The last time Sting played Massey Hall it was 1980 when he was still the frontman for British New Wave act The Police.

Needless to say, both he and his fans were looking forward to his return last night to the historic Toronto venue where he launched a two-night, sold-out stand.

"Massey Hall is a famous gig and I haven't played there in a long time," said the pop star, 52, in an exclusive Canadian newspaper interview with The Toronto Sun yesterday afternoon.

Sting actually launched his tour back in late January in Miami in support of his latest album, 2003's Sacred Love.

"I always like to begin in small theatres 'cause there's a kind of human dimension to a theatre that allows the music to grow organically," he said down the line from his Toronto hotel room just before heading out to a soundcheck at Massey.

"And then once we're up to speed the music can grow in a larger venue. But I really always like to start a tour in this kind of size venue."

In addition to his two Massey shows, Sting also has a 2 p.m. autograph signing today at Indigo Books at Bay and Bloor for his recent memoir, Broken Music.

So far, he's only done signings in New York, Dallas and San Francisco.

"We limit it to about 200 (people)," he said. "So everybody has a little armband that says they've been invited otherwise, we'd be there all day.

"In the old days, we used to go to record stores and sign records, but this is a new experience for me. It's usually been pretty civilized. My fans are pretty sensible. And they wait in the cue and they get their book signed. And I shake hands and look them in the eyes and usually have a little conversation."

And Torontonians are going to get even more quality time with Sting when he returns with Annie Lennox for a co-headlining gig on July 14 at the Air Canada Centre.

"The tickets went so well for this thing (at Massey), I felt we could come back here and especially with Annie Lennox, it would be a great ticket.

"And the tickets seem to be going out of the roof, so I'm very happy," said Sting, who's known Lennox since the late '70s.

"We're neighbours in London, we know each other very well. She's a mom and I'm a dad and we organize our tours around school holidays so it made it a little easier for her. It just seemed organic and the right thing. I think our fan base is similar.

"We both perform inclusive music and I think people will enjoy the show."

And there's no hard feelings after Lennox recently won the best song Oscar for co-writing Into The West from The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King, over Sting's You Will Be My Ain True Love from Cold Mountain.

"Oh, no, no. I was very happy for Annie," Sting said.

"And she was delighted. And, you know, I've been there before," added the previous Oscar nominee, with a chuckle.

As for whether the duo might share the stage together during their first shared road trip, Sting said it sounded like a good idea although nothing had been discussed so far.

"That would be great, wouldn't it?" he said.