The Police News

We can't stand losing them, but it should be one helluva going-away party.

At a Times Square press conference today flanked by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and assorted city bigwigs, the Police unveiled plans to play their last performance ever as a band this summer in the Big Apple.

The venue and exact date will be announced later, but the band said the show would take place in August.

"We kicked off our very first American tour at CBGB's in 1978, and this summer, 30 years later, our journey will come full circle as we play our final show here in New York City," the band said in a statement.

The gig will be the final stop on the band's megagrossing reunion tour and will also serve as a benefit for the production of arts programming for local New York public television stations Thirteen/WNET and WLIW.

Tickets for the Police's swan song will only be available online through those stations' websites.The Grammy-winning threesome of Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland will also donate $1 million to MillionTreesNYC, Bloomberg's initiative seeking to, yes, plant 1 million trees across Manhattan by 2017. The mayor confirmed the city will match the gift.

Before today's surprise announcement, the Police's last hurrah had been scheduled for Aug. 5 at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, N.Y.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers kicked off the final leg of their tour May 1 in Chicago with special guests Elvis Costello and the Imposters. They have an additional 33 dates in North America through the summer, during which they'll also hopscotch across the pond to headline a number of European festivals.

The 30th anniversary trek launched last year, the group's first full-fledged tour since 1984. It has been one of the most profitable tours ever, earning more than $212 million in ticket sales.