Before the excellent second opening act (The Last Bandoleros), before even the first very good opening act (his son, Joe Sumner), Sting was the very first person to take the stage of the Smart Financial Center Thursday night. Part warmup, part introduction to the night, he grabbed his acoustic guitar, talked a little about his previous trips to Houston and played a lovely version of “Heading South on the Great North Road.” It was a delight and really set the tone for the rest of the evening, which - musically at least - was great front to back, top to bottom.

I performed in the incredible Durham Cathedral in 2009.  Now it has been nominated by Bill Bryson as BBC Countryfile Magazine’s Heritage Site of the Year Award.  Durham Cathedral is a major landmark in my native North East England.  Please vote here: www.countryfile.com/article/heritage-site-year