October 23, 2001 – Sting will perform a midday concert in New York City's Bryant Park, Thursday, Oct. 25. Microsoft is hosting the event to celebrate the launch of Windows XP. The software giant will webcast the concert around the world on MSN.

The hourlong free concert will take place in the heart of midtown Manhattan, in Bryant Park at 1 p.m., capping the festivities of the Microsoft Windows XP launch held three blocks away in Times Square's Marriott Marquis Theatre. The park will open at 11 a.m. the day of the concert.

Tickets, which are required for the free concert, are available at Manhattan retailers including two CompUSA stores on 57th and Broadway and 5th and 38th; FYE across from the Radio City Music Hall; three Gateway County Stores on Park and 17th, Columbus Circle and East 86th; J&R Computer and Music World on 15 Park Row; and Virgin Megastore in Times Square. Best Buy stores in Secaucus and Rego Park in Queens will also be distributing tickets.

For those unable to attend the event, MSN Music and Intel Corp., a key Microsoft launch participant, will provide a live webcast exclusively for fans in the U. S. at http://music.msn.com/sting/ on Oct. 25. This site will also include other interesting information about Sting and his upcoming album. For those who miss the live webcast, it will be available one week after the event to view on demand.

Sting's participation in the launch concert allows him to complete a project cut short by the events of Sept. 11. On that day, Sting was preparing for a global webcast of a concert from Italy that was to be recorded for his upcoming live album, All This Time.

With the news spread of the World Trade Center attack, plans for the concert were aborted. Instead, Sting and his band performed and webcast one song, "Fragile," as a mark of respect for all those who lost their lives. They then shut the webcast down.

"Thursday's concert and worldwide webcast will allow me to complete the project we chose to abandon due to the horrific events on Sept. 11," Sting said. "I am especially pleased to do this in the city most affected, and in solidarity with all New Yorkers. I am grateful to Microsoft for giving me the opportunity."

Microsoft will be making a donation of software at Sting's request to two schools affected by the Sept. 11 attacks in thanks for his participation in the Windows XP launch concert. At Sting's request, these schools will be outfitted with the latest in Microsoft software, as they work to reopen.