Born Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner and best known as the lead vocalist of The Police, Sting turns 68 today (Oct. 2). Sting famously fused punk, reggae and New Wave with The Police while also distinguishing himself as one of rock’s greatest singing bassists, if not bassists, period.
After The Police disbanded in the 1980s, he went on to a successful solo career, even recently releasing a collaboration album with Shaggy, which took home a Grammy for Best Reggae Album earlier this year. The Police were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003, and Sting was inducted to the Songwriters Hall of Fame and became a Kennedy Center honoree.
Read: The 10 Best Rock Bassists of All-Time
To celebrate Sting’s birthday, we’re sharing some vintage footage from a Police concert in 1980. The Police performed at the Capitol Theatre in Passaic, N.J., and they ripped into many of their mega-hits and karaoke classics like “Roxanne,” “Message in a Bottle” and “Walking On The Moon.” Here, you can witness The Police in the prime of their career. During “Roxanne,” Sting sways and hops around on stage as the crowd enthusiastically engages in call-and-response vocals.
Watch The Police perform three songs live in 1980 via the Paste vault below.