The jury was out on Glastonbury this year.

For the first year in 15, the festival hadn't sold out, with many citing the choice of hip hop headliner Jay-Z as the reason for slow-moving tickets.

Three years of mud and mayhem couldn't have helped either, and it looked as though this year was heading the same way when a Thursday night downpour rendered Worthy Farm a squelching mess.

Good day sunshine: After an ominous downpour on the eve of the festival, the weather finally improved at Glastonbury and nearly 200,000 fans enjoyed a weekend of musical surprises and one final, triumphant singalong

Traipsing from stage to stage, though, it certainly didn't seem anything less than full.

Mud-coated fans endured sardine-like proximity for the three-day event.

The highlight of the first day was a surprise set by Franz Ferdinand on The Park stage. The Scottish rockers delighted the crowd with their infectious pop songs. 

Take Me Out had fists pumping, while This Fire provided a rousing finale to a set that wouldn't be bettered all weekend.

One man making the most of the sunny weather on Saturday was Seasick Steve.

Lucky man: Richard Ashcroft revels in the spotlight as he ended the show triumphantly with Bitter Sweet Symphony

The bearded bluesman may be old enough to collect a pension, but as he chugged whisky, rolled about the stage and generally horsed around, it was a joyous set from a man determined not to act his age.

Few could describe Amy Winehouse's set as joyous  -  particularly not the audience member she allegedly struck as she made her unedifying exit.

She slurred, spat and ranted her way through a disastrous performance, in which she seemed more interested in chronicling the tribulations of imprisoned husband Blake Fielder-Civil than addressing the ticket-buying public.

Ground breaking: New York bling from Jay-Z and a rousing set from Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand

By contrast, Jay-Z's performance was a stylish delight. Appearing on stage to Wonderwall, the anthem of Noel Gallagher who had labelled the appointment of a hip hop star at Glastonbury as "wrong", Jay-Z was in defiant mood.

"For those of you who don' t know me, I'm Jay-Z and I'm awesome," he stated to a crowd already familiar with the talents of one of the world's biggest stars.

Backed by a full band, he delivered an earth-shaking performance worthy of his headline slot. 99 Problems was a thunderous opener, while Big Pimpin' created the bling of New York in Somerset.

Bright and breezy: Leonard Cohen

Leonard Cohen brought some bling of his own to a charming Sunday performance. Breezy reinterpretations of sombre folk songs, such as Bird On A Wire, worked well in the larger setting. 

This just left The Verve to sing Glastonbury out. Frontman Richard Ashcroft believes he's a rock star in the messianic sense and revelled in the spotlight that had eluded him since the band split in 1999.

The Drugs Don't Work prompted a mass singalong, while Bitter Sweet Symphony gave Glastonbury the triumphant ending it was after.

It remains the biggest and the best festival.