Rocker Sting, tennis’ John McEnroe, Gov. Charlie Crist give high-profile feel to Everglades shindig
Tags: Alex Sink, Charlie Crist, Everglades Foundation, Jeff Kottkamp, John McEnroe, Jose Lambiet's Page2Live, Palm Beach, Sting, The Breakers, The Police
| Saturday 13 February 2010 12:31 pm
Sting arrives at Friday's Everglades Foundation gala in Palm Beach (click on the photo for the full gallery)
The Everglades Foundation, which raises cash to preserve the River of Grass, brought a big fish to its small pond Friday night at Palm Beach’s Breakers hotel.
Sting, the environmentally-conscious Brit superstar singer of The Police, was the guest of honor and also entertained about 840 guests. Each paid $1,000 to be jam-packed in the foundation’s yearly gala, but hey!, there’s only one Sting.
And, I’m told, the singer songwriter played the gig free of charge!
The icing on the celeb cake was provided by: Retired tennis bad boy John McEnroe, who emceed well after originally coming in with a sour puss; golf legend Jack Nicklaus, a board member of the foundation; and members of the state cabinet appearing with Gov. Charlie Crist, including Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp and CFO Alex Sink.
Needless to say, security may have been unprecedented at a Palm Beach charity gig. The background was heavy with FDLE agents in addition to local lawmen.
Wearing a black jacket and thin cotton scarfs — he looked like the rocker’s version of a lord, but then he was knighted by the Queen in 2003 — Sting explained why he was there. Sting’s pet issue has been for years the protection of rainforests throughout the world.
“You can’t really separate the two issues (the Everglades and rainforests),” Sting told Page2Live. “All of these ecosystems are interrelated and we need to work to protect them now.”
But the conversation changed when Page2Live’s lensman, Mike Jachles, told Sting he was at The Police’s first North American gig in the late 1970s, at a Syracuse, N.Y., bar named Firehouse Tavern.
Sting’s face lit up and he replied: “I remember it well!”
Also at the hotel’s lavish Ponce de Leon ballroom: local environment legend Nat Reed; author Carl Hiaasen; Netscape founder Jim Clark with his child bride, I mean, much younger wife, Aussie model Kirsty.
For more, and what Sting played, click
Once again, the governor was solo. His wife of just a year, Carole Rome, was MIA, as she’s been most of this social season.
Meanwhile the guitar-playing Sting, with four backup players, did an intimate 45-minute set that would have worked great on MTV’s Unplugged. They most stuck with the classics, including Roxanne, Message in a Bottle and Englishman in New York. Sting added a personal touch, at times talking about the interconnectivity of the environment between tunes.
Jose, looks can be deceiving. I know this is an entertainment column (and you are entertaining) but I have been called out at some drinking establishments with hostility “whats your problem” when in reality i always look like this. Mr. Mcenroe was there for a good cause and i commend him. Maybe you should have told him to smile and see what his responce would have been. If everyone had hearts as big as all the folks that attended this thing (i didnt because i am working class) the world would be better off. I love your column but think in this instance you should have taken off your gloves.
Or leave them on, not sure how that saying goes. But you know what i mean.
If Sting is so “environmentally conscious” why he is at the Breakers? I guess he doens’t care about the carbon footprint they leave and continue to leave on this environment. What a joke!
UMMM listen up commenter GUESS…….. Do a little research on The Breakers and Green Lodging and the fact that they are the first Florida Hotel to be recognized as such!
john mcenroe is a miserable punk that grew up in new york…his behavior on the tennis court is deplorable to most people except new yorkers…jack nicklaus is the opposite of mcenroe…he is from the midwest where people have class and know how to treat people…john mcenroe is good friends with howard stern…that should tell you everything you need to know about an individual…do you think jack nicklaus is friends with howard? not quite, he is a man that has great character and integrity and wouldnt associate with such scum!!!!!!!!!!!!!
theodore your an idiot. How would you feel if Howard and Mr Mcenroe both shared a bed giving bone marrow to an unknown recipient. And thats how they got to know each other. You know nothing about their personal lives. Your opinion of their character is meaningless to me.
What an event. Talk about setting a new standard for quality and programming.
Sting and his wife fly in private jets (so there goes their carbon footprint…they hypocrites!)
It’s a joke, they were paid big bucks probably from all those ‘donations’ your asked to make the world a better place.
Think before you donate. This could be where your money is going.
Money paid to two has-beens.
To raise $850,ooo they spent what? Breakers rent, food and beverage, plus security, (Oh I forgot, the taxpayers pay that) and all the other expenses? If it was not for the poor taxpayer picking up much of the tab, this “FUND RAISER” Would not have made a penny.
Now they will take this money and sue they tax payer supported government agencies that control or regulate anything in south Florida.
Does anybody see a problem here?
You take a small piece of land and call it a national park, Everglades National park.
Then you restrict property around it because it affected the “Park”.
Then you take property around that because it affected the property around the property of the Park.
Now they are taking property all the way to the City of Okeechobee.
That is over 100 miles away.
What is next? Orlando. Oh! I forgot, they have already started taking property to de-channel the Kissimmee river.
I think these people are out of control with our money, our property and our future and our safety. De channel this and that and remove water controls here and there and retain water in the swamp all the time and never let it dry out a burn. The see what happens when we get a Katrina. With not water controls and no money in the tax pot.
We are all sunk.
Then Sting and all the other big wigs can just go somewhere else and party on the taxpayer’s dime, (I mean Million).
PS. did anyone notice that the party was not in the Everglades but rather is a posh hotel?
Wow $840,000 isn’t a bad start! Sting can still sell seats.. and evidently still get a pretty penny for ‘em!
Where was Charlie Crist’s date? Guess the young gentleman decided to stay at home. Or was he there with a beard also?
This whole thing is an horrific joke. Its an insult to anyone with a brain.
Wow what an awesome event. John McEnroe did a fantastic job hosting the gig. He was also very funny.
Sting was absolutley amazing. Can’t wait for next year!!!
cool
DID STING FLY IN ON A PRIVATE JET?
Sting his a joke. He pleads for saving the earth and then flits around on a private jet.
HYPOCRITE! Balding, disease infested crappy strained voice singer.
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Or leave them on, not sure how that saying goes. But you know what i mean.