The Police, in what will undoubtedly be a run of historic proportions, is embarking on a worldwide tour. It is their first in 23 years. The tour starts in Vancouver at GM Arena on May 28 and will continue to the end of 2007 with the band playing in stadiums and arenas internationally. The Police will also be the headliners for the Bonnaroo festival on June 16 in Manchester, Tennessee.

The band recently finished a live rehearsal and press conference at West Hollywood’s Whisky a Go Go, rocking through old songs like “Message in a Bottle,” “Voices Inside My Head” medley, “When the World is Running Down,” and “Reggatta De Blanc/Can’t Stand Losing You,” which they fully admitted to barely remembering how to play. “Roxanne,” the band’s breakthrough hit, was performed as well.

As expected, RZO Entertainment in association with Next Adventure will produce the tour worldwide, under Arthur Fogel’s direction, TNA president and global music chairman for Live Nation, TNA’s parent company. During the press conference Fogel said, I’m thrilled being part of bringing back the Police to all their fans. It’s been a long time.

The announcement followed the outstanding “Roxanne” performance by the Police as the opener for the Grammy Awards. As the band kicked into their song, Sting shouted, we’re back. We’re the Police.

There had been rampant talk in prior weeks of a 30th anniversary tour of the Police. The plan is to have the Police touring North American into early August. They will then play Europe and the UK and return in late October to North America.

After that other parts of the world are on tap including Japan, South America, Mexico and maybe New Zealand and Australia to round out the year. Currently there are around 80 shows on the books, which include 24 North American cities. It’s also possible for the Police to end up playing in several U.S. Stadiums as well as abroad. Currently Boston’s Fenway Park is the only stadium date confirmed. The only festival planned so far is Bonnaroo which features heavyweight musical acts like the White Stripes, Tool and Wilco.

Best Buy is the tour’s North American sponsor. Some of the tour’s proceeds will benefit Water Aid. Ticket prices will be primarily scaled at $50, $90 and $225. Tickets go on sale for Vancouver, Toronto (for July 22) and Montreal (for July 25) on February 17th. Tickets for other markets, which include Boston (August 1) and New York (August 3), go on sale on February 20. A pre-sale will be orchestrated by Ticketmaster through a Police tour website that was created a few days before general public onsales. The Police will very likely be 2007’s top grossing tour.

Sting, Andy Summers, guitarist, and Stewart Copeland, drummer, split up in 1984 amidst internal tensions that followed the release of “Synchroncity,” the band’s most successful album. They did regroup in 1986 for a few concerts before they broke up for good.

Sting recalled, around three months ago I woke up one day and a light bulb just went off inside my head. I thought I will call Stewart and Andy and tell them about doing a tour. They will be surprised. The world will be surprised. I’m surprised too. It is very healing. I have been running away from that part of my past for 25 years. We are still fighting and arguing over the music. However now we have ways for navigating that before we didn’t have.

Before the Grammys, the only public performance of the Police was at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2003. An impromptu set was also played by the band at the 1992 wedding of Sting and Trudie Styler.

Our arguments were about music. Also about hairstyles, Sting said laughing. Copeland added, over the music we fought like tooth and nail, but we always did like each other as human beings.

The band was silent concerning details over a potential set list for the tour or any new studio recordings. However Sting did acknowledge that they wouldn’t be playing his solo material. Sting said, we will be playing songs we’ve never played before. In the next three months we have lots of work to do.

Opening the shows will be Fiction Plane, which is fronted by Joe, Sting’s son.