The Police Will Launch Reunion Tour In Vancouver

If The Police whetted your appetite with their reunion performance of "Roxanne" on Sunday night's Grammy Awards, a full course meal of the trio is on its way.

Singer/bassist Sting (real name Gordon Sumner), guitarist Andy Summers and drummer Stewart Copeland will mark their 30th anniversary by touring the world, they announced after a rehearsal performance in front of invited media members at Los Angeles club The Whiskey on Monday.

The Police recently rehearsed in Vancouver, so it's fitting that it will be the first city to host them when the tour kicks off on May 28 at General Motors Place. The band's other confirmed Canadian shows will take place at Toronto's Air Canada Centre on July 22 and Montreal's Bell Centre on July 25.

Another rock trio, Fiction Plane, will open all North American dates. More support acts will be announced in the coming weeks.Tickets for the three confirmed Canadian shows will cost in the range of $59.50, $95 and $225 (plus applicable service charges) and will go on sale on Saturday. A four-ticket-per-person limit will be in effect.

The Police will play across North America through the spring and summer, with Best Buy acting as the presenting sponsor for all shows. Those signing up here for the Best Buy newsletter will have a chance to purchase two pre-sale tickets each beginning at noon on Tuesday. A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to WaterAid, an international non-governmental organization founded in 1981 and dedicated to reducing poverty around the globe by improving access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene education.

European dates will follow the North American leg of the tour in the fall. Performances in Mexico, South America, Japan, Australia and New Zealand are also expected. The tour will be produced by The Next Adventure, a company formed in Toronto that's now part of the Live Nation music empire, in association with RZO Entertainment.

"The anticipation and excitement to see The Police is overwhelming, and I am absolutely thrilled to be a part of bringing the band to their fans worldwide," said Live Nation global music chairman Arthur Fogel at the media conference.

The Police formed in London, England in 1977 and released their Outlandos D'Amour debut a year later. Each succeeding album was more popular than its predecessor, and the band's mix of new wave, rock and reggae made them the biggest band in the world by the time they released their fifth and final studio effort, Synchronicity, in 1983. Their tour in support of that album wound down in 1984 and, aside from a brief reunion tour in support of Amnesty International two years later, an impromptu performance at Sting's 1992 wedding, and an appearance at their 2003 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction, all three members have gone their own way and followed their own musical muses.

The Police's impressive string of hits includes "Message In A Bottle," "Don't Stand So Close To Me," "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" and "Every Breath You Take."