From singing to 13,000 people in Dubai to a night playing in a North East school hall - superstar Sting said he was, in fact, more nervous to perform to a home crowd. The multi-Grammy award-winning singer arrived in South Shields on Saturday night from the Middle East to perform songs from his musical The Last Ship, as well as old favourites from his years in The Police. Talking frankly about his childhood growing up near the River Tyne in Wallsend and the impact the region has had on his music, he was joined on stage by former South Shields MP David Miliband, who was hosting the event as part of his annual lecture series...

Sting can't be accused of treading water in his comfort zone. The last few weeks have seen the man born Gordon Sumner continue a 14-month joint headline tour alongside fellow rock legend Paul Simon - a fascinating odd couple defined by duets and performing each others' songs - and star on Broadway in his own poorly received musical The Last Ship, which sunk and closed early in a sea of debt. Dubai then was a chance for Sting to step back into his old hit-shaped boots, relax, and enjoy the songwriting riches of the legacy he has carved over close to four decades...