Sting with the Utah Symphony at USANA

What an unforgettable evening with Sting and the Utah Symphony!  I have seen Sting in concert several times (including, rather memorably, at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver and then in SLC the very next night with my friend Tony) but the concert last night at USANA might be my favorite!  It was absolutely brilliant and what made it even better was that it benefitted the Zion Forever Project in commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of Zion National Park, one of my favorite places on Earth!  The Utah Symphony began the evening with Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man and Gershwin's An American in Paris which were lovely.  After the intermission, Sting came on stage and performed "Englishman in New York" to the delight of the crowd.  During the chorus he incited the crowd to sing along with just the mere flick of his fingers and we responded enthusiastically (and not for the last time).  He then became quite the raconteur as he told amusing anecdotes about each of his songs.  I especially loved the story about how he came to write "Roxanne" and I loved the sultry arrangement of it that he performed with the orchestra.  Then he performed "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic," "Fields of Gold," and "When We Dance."  A highlight for me came next when he sang the title song from the musical The Last Ship which he wrote about the community where he grew up.  I had the opportunity to see PTC's production of this show on the night that Sting attended a performance.  It was amazing to watch him (I was six rows behind him) react to what was happening on stage so I loved hearing him sing this song.  He told personal stories about his relationship with his father before singing "Why Should I Cry for You," his relationship with his wife before singing "The End of the Game," and his childhood dream of being a cowboy before singing "I Hung My Head."  He was so charming and he seemed genuinely moved by the crowd's reactions!  He ended his set with "King of Pain" and "Every Breath You Take" which brought back so many memories of high school.  It was interesting to me how great the old Police songs sounded with symphonic arrangements!  For the encore he performed an amazing rendition of "Desert Rose" which got the crowd on their feet and then ended the evening with "Fragile."  I loved every minute of this concert and I won't soon forget it!

Note:  This was my third concert at USANA in a week.  It has been so much fun but I am really tired!