VANCOUVER, British Columbia – The Police kicked off its reunion tour before a sold-out crowd of 20,000 – not bad for a group playing its first stadium in more than 20 years.

Fans took to their feet and sang along as Monday’s night’s show opened with “Message in a Bottle,” the band’s 1979 smash hit.

The trio of singer-bassist Sting, guitarist Andy Summers and drummer Stewart Copeland followed that up with a six-minute rendition of 1982’s “Synchronicity.”

From hit to hit, the fans at General Motors Place swayed to the music, offering up thunderous applause.

The Police broke up in 1984 at the height of its success. Sting, 55, Summers, 64, and Copeland, 54, have since pursued individual careers.

Sting’s son started off the evening. Joe Sumner, the lead vocalist and bassist for Fiction Plane, raced onto the stage sounding a lot like his father, otherwise known as Gordon Sumner.

Some fans were in for a nostalgic night while others weren’t even born during the band’s heyday.

“I think it’s good that all these bands are getting back together so that our kids can see them,” said Mark Beason, who attended the show with his daughter Alanna Beason, 18, of Whidbey Island, Wash.

The Police are hoping to rival recent outings by the Rolling Stones and U2 and will join a crowded reunion lineup this summer that includes Genesis, Van Halen and the Eagles.

The Police have scheduled 21 gigs in the United States and Canada, including stops in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Seattle, New Orleans and New York.

The trio will play their second sold-out show in Vancouver on Wednesday before heading to Edmonton and later hitting Montreal and Toronto. There also was a fan-club-only show Sunday.

The tour will cover cities in North and South America, Europe and Australia by the time it wraps in early 2008.