The Police Might Have Gotten Through Their 2007 Reunion Tour, but This Clip Suggests It Wasn’t Easy

The Police were one of the biggest bands of the 80s, and they broke up as such, as their breakup transpired at the peak of their height. In 1986, The Police officially broke up after they disbanded once their 1984 world tour concluded. For those two years, the masses and media speculated as to what was driving a wedge between the band members. Per usual, the reasons that came out all surrounded creative differences, a desire for a solo career, and so on and so forth. Nothing novel, and nothing new.

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One part of The Police’s breakup that was seemingly correct was the growing tension between Sting and drummer Stewart Copeland. For years, Copeland and Sting reportedly butted heads over personal struggles and creative directions. Well, that personal turmoil between the two musicians seemed to have never faded. Specifically, when The Police got together for their reunion tour in 2007, Stewart Copeland and Sting had some choice words for each other during a rehearsal for one of their shows.

The Police’s Creative Kerfluffles Never Went Away

While on the 2007 and 2008 tour, a camera crew followed the band around for the concert film, The Police: Certifiable. In the bonus feature of the film, titled Better Than Therapy, the crew captured the moment in which Copeland and Sting’s creative tensions resurfaced. In the video, Copeland plays an elaborate and fairly out-of-pocket drum fill and then states, “That’s gonna be on the f— cover of modern drummer magazine,” and “It’s gunna be fucking devoted to that drum fill you c—!”

Sting sarcastically replies, “It’s amazing you can play that drum full in nine beats.” And then Copeland ultimately rebuts with, “Get lost! Just because it’s a little confusing for the f— bass playing element!” Also, Andy Summers humorously adds, “It’s going so well.”

This moment seemingly sheds light on the tempered relationship between Sting and Copeland. There is certainly more to the moment that we were not shown. Nonetheless, the two did share some choice words. And given their past, it seems they didn’t just say them in jest. Above all, The Police successfully finished their 2007 and 2008 reunion tour at Madison Square Garden in New York City. However, since then, The Police have not gotten back together, and they likely never will. But, needless to say, we’d love to have The Police prove us wrong.

Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for iHeartMedia