(Please don't mind the long post from a rare poster) I left Canada on Sept 11 for a 2.5 week trip which I learned shortly before I left would through lucky coincidence coincide with a performance by my favourite pop singer songwriter ... of course our hero. Lucky because my trip took me to northern Bavaria, a scant seven hour drive from where I was staying. I just got home today and can't sleep (it's over 35 hours sans sleep for me right now, strange) I'm half drunk and feel I should write this post. Purchasing tickets for this show in Paris (albeit as expensive as they were) was richly rewarding. I combined it with a trip to Cologne (for those with a penchant for German beer ... go to Cologne. Drinking a Koelsch on the cobbled streets of Cologne is extremely satisfying) to meet Barbara, a fellow sting.com member. We three (my fiance, myself and her) drove to Paris together and she was an immeasurable help in navigating Paris traffic. (To other north americans not familiar with Paris: the traffic there takes the worst of Spain and Brazil, blends them and spits them out at high velocity, having someone tell you when to turn and thereby not worrying about direction was incredible fun, I loved being obnoxious when nothing less was expected ;).) We strolled along the Champs Elysee (sp?) and had some drinks before converging pilgrammically (is that word) on L'Olympia. We had excellent seats and were completely on edge with excitement. It was interesting to talk to Barbara about our mutual interest in Stings music (my fiance has a lesser interest). She came to Sting through a love of the Police. I on the other hand always respected the Police and enjoyed their music but wasn't what one would call fanatic. It's been discussed recently on this list the "shock to the system" that the DOTBT recording caused some Police fans. It was what got me interested in Stings work, I'm principally a Jazz fan. I knew of Kirkland and of course of B Marsalis and so was interested. It was because of his daliance with Jazzy arrangements that he caused a nurturing of my enjoyment of his work. When the show started and Jason took the stage playing Jazz (I didn't recognize the tune immediately) I was in heaven (I'm a shitty jazz piano player). Unfortunately the opening number for me was the highlight (maybe except for the wonderful raport between Dominic and Sting during Fields of Gold). But the show was outstanding. You can count me in the group that strongly dislikes the production choices that have been made on the new recording. Never Coming Home in my opinion (as recorded) is a sin. I was dissappointed to see Kippers setup onstage as we entered the theatre, but his work wasn't as intrusive as I was afraid it would be. I understand that Sting loves his energy, but I am unable to explain why he lets Kipper ruin a wonderfull song like Never Coming Home. Maybe I'm biased by the great piano solo that is ruined by the drum machine but it pisses me off every time I hear it. But I'm rambling. The show was amazing. One of the better shows I've seen him perform. He was very into the mood and it seemed he loved the edge that the new material provided. And I have to say the moments when he mumbled lyrics while he couldn't remember/was reading ... I love that. It's so easy to view him as a mill, a machine, I am energized in my enjoyment of his work by seeing him electing to struggle a bit. I just wish he would struggle a bit more in the studio and bring in musicians to replace the machines that he replaced the musicians with. If anybody is still reading, thanks, I just felt a need to express what I felt about the show. It may seem I've had more negative things to say than positive, but the show was amazing. And by 'show' I'm including everything. The visuals were great. I've heard criticisms about crassness and inappropriateness, but I thought they went great with the music. All the best, Mark. NB1, I picked up the Euro version of ... All This Time to replace my stolen NA version since it contains "Mad About You", Love that. ATT is my favourite sting recording and I'm very happy to have another track from that evening on the new recording. NB2, To all those NA who have not yet heard Sacred Love, I was appaled by a few select tracks, but it is indeed growing on me (as others have mentioned). Don't dispise it on first listen. This record has the greatest number of very poor tracks that sting has released (imo), but some are great.