The second set got off to a languid start with a reworking of “Every Breath You Take” that stripped the song of its ominous paranoia. But more often you had to tip your hat to the reimaginings and go with the sweeping sound. A towering “King of Pain” and the first encore, the Arabic-accented “Desert Rose” – where Sting stepped away from the mike to swivel his hips and encouraged fans to dance along – were standouts.
Sting told many songwriting stories, such as how he came to write about aging foxes (“The End of the Game”), New Orleans vampires (“Moon Over Bourbon Street”), a transsexual prostitute (“Tomorrow We’ll See”) and Cold War anxiety (“Russians”). Before he played “I Hung My Head,” he noted that he felt validated as a country songwriter when Johnny Cash covered his tune.