Sting Brings Another Brand New Day to States

May 4 -- Sting wasn't planning on bringing his Brand New Day back to North America; after all, he'd already done two successful swings and then come back in January to play in the pre-game show at the Super Bowl. Famous last words; on Saturday he'll kick off a third run through the continent in Washington, D.C.

"What changed my mind? I think risk, really," he says. "This'll be our third time, and we were just interested to see what the marketplace would yield. And surprisingly enough, the ticket sales have been very encouraging, even in markets we've been to twice before — especially, actually. So it's kind of gratifying that you've reached a point where you can just tour regardless of what's going on."

Opening for Sting on the three-week jaunt will be Jill Scott, the R&B chanteuse who was nominated for Best New Artist at this year's Grammy Awards. "I hard that record, and I thought that this is the new Ella Fitzgerald, and I want to get some kudos out of being associated with it," Sting says.

"It's a long time since I've heard a voice with that much control and real authority. I love that." Sting will tour into late July, then plans a vacation with his family to start working on his next album. He'll also be recording a live album this fall at a pub-style venue somewhere in Europe; he and his touring band — along with guests such as longtime associate Branford Marsalis — will perform acoustic versions of his songs rather than "the polished arrangements we've been working on for 18 months." Sting says the show may be webcast and that he'd like to put the album out quickly — "the next day, even."