"For those of you who were dragged here tonight, this medley is going to be agony." One would have thought so; in fact reviewers are not supposed to like Barry Manilow, although that comment won some of the unbelieving over somewhat, at last night's concert.

His tongue-in-cheek attitude may have mollified those who didn't want to be there. But it also endeared him even more, if that's possible, to an adoring crowd which hung on his every word.

The erstwhile Mr Pinkus told them not to be afraid, to have courage and above all to have fun in life. That's easy for him to say: he gets paid to have a good time.

And speaking of pleasurable pursuits, he indirectly dedicated I want to do it with you to President Clinton, earning more brownie points with the uninitiated.

Starting off with This one's for you, by the fourth or fifth song he was already receiving standing ovations.

The major highlight of the night was not really Barry himself but a rather shy individual collared by a "roving reporter", who appropriated members of Barry's adoring public to talk to him live on stage.

"Have you got a fiancee or a wife or somebody with you?" queried our host.

"Ah yeah, I have a woman with me, alright," came the sincere reply. Only in Ireland.

Indeed even some of the women, who made up the majority of the crowd, were not to be outdone. At least one piece of lingerie spent the evening orbiting its owner's head at breakneck speed.

The uncrowned king of schmaltz launched into the first of his slow sets with naery a lighter in sight. But later on, as he gave a stirring rendition of I write the songs, even the non-smokers were getting in on the act.

It says a lot about a 51-yearold man who can turn 20, 30, 40 and even 50-somethings into a frenzy of unbridled ecstacy.

Judging by this performance, certain households will have a portrait of Barry Manilow alongside those of the Pope and JFK. He writes the songs.