When Paul Simon introduced his new tour with Sting as "our experiment melding two bands, two styles, two catalogs of songs," he wasn't kidding.

They are sharing the stage, their sidemen and the microphone in the most collaborative major tour since Billy Joel and Elton John presented the Face 2 Face shows. At their tour-opening performance in Houston on Saturday, Simon and Sting sang together through the first trio of songs -- Sting's 'Brand New Day and 'Fields of Gold,' with Simon's 'Boy in the Bubble' in between.

Later, they collaborated on Sting's 'Love is the Seventh Wave' and Simon's 'Mother and Child Reunion.' In fact, a third of the songs featured both legends singing together. As many as 14 musicians from each of their camps combined throughout the evening, as well.

Their individual sets included scores of hits, of course -- but both were introduced by duets, including Sting's 'Fragile' and the Simon and Garfunkel favorite 'The Boxer.' (Sting then offered his own take on Simon and Garfunkel's 'America.') The encore saw both Simon and Sting on stage with both touring bands surrounding them, concluding things with a trio of smash hits: the Police's 'Every Breath You Take,' Simon's 'Late in the Evening' and, finally, Simon and Garfunkel's 'Bridge Over Troubled Water.'

Paul Simon / Sting Opening Night Setlist
Simon and Sting:

'Brand New Day'
'Boy in the Bubble'
'Fields of Gold'

Sting:
'Every Little Thing She Does is Magic'
'Englishman in New York'
'I Hung My Head'
'Driven To Tears'

Simon and Sting:
'Love is the Seventh Wave'
'Mother and Child Reunion'

Simon:
'Crazy Love'
'Dazzling Blue'
'50 Ways to Leave Your Lover'
'Me and Julio Down By the Schoolyard'
'That Was Your Mother'

Simon and Sting:
'Fragile

Sting:
'America'
'Message in a Bottle'
'The Hounds of Winter'
'They Dance Alone'
'Roxanne'
'Desert Rose'

Simon and Sting:
'The Boxer'

Simon:
'The Obvious Child'
'Hearts and Bones / Mystery Train / Wheels'
'Kodachrome / Gone At Last'
'Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes'
'You Can Call Me Al'

Encore - Simon and Sting:
'Every Breath You Take'
'Late in the Evening'
'Bridge Over Troubled Water'

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