Today (Oct. 23) marks the 40th anniversary of the time The Police played The Chance in Poughkeepsie to a rather small crowd of lucky people.
It was Oct. 23, 1978, and it was one of the first-ever gigs in the United States for The Police after arriving from England. The Chance Theater was then known as 'Frivolous Sal's Last Chance Saloon' and The Police played the venue for their first and last time in an ice storm. "Roxanne" had just been released as a single and was not a hit yet. The band would play to a crowd of only three paying customers plus staff and a few radio executives. Sting and the other band members have spoke about the now infamous gig in interviews over the years including Sting during an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon back in 2016. See video below. It's funny how I've heard this story over the years and that there were only a handful of people at the show that night, but I've spoke to hundreds over the years who claim that they were there. Although nobody was there, The Police were said to have played the show as if they were playing to thousands. True professionals. If only they would ever return...