesNYC is a component of PlaNYC, the Mayor's plan to make the City more sustainable and reduce its carbon footprint 30 percent by 2030. The Police pledged $1 million to the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City in support of MillionTreesNYC. This donation, matched by the City, will provide $2 million to help launch the reforestation component of MillionTreesNYC which will plant 10,000 trees and reforest 2,000 acres of parkland across the five boroughs. Reforestation efforts improve air and water quality, reduce greenhouse gases and lower energy costs.

"The Police are now part of one of the most exciting elements of PlaNYC - MillionTreesNYC - our initiative to plant one million new trees over the next 10 years," said Mayor Bloomberg. "Sting's human right's advocacy is well known, as is his support for the environment, especially the rainforests. Today The Police have demonstrated their commitment to greening our City."

"We are pleased to contribute to this powerful and historic initiative that will undoubtedly improve the quality of life for future generations," said The Police. "We applaud Mayor Bloomberg and the City of New York for boldly confronting the City's environmental issues and are excited to support their goal of creating a healthier, more sustainable City."

The Police also announced that their final concert ever will be a fundraiser with proceeds benefiting the production of arts programming for Thirteen/WNET and WLIW New York. Tickets will be available nationally online via Thirteen/WNET and WLIW. More details about the benefit show, including venue and ticket information, will be released at a later date.

"We kicked off our very first American tour at CBGB's in 1978 and this summer, thirty years later, our journey will come full circle as we play our final show here in New York City," said The Police. "We are honored to partner with public television and have a deep respect for their commitment to arts and culture."

"All of us at Thirteen/WNET and WLIW New York are incredibly honored to host the final concert of The Police and to be a part of this amazing event that will do so much to improve our City," said Neal Shapiro, President and CEO of the Educational Broadcasting Corporation, the licensee of Thirteen/WNET and WLIW New York. "We are even more grateful that The Police have decided that proceeds from their landmark concert will directly benefit public television. On behalf of our millions of viewers, I personally want to thank Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland for their extraordinary generosity."

Last year, the Mayor committed $400 million of City funds towards the ten-year MillionTreesNYC campaign, a partnership of the City Department of Parks & Recreation and the New York Restoration Project. The donation from The Police and the matching donation from the City will go towards the planting of 10,000 trees to create new urban forests, part of the Parks Department's Natural Resources Group reforestation plan. Other parts of the plan are the total restocking of street trees and an increase of tree plantings on public and private lots.

Through MillionTreesNYC, the City will be able to increase its urban forest by 20 percent, while achieving the many environmental benefits that come with planting trees. Trees are particularly effective at cleansing the air by absorbing pollutants-sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and carbon dioxide - through their leaves and intercepting airborne particulate matter on leaf sur-faces. New York City trees remove an estimated 2,200 tons of criteria pollutants from the air each year. By increasing canopy cover, MillionTreesNYC will help reduce the pollutants that trigger respiratory disorders, including asthma. Just four trees planted around a home can save up to 30% on summer cooling costs. All of the trees in New York City remove over 42,000 tons of carbon each year. The one million additional trees planted through MillionTreesNYC will remove an additional 151,658 tons of carbon from the atmosphere.

MillionTreesNYC planting efforts are focused on neighborhoods with low canopy cover and high rates of asthma hospitalization among children. These neighborhoods include Hunts Point and Morrisania in the Bronx, East New York in Brooklyn, East Harlem in Manhattan, the Rockaways in Queens and Stapleton in Staten Island. This public-private initiative is also dependent on the private support of individuals, foundations, and corporations to help plant trees.

In 1977, The Police stormed the music scene by innovatively blending reggae, punk, jazz and rock. The Police dominated the top of the charts and radio airwaves worldwide with five number one albums and a succession of top ten hit singles. The band has earned five Grammy Awards and sold over fifty million albums worldwide. In 2003, The Police were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2007 they reformed and embarked on a world tour. To date, this much heralded tour has played to over 2.5 million people on five continents and has garnered numerous accolades including 'Major Tour of the Year' (Pollstar), 'Top Selling' and 'Top Tour of the Year' (Billboard) as well as the People's Choice award for 'Favorite Reunion Tour of 2007.'

See also

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References


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