Sunny, balmy day is the Vital ingredient
In weather more reminiscent of their home-town of Las Vegas,
The Killers thrilled 25,000 music fans in Belfast's Ormeau Park last night.
The four-piece capped the second day of Tennents Vital – ending a festival of top-class music on a balmy evening.
Having wowed audiences across the world with their concert appearances and selling close to 10 million records, there was a sense of anticipation around the band's Belfast gig.
And they didn't disappoint.
An exuberant Brandon Flowers performed songs from The Killers' albums, including their best-known tunes Somebody Told Me and When You Were Young, which drew the reaction of the night from the packed audience.
The exceptional weather brought the crowds out as the venue was filled from the early afternoon.
Earlier, Kasabian came onstage to the strains of Ennis Morrison and an ecstatic welcome from the Northern Ireland crowd.
They launched into a set of big tunes with front man Tom Meighan shouting "Let me hear you Belfast" to screams from the enthusiastic concertgoers.
"You guys are amazing," he said during an energetic set.
Under clear skies, even the bands seemed surprised to be experiencing such a sunny day in Belfast.
"Wow, it's nice to see the sun," Albert Hammond Jnr said during his set on the main stage.
The Strokes' guitarist and his band were the first performers on day two of Vital.
He was followed by The Shins, whose intimate folk-rock was surprisingly well-suited to the bigger crowds.
The Oregon band, who played one of the more memorable sets of the festival, asked the audience for shades at one point as they shielded their eyes from the bright afternoon sun.
And the cloudless skies continued into the early evening, when Mark Ronson performed his personalised versions of classic tracks.
The London-born, New York-based DJ and producer played tunes such as his jazz-tinged take on Radiohead's Just – which was a big hit with the Ulster audience.
Among those enjoying the event were stars from the Ireland rugby squad, who mixed with the crowds last night.
Over on the Radio 1 stage, headliners The Holloways, who have spent the summer on the festival circuit, were enjoying themselves.
"It's fun, a big field full of good people and a couple of stages," said Elfie Jackson from the London four-piece.
And he explained the band's philosophy for festival shows was simple – bring out your best songs: "You realise that it's not your crowd and it's not your gig, so you don't start playing obscure tunes. You want to win the audience over."
The singer added: "Ideally, people will mention our name afterwards alongside the likes of The Killers, Kasabian and the other amazing bands here today"
The good-natured Holloways were also extolling the virtues of having a small drink before going onstage "just to loosen yourself up a bit".
Jackson said: "It's like when you go to a club you need one or two before you can dance."
Martin Corrigan, singer with Ulster electro outfit Alloy Mental, delivered a typically hyperactive performance on stage.
"It's weird because I've been at a couple of festivals where you're seeing a band as part of a big crowd – it's not something I enjoy myself," he said.
Appearing at Vital during a summer when Alloy Mental have played at big outdoor shows across the UK, Martin said he was more at home on the stage than in the audience.
"It's good to play to one, but I'm not so sure that it's as much fun to watch," he said.
But Martin added that it was strange to experience the best weather he'd seen all summer at home in Northern Ireland.
"Every other festival we've been at has been a mud bath. I can't believe what's happened here over the past two days," he said.
Also representing the Province were Kharma 45, from Strabane and Londonderry.
Singer Glenn Rossborough said the event had been "amazing" after performing a top-drawer set.
The band is set to appear in Strabane tonight and in Londonderry tomorrow before heading off to the Reading Festival.
Glenn said the Kharma's live spontaneity was a natural part of their performance: "It's not something that you can switch on, but you get the nervous excitement and become a ball of energy ready to go," he added.
As for the type of concerts the band prefer, Glenn said: "I like the small tents at the big festivals. Once you great a crowd in it feels great and there's such a wonderful atmosphere."
Elaine Forbes, from event sponsors Tennents lager, said last night that the event had been a resounding success.
"It's been fantastic. It just feels so much bigger and better and Ormeau Park has been an amazing venue," she added.
Elaine praised the bands and the fans for making it such a memorable experience.
She added that plans were already under way for the 2008 Vital Festival.
"Obviously we haven't made it easy for ourselves if we want to top this year's line-up, but we would love to do it again."
The second day of Ulster's biggest rock event followed headliners Razorlight and the Manic Street Preachers on Tuesday.
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Weather for Belfast
Monday 28 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 25 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 12 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: South west
