70,000 show as Adams ends day on high note.
OKAY, so we got it wrong. The joke that Canadian rocker Bryan Adams was the headline act at Slane fell flat as thousands of people suddenly appeared from nowhere to join the 52,000 already packed in for the gig on the banks of the river Boyne. Despite insistent protestations from promoters MCD that this was going to be the year's biggest open-air one day music festival, we didn't believe them. All indications were that the day was going to be a damp squib.

For starters there were no traffic tailbacks, the forecast was for more thunder and lightning storms and it looked like Bon Jovi had beaten the organisers to it in the RDS the night before.

Although Bryan Adams has his fans they, surely, aren't the type to trek through a forest for half an hour having got to Co Meath and then stand in a sodden sloping field to watch him perform.

And then it looked absolutely hopeless when there was an announcement from the stage that the audience slip-sliding downhill on black sacks were ``the best behaved crowd we've ever had here at Slane.''

To his credit Adams in white denims and matching top drew a huge crowd. An extra 20,000 even timed their arrival to coincide with the start of the final act after the exiting stage right of American techno wizard Moby.

And Slane rocked when the nicknamed Groover from Vancouver, his bass guitarist and drummer took to the simply lit stage above which floated 13 huge white balloons and launched into Summer of '69.

Crowd favourites were his hits Heaven, Everything I do I do it for you, It Feels like the First Time and his Number One with Sporty Spice Mel C Baby, When You're Gone which they performed on stage together along with Lisa from Drogheda who was plucked from the crowd.

And the sun shone as well.

The fact that the last act of the day was surprisingly good was a bonus. After all Slane is about a day out.

Lord Henry Mountcharles travelled around in style on a Honda Fourtrax, a mini tractor of sorts. Sporting shorts, he had mud up to his knees but was enjoying the occasion.

Music-wise Soul Diva Macy Gray fell a bit flat being much more suited to an indoor show. A nice touch though was when two of her kids were given piggy-backs on stage by backing singers wearing cool bright blue wigs.

But Moby interestingly wearing a white t-shirt with his name emblazoned on it got things going with his unique sound.

Judging by the number of helicopters in the rainbowed skies above the picturesque natural amphitheatre, plenty of concert-goers forked out £150 for a one-way ticket.

Those in the VIP hospitality area were treated to free beer, wine, champagne and nibbles while artists in the backstage area had leather couches to lounge on and playstations to keep them amused. For those without access to the VIP section, a skateboard simulator was attracting crowds but getting your body parts pierced proved to be the most popular distraction.

Drunken young men stripped to the waist queued patiently to get rings through their eyebrows.

At this point it looks like so willing are we to have a good time that if a Noddy and Big Ears show was to be staged in Slane, 70,000 would turn up to see it.

Robbie's king of the castle.
HE laid on fireworks, turned cartwheels, draped himself in a tricolour ... and when all else failed, he sang. When Robbie Williams takes to the stage with `Let Me Entertain You', he means business.

He's a showman - no wonder some of the 80,000 fans were wearing T-shirts with fake bills printed on them reading: ``In Rob we trust.''

But the sunshine was glorious earlier; it was so hot at the front of the stage that security guards sprayed the crowd and handed out cups of water. Lord Henry Mountcharles strolled his estate in the obligatory green wellies - with matching shorts - while a TnaG balloon floated overhead.

When Robbie took to the stage 160,000 arms were raised in unison. Everybody was word perfect, even a pair of blonde girls in identical frocks, aged about five and seven, who juggled packets of sweets as they clapped hands.

Parts of the show were probably a little adult for them - such as the cursing contest, when he invited the audience to try for a place in the Guinness Book of Records with a mass swear-in. Pop stars: there's no knowing what mad pranks they'll pull.

While Robbie was working up a lather with all his own hits and a few borrowed ones, a group of about 50 young people tried to get through one of the gates without tickets. ``We're locals,'' they said, but were turned away. Inside, watching the concert, some older people - mainly those on free tickets - sighed nostalgically for earlier Slanes. But for the young fans who vastly outnumbered them, Slane '99 was a slice of living history. It belonged to Robbie Williams - and to them.