Things have changed somewhat since the last time Nicole Hefty saw The Police. For one, "I'm legal to drink," the Miami resident said.

"We had to get a baby sitter," husband Lee Hefty added.

And it's probably safe to say that, back when Nicole Hefty was an underage Police fan, she probably didn't tailgate on the back of a fancy SUV with chilled drinks, fried chicken and a makeshift tablecloth draped over the cooler for neatness.

Something that hasn't changed for the Heftys and the thousands of other fans who filled Dolphin Stadium Tuesday night? Their love of The Police, the British rock/jazz/reggae supergroup on its first tour since 1984.

"I couldn't miss it! I was so excited!" Hefty said, as the strains of The Police's 'Can't Stand Losing You' wafted from a nearby car.

The crowd at the sold-out show appeared to be mostly in their late 20s to mid-40s, which probably means they can better afford the price of being a Police fan in 2007.

The top ticket prices were reportedly somewhere around $400 on the stadium floor, and T-shirts ran from $25 for a kid's shirt to $45 for one with the '80s mugs of Sting, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers.

"It's worth it," said Amanda Faba of Miami, waiting in the T-shirt line with fiancé Steve Brough. "I think this is a one-time experience."

Faba, who paid $400 for her seat, is on to something: Fans know how long it took to get the band members, who have famously had contentious moments, to get back together, so they weren't missing it this time. And for those such as Miami's Teresa Locano, the show was a one-time shot at finally achieving a childhood dream, 23 years later.

"I'm 36 years old," said the surprisingly young-looking Locano, still grinning from having been carded a few minutes earlier. "When I was growing up, I was a fan, but I used to live in Venezuela. I couldn't travel. But it's so cool that they are back. They have a unique style that transcends time. My little cousins, who are 10 or 11, like them."

She smiled.

"And they're still cute."

Proving that for The Police, music isn't the only timeless element.

© Palm Beach Post by Leslie Gray Streeter