THE OPENING act of Oxegen 08 wore a cardigan on stage, but Scottish singer-songwriter Amy MacDonald needed no invitation to get the crowd warmed up.
Many fans had waited from noon on Thursday for the music to begin in earnest and by the time things got under way at 5pm yesterday evening huge crowds had gathered to watch her, Irish indie band The Future Kings of Spain and the multitude of acts who played last night.
Opening the gates of Punchestown racecourse on Thursday proved to be a big hit with the fans. More than 31,000 fans turned up, the vast majority taking public transport.
About 4,500 of them shoehorned into a field in the blue camp site in the early hours of yesterday morning to watch AC/DC tribute band Hells Bells and The Complete Stone Roses.
After the mud of last year, it was relief for everybody to be able to concentrate on the music.
Stalls hedged their bets on the changeable weather, selling both sunhats and wellies. The sun made a brief appearance, but, more importantly, the rain stayed away.
Fans wore pig and horse masks and others who came dressed as Santa Claus and the Blues Brothers added to a good vibe. A fully inflated blow-up doll was passed over the heads of fans who turned up to see US band Battles.
There were queues for the Hot Presssigning tent where Mundy, Tricky and Interpol signed autographs, but the queues were longer still for the ATMs on site.
The former supermodel Helena Christensen has become something of a fixture at Oxegen, turning up for the second year in a row. Last year she was in the company of actor Josh Harnett and REM lead singer Michael Stipe, but this year she came to see her boyfriend Paul Banks, the lead singer of Interpol.
The opening night headline act was Kings of Leon, making their third appearance at Oxegen. Since first appearing at the festival in 2004, they have become one of the biggest bands in the world.
There was also a strong showing last night from Irish acts.
Paddy Casey pulled out the stops for the hometown crowd with the Dublin Gospel Choir and a string quartet.
Casey is home from a US tour where he appeared on the David Letterman Showand on CBS's Early Show, while MTV has also boosted his profile in the US.
He admitted to being apprehensive. "It's unreal. I feel like I'm getting married. It's like my wedding day or something. I don't know why. Maybe because it's my first gig in Ireland since Christmas. You can but try."
The cavernous Green Room, with a capacity of 9,000, was an all-Irish affair with up-and-coming bands Dirty Epics and The Kenetics joining seasoned artists like The Sawdoctors, Aslan, Mundy and Bell X1.
Mundy brought special guest Sharon Shannon for a duet on the most downloaded and most ubiquitous song in Ireland at present, Galway Girl. A video of a previous live performance has been viewed 1.2 million times on YouTube, along with being on Bulmer's advertisement and on the soundtrack of PS, I Love You.
"It's become a pretty massive song, but I'm also conscious it could hang me. It's not my song [it was written by songwriter Steve Earle]. I want to have a career singing my own songs. I don't want to be singing other people's song forever," he said.
Minister for Communications, Energy Eamon Ryan toured the green campsite area. "I came to hear the music. I've been at it before. Ben Folds is where we have to be. I love REM. If there was someone I'd love to see it would be them."
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