“Tal came over and said, ‘Sting, it doesn’t quite go the way you’re playing it…’” When Tal Wilkenfeld taught Sting the correct way to play an Aerosmith classic

Sting performs onstage during a concert at Eventim Apollo on October 26, 2025 in London, England. Guitarist Jeff Beck (L) and bassist Tal Wilkenfeld perform with Steven Tyler at the iHeartRadio Music Festival at the MGM Grand Garden Arena September 24, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. .

Mention Sting to us bassists and several hallmarks come to mind: his sparse basslines with the Police. His ability to sing while playing independent bass parts. And his jazz-infused, post-Police explorations, which further cemented his status as a favorite among fellow musicians without affecting his gift for selling millions of records to the general public.

His restless musical soul and inherent curiosity have led him down many different avenues over the years, including the time he hit the stage of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas to rock the 2011 iHeartRadio festival alongside Jeff Beck and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler.