The Ghost in the Machine Tour was a

concert tour A concert tour (or simply tour) is a series of concerts by an artist or group of artists in different cities, countries or locations. Often concert tours are named to differentiate different tours by the same artist and to associate a specific to ...

The Police The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For most of their history the line-up consisted of primary songwriter Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion). The Polic ...

to promote their album ''

Ghost in the Machine The "ghost in the machine" is a term originally used to describe and critique the notion of the mind existing alongside and separate to the body. In more recent times, the term has several uses, including the concept that the intellectual part of ...

''. To reflect the horns-based sound that permeated the album, the band decided to work with back-up musicians, hiring a horn section called The Chops (Darryl Dixon, David Watson and Marvin Daniels), who previously worked on the Sugarhill label. The

opening act A opening act, also known as a warm-up act, support act, or supporting act, is an entertainment act (musical, comedic, or otherwise), that performs at a concert before the featured act, or "headliner". Rarely, an opening act may perform again a ...

for the North America II portion was

Bow Wow Wow Bow Wow Wow are an English new wave band, created by manager Malcolm McLaren in 1980. McLaren recruited members of Adam and the Ants to form the band behind 13-year-old Annabella Lwin on vocals. They released their debut EP ''Your Cassette Pe ...

Oingo Boingo Oingo Boingo () was an American new wave band formed by songwriter Danny Elfman in 1979. The band emerged from a surrealist musical theatre troupe, The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, that Elfman had led and written material for in the y ...

the Go-Go's The Go-Go's are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. Except for short periods when other musicians joined briefly, the band has had a relatively stable lineup consisting of Charlotte Caffey on lead guitar and keyboar ...

and

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Joan Jett (born Joan Marie Larkin, September 22, 1958) is an American singer, guitarist, record producer, and actress. Jett is best known for her work as the frontwoman of her band Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and for earlier founding and per ...

for the North America III portion (Portland, Maine) opening act was

Black Uhuru Black Uhuru is a Jamaican reggae group formed in 1972, initially as Uhuru ( Swahili for 'freedom'). The group has undergone several line-up changes over the years, with Derrick "Duckie" Simpson as the mainstay. They had their most successful pe ...

The English Beat ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

was the opening act for the North America IV portion of the tour.

A Flock of Seagulls A Flock of Seagulls are an English new wave band formed in Liverpool in 1979. The group, whose best-known line-up comprised Mike Score, Ali Score, Frank Maudsley and Paul Reynolds, hit the peak of their chart success in the early 1980s. The ...

opened for The Police in Norfolk, Virginia. Jools Holland and his Millionaires opened for the Police during the UK dates of the tour. The Toronto appearance on 13 August 1982 was the second annual "Police Picnic" festival, with the band headlining. Opening acts included

The Spoons Spoons is a Canadian new wave band, formed in Burlington, Ontario in 1979. They recorded several Canadian chart hits between 1982 and 1989, and in 1983, they were nominated for Most Promising Group of the Year at the Juno Awards. Their most ...

, the

English Beat The Beat (known in the United States and Canada as the English Beat and in Australia as the British Beat) are a British band formed in Birmingham, England, in 1978. Their music fuses Latin, ska, pop, soul, reggae and punk rock. The Beat, c ...

, and

Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.Talki ...

. During the Police set, Ranking Roger of the English Beat joined them on "One World (Not Three)".

Setlist

This setlist was obtained from the 20 March 1982 concert; held at The Summit in Houston, Texas. It does not represent all concerts for the duration of the tour. #"Voices Inside My Head" #" Message in a Bottle" #" Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" #"

Spirits in the Material World "Spirits in the Material World" is a song by rock trio the Police, written by Sting. It is the opening track for their 1981 album '' Ghost in the Machine''. It was released as a single in 1981 and reached No. 12 in the United KingdomWhen the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What's Still Around "When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What's Still Around" is a song written by Sting that was first released by English rock band the Police on their 1980 album ''Zenyatta Mondatta''. Along with another song from ''Zenyatta Mon ...

" #" The Bed's Too Big Without You" #"

De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" is a song by The Police, released as a single on 20 November 1980. Released as the British second single from the album ''Zenyatta Mondatta'', the song was written by Sting as a comment on how people love simple-sound ...

" #" Demolition Man" #"Shadows in the Rain" #"

Walking on the Moon "Walking on the Moon" is a song by British rock band the Police, released as the second single from their second studio album, ''Reggatta de Blanc'' (1979). The song was written by the band's lead vocalist and bassist Sting. It went on to beco ...

" #" Invisible Sun" #"

Bring on the Night ''Bring On the Night'' is the first live album by Sting recorded over the course of several live shows in 1985 and released in 1986. The title is taken from a song by the Police from their 1979 album ''Reggatta de Blanc''. The songs performed i ...

" #"One World (Not Three)" #" Roxanne" #"

Don't Stand So Close to Me "Don't Stand So Close to Me" is a hit song by the rock band The Police, released in September 1980 as the lead single from their third album ''Zenyatta Mondatta''. It concerns a teacher who has a sexual relationship with a student, which in tu ...

" #"

Can't Stand Losing You "Can't Stand Losing You" is a song by English rock band The Police, released from their debut album ''Outlandos d'Amour'', both in 1978. The song also was released as the follow-up single to "Roxanne (The Police song), Roxanne", reaching number ...

" / "Reggatta De Blanc" / "Be My Girl—Sally" #"

So Lonely "So Lonely" is a song by English rock band The Police, released as the third and final single in November 1978 from their debut studio album '' Outlandos d'Amour'' (1978), and again in February 1980 as a re-release. The song uses a reggae styl ...

Personnel

*Sting – bass, doublebass, synthesizer, lead vocals *Andy Summers – guitar, backing vocals *Stewart Copeland – drums, percussion, backing vocals *Darryl Dixon – baritone sax *David Watson – alto sax *Marvin Daniels – trumpet *Bono – vocals on "Invisible Sun" (British leg of the tour)

Tour dates

References

Sources

The Police – Ghost In The Machine Tour – 1981 / 1982
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghost in the Machine Tour 1981 concert tours The Police concert tours 1982 concert tours