02 my God, the Dome's come alive

Three days before the official opening of the O2 arena on Sunday, thousands of people attended an invitation-only event to unveil the new-look entertainment complex.

Billed as a "community day", it was a dry run to iron out any last-minute hitches or health and safety problems.

But hanging over it all was the question: are the horrors of the past finally dead and buried?

The original £789 million Dome was one of the great white elephants of history - too expensive, not very popular and with a devastating impact on the career of nearly every politician who got involved.

Will the O2 - which cost £350 million to convert into an entertainment complex - fare any better?

Judging by the audience reaction last night, it will. Up to 12,000 local residents had been invited to the test run, and they gave it an almost universal seal of approval (but then they hadn't actually paid for their tickets).

In a faint echo of the calamities of old, the evening got off to a shaky start when the lighting technicians couldn't find the switch to plunge the arena into an atmospheric semi-darkness. This prompted the compere to admit: "We've found the switch. It's taken us 20 minutes."

Of course, that was just the sort of problem the event was designed to sort out - and the occasion otherwise went remarkably smoothly.

The entertainment featured three London-based bands who each played a 20 minute set.

Rietta Austin, who a few weeks ago was singing to a handful of drinkers in a south London pub, was given the honour of becoming the arena's first headline act.

She went down a storm as she paved the way for Bon Jovi on Sunday. David Campbell, president and CEO of AEG Europe, said: "The evening was a big success. We've been given extremely positive feedback from everyone we spoke to. It was important that we build on local support as they are going to be crucial.

"It was a good start. We hope it continues that way."

There was one potential complaint, just as with the new Wembley: the cost of food. A burger and chips with cola was £8, a pint of beer £3.50 and a hot dog £3.50.

The arena is part of a vast entertainment complex inside the dome, which also comprises a smaller music venue, a cinema complex, restaurants and bars, an exhibition centre and a beach which will transform into an ice rink in winter.

Already 1.2 million advance tickets have been sold for concerts by Barbra Streisand, Prince and the Rolling Stones. The Streisand concerts alone are expected to generate in the region of £3 million for each performance.

The arena will also host sporting events such as ice hockey and has been chosen as the venue for gymnastics and basketball at the 2012 Olympic Games.

WHAT THE FIRST CONCERT-GOERS THOUGHT

Anna Salaman, 36, museum outreach worker, of Shooters Hill: "It was a good way of showing the new venue off to the people who are going to be living beside it.

Her husband, David Salaman, 36, PhD student: "We were fans of the original Millennium Dome.The new inside looks great."

Carley Gibson, 21, a student, of Eltham: "I was surprised with the sheer volume inside. I hope it will give the area a big boost."

Tony McDaid, 54, retired, from Nottingham: "I'm disabled and I was really impressed with the facilities.The evening was great and it went really well."

His wife, Tricia McDaid, 55: "The venue looked really impressive. We came all the way from Nottingham for this but it was worth it. There was a great atmosphere."