'Hello Wembley!' yelled the princes (they know how to throw a party)

But at 4pm yesterday, as Princess Diana's two sons stood on stage together, they uttered the words "hello Wembley!" before a cheering crowd of 63,000 music fans.

The introduction helped to kickstart a show which struck a sometimes awkward balance between reverence for Diana's legacy, with video clips detailing her charity work, and the need to maintain the high spirits of an audience who had clearly come to party.

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With the rain holding off and one half of the stunning new stadium bathed in bright sunshine, the concert, which was held on what would have been Diana's 46th birthday, featured an eclectic bill.

This provided something for everyone, but often jumped rather bewilderingly from one kind of music to another.

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I certainly can't recall another show where I had experienced the sensory overloads of watching a pop act (Nelly Furtado), a rapper (Pharrell Williams) urging Britain to "stand up for peace" and a classical dance company (the English national ballet) in the space of 20 minutes.

The concert had been opened by Sir Elton John, singing Your Song against a video montage of black and white pictures of Diana, before the two Princes addressed the crowd.

They told fans that the show was "about everything that Diana loved in life - music, dance, charity and family and friends". Harry also reserved a special mention for his army colleagues in Iraq, adding "I wish I was with you".

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With the first half of the show taking place in the late afternoon, the early acts, including James Morrison and Duran Duran, bravely took on the responsibility of building the atmosphere.

Memorably, the English national Ballet's stunning visuals during Swan Lake received a standing ovation.The other acts that fared well were the ones that tried to involve the audience in some tried-and-trusted (but predictably effective) crowd participation routines.

Sussex soft-rockers The Feeling had most of the stadium on it's feet while Status Quo's Rockin' All Over The World carried echoes of their rendition of the same feel-good anthem at Live Aid over 20 years ago.

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Lily Allen's sunshine pop was also warmly received. Dressed in a turquoise dress, the 22-year-old singer, who was this week arrested for allegedly attacking a photographer, even applied some self-censorship in removing a four letter word from her hit Smile.

Joss Stone, who sang a cover Queen's Under Pressure as well as performing a duet of Ain't That a Lot of Love with Tom Jones, was also on her best behaviour, with no sign of the bizarre mid-Atlantic twang that accompanied her appearance at this year's Brit Awards.

The numerous guest comperes, meanwhile, restricted themselves to tributes to the late princess.

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To Sienna Miller, Diana was "one incredible woman" while Simon Cowell, good naturedly booed as the afternoon's pantomime villain, called her "one of the biggest stars in the world".

The evening climaxed with performances from Rod Stewart, rappers Kanye West and P Diddy, Take That and, finally, a longer set by Elton John.

The most fitting tribute to Diana was probably the healthily mixed crowd who had turned out for such a stellar cast.

As Supertramp's Roger Hodgson observed during a breezy run through his hits: "You princes certainly know how to throw a party". Who knows, maybe an alternative career in the concert promotion business yet awaits them.