(SOUTH ORANGE, NJ) -- Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Stewart Copeland brings his first American spoken-word tour (Have I Said Too Much?) to the South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) on Thursday, July 16, 2026 at 7:30pm. Copeland is the founding drummer of The Police and one of rock's most inventive forces.
In this funny, fast-paced, and sharply honest evening, Copeland pulls back the curtain on a life lived at full volume, from forming “the most successful rock band of the 1980s” to composing for films, video games, opera, ballet, and beyond.
From The Police to Global Icon: Copeland recounts the rise of The Police including four consecutive number-one albums, GRAMMY and BRIT Awards, over 75 million records sold, and era-defining hits like “Message in a Bottle,” “Walking on the Moon,” “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” and “Every Breath You Take”.
Soundtracks, Symphonies & Storytelling: After the band’s split, he launched a prolific second act, scoring everything from Francis Ford Coppola’s Rumble Fish to major film, TV, and game projects, and creating genre-bending works for opera, ballet, chamber and world music.
A Life in Pictures, Clips & Q&A: Through stories, rare photos, video clips, and an open Q&A, Copeland traces his journey from a music-filled childhood in Beirut to rock superstardom and artistic reinvention. He delivers it all with the wit, intelligence, and irreverent charm that make him anything but “yer average rock star.”
It's an evening where the drums are silent but the stories are a wild, insightful ride through a career that helped shape the sound of modern music.
South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) is located at One SOPAC Way in South Orange. It is part of the South Orange-Maplewood community and to be supported by the arts-centric Township of South Orange Village as well as South Orange Downtown, a non-profit organization dedicated to making the business district a vibrant place to live, work, and enjoy.
The South Orange Performing Arts Center offers audiences exhilarating and diverse arts entertainment in its intimate venue, serving as the cultural heartbeat of the greater South Orange/Maplewood region and contributing to the economic and social vibrancy of its highly diverse community.
