The new £350m Dome (Yes, the flop that's already swallowed up £758m of your money)

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Now the new bosses of the Millennium Dome want to put the past firmly behind them as they relaunch the project as The O2, a £350million entertainment complex.

Its arena - pictured here for the first time - is billed as one of London's top music venues and will open on June 24 with a Bon Jovi concert.

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Back in business: Workers put the finsihing touches to the 23,000-seat O2 arena at the heart of the complex in Greenwich

More than 1.2million tickets have also been sold for concerts by Barbara Streisand, Prince and the Rolling Stones in the near future.

The original Dome was a Tory idea which was seized on by Tony Blair as a symbol of his bright New Labour government.

Trial run: Crowds in the complex this week

But it became mired in controversy as costs spiralled to an astonishing £758million.

Transport problems marred its big night on December 31, 1999, and a much-derided exhibition failed to attract half the predicted number of visitors.

The Dome then stood empty and unwanted in Greenwich, South London, until new owners AEG Europe took over.

The 20,000-seat arena is just part of the vast entertainment complex under the Dome. There is also a smaller music venue, a cinema complex, an exhibition centre, restaurants and bars. There is even an artificial-beach - which will be transformed into an ice-rink in winter.

But hopes of opening Britain's first super-casino were dashed when Manchester was picked instead. The O2 will, however, be the venue for gymnastics and basketball at the 2012 Olympics.

Two days ago, 12,000 local people were invited to the arena to watch an evening of entertainmentand help check for unexpected hiccups. They found one immediately - technicians could not locate the light switch and the arena was stuck in semidarkness for 20 minutes.

Some might have seen that as evidence that the Dome is still jinxed, but AEG Europe president David Campbell insisted: 'The evening was a big success. We've had extremely positive feedback from everyone.'