The other big music event of the weekend, though slightly obscured in the press by all the Glasto coverage, was the opening of the O2 Arena in East London with that previously reported sellout show from Bon Jovi.
The O2 is, of course, the new name for the Millennium Dome, which has been revamped into a multiple space entertainment centre - the 20,000 capacity O2 Arena sitting in the middle. The site's owners, AEG, will be hoping the Arena bit can compete against rival arena venues - in particular the similarly sized Earls Court in West London and the 12,500 seat Wembley Arena in North West London - because it is part of a wider entertainment complex, meaning ticket holders can also enjoy other entertainments, clubs, bars, restaurants and an exhibition space when attending events there.
It was another rival venue, however, that was name checked during the opening show - the Wembley Stadium - the Wembley Arena's recently rebuilt larger neighbour, the rebuild of which, as you all damn well know, experienced a number of embarrassing delays. Bon Jovi had been booked to play the opening concert at that venue in June 2006, of course, before it became clear the stadium wouldn't be ready for another twelve months. Referencing that, Jon Bon Jovi told his audience this weekend: "Who the hell needs Wembley Stadium?", while observing: "It sounds good in the O2", referencing the venue's state of the art sound system.
As previously reported, AEG have a packed summer programme of concerts at the O2 Arena in a bid to cement its place in London's live music scene, including that reportedly loss-leading 21 date Prince residency.