Alexandria-Born Police Drummer Stewart Copeland Comes Home Tonight — Tickets Still Available for Rare Birchmere Appearance
ALEXANDRIA, VA – If you’ve ever wanted to hear the stories behind one of rock’s greatest bands—not from a documentary, but from the drummer who lived them—you still have a chance.
Stewart Copeland, the Alexandria-born co-founder and drummer of The Police, returns to his hometown tonight, Sunday, July 19, for a rare appearance at The Birchmere. It’s not a concert. Instead, audiences will spend the evening with one of rock’s most engaging storytellers as he shares behind-the-scenes tales from an extraordinary career that has taken him from rock superstardom to Hollywood film scoring.
Thinking About Going?
Stewart Copeland: Have I Said Too Much? The Police, Hollywood, and Other Adventures
Date: Sunday, July 19
Doors open: 5 p.m.
Show begins: 7:30 p.m.
Location: The Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria
Tickets are still available. Purchase directly through
The Birchmere’s box office
to avoid third-party service fees.
While millions know Copeland as the driving force behind The Police classics Roxanne, Message in a Bottle, Don’t Stand So Close to Me and Every Breath You Take, many don’t realize he was born in Alexandria on July 16, 1952.
His father, Miles Copeland Jr., worked for the CIA and U.S. government, leading the family to spend much of Stewart’s childhood in the Middle East before he eventually returned to the United States and helped form one of the biggest bands of the late 1970s and early 1980s.
According to the tour description, tonight’s event is a 90-minute multimedia presentation inspired by Copeland’s memoir, Have I Said Too Much? The Police, Hollywood, and Other Adventures. Rather than performing songs, he’ll share personal stories, rare photographs, video clips and behind-the-scenes memories from his years with Sting and Andy Summers, along with insights into his later career composing music for films, television and video games.
Early reviews have praised the show as funny, candid and surprisingly personal, with Copeland’s quick wit taking center stage as he reflects on the personalities, pressures and unforgettable moments that shaped one of rock’s most successful bands.
The appearance also offers something increasingly rare: an opportunity to hear one of rock’s most influential musicians in the intimate setting of The Birchmere, where audiences can experience the stories behind the music instead of simply hearing the hits.
For Alexandria residents, there’s another reason to appreciate tonight’s event. Although Copeland’s career took him around the world, it all began here.
One of rock’s greatest drummers is coming home.
