Morning:
14°c
Some fares could fall by more than a third when Oyster is extended to every national rail station in London, it has emerged
More...
New Moon is nothing if not an international advertisement for the hungry virtues of virginity and young people can’t get enough of it
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Theatre
A smart, prickly and rewarding view of sexual and emotional confusion
Cock
Restaurants
Kitchen W8 is a bargain for this area, if such sophistication is what you crave
Kitchen W8
Too long and drawn out but very entertaining with excellent special effects
This is a peculiar play and does not work for me. Some of it is very funny but there are real flaws
Alex has a strong powerful voice and was faultless, she is far better now than she was on the X-Factor
London,
John Aizlewood's rating
Reader rating
Description: A celebration of Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday hosted by Will Smith. Bands include Queen And Paul Rodgers, Annie Lennox, Simple Minds, Leona Lewis, The Sugababes, Dame Shirley Bassey, Razorlight, Andrea And Sharon Corr, Eddy Grant, Jamelia, Zucchero, Amaral, Johnny Clegg, Sipho Mabuse, Loyiso, Kurt Darren, The Soweto Gospel Choir, The Children Of Agape, Emmanuel Jal and more.
All-time great: Nelson Mandela and his wife Graca greet the crowd
Not in rehab: Amy Winehouse hitched her skirt up for her performance
Different line-up: Andrea Corr and Brian May
Undoubtedly, the 46664 concert, named after both Nelson Mandela's prison number and his Aids charity, marked the end of an era. For the desperately frail Mandela himself, who turns 90 on 18 July, this 46,664-ticket jamboree was probably his final British appearance.
At an age where merely getting out of bed is a Herculean effort, Mandela would probably have chosen something other than being serenaded by a gaggle of mostly Eighties pop acts. And hopefully Mandela joined the mass cringe when excruciatingly giddy presenter June Sarpong anointed him as "the greatest man to ever walk the face of this planet".
With Naomi Campbell excommunicated, the usual suspects muscled in. Geri Halliwell tried to lead Mandela on stage before security pushed her aside in favour of the undeniably more relevant Graca, the third Mrs Mandela. Later, Annie Lennox shamelessly attempted to hijack the singalong finale, Jerry Dammers's Nelson Mandela ("I wrote a song; some people gave their lives," he noted in a moment of sobering perspective), with attention-seeking kung-fu kicks.
The undemanding line-up was ideal for a pre-birthday bash and expertly utilised backing vocalists the Soweto Gospel Choir provided a link between Hyde Park and Johannesburg. Simple Minds (seemingly collectively following cake-based diets) and Eddy Grant brimmed with righteous vim, while Sudanese rapper Emmanuel Jal was electric.
Miraculously restored from her sickbed, Amy Winehouse was still suffering from a cold. With a heartshaped hairgrip namechecking her imprisoned husband (although Blake Fielder-Civil's GBH-related weeks in Pentonville may not carry the moral weight of Mandela's incarceration), Winehouse hitched up her shirt through Rehab, sauntered imperiously through Valerie, said not a word and looked distracted but far from bowed.
And then there was the mindbogglingly inappropriate bill-toppers, half of Queen. Whether Mandela a fan remains unclear, since his thoughts on Seventies British rockers are poorly documented. But back then he had more pressing concerns than speculating how long Bohemian Rhapsody would remain Britain's Number One.
The key question of Mandela's British stay was whether he would condemn Robert Mugabe: Queen's was whether they would evoke the spirit of truth and reconciliation and apologise for taking the apartheid rand and giving the regime rare cultural legitimacy by playing Sun City in 1984. And, if they had a few spare moments, I'd have appreciated a sorry for We Will Rock You, too.
Typically, Mandela had already delivered; Queen unapologetically (in both senses) rocked. Hugely, joyously enjoyable all the same.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
