VIDEO: No ceiling for Marquee stars

Good call, Mike — rev ‘em up with some rocking stuff from the new album and stop them getting too complacent or nostalgic. Then give a nod to the die hard fans with the older stuff such as ‘We will not be lovers’.

The Waterboys may have had more members than most other bands over the years, but that Dylanesque throaty whine from Mike Scott is an enduring hit. And when he slid into ‘Fisherman’s Blues’ there was a surge towards the stage.

Back when they played Cork city two decades ago, the word was that The Lobby was the place to catch them for an after-party (there’s actually a book about that bar now if you’re too young to remember it). This time round there’s no word about where that cool ‘cat in the hat’ was partying afterwards but Mike Scott still gives the impression he’s always good for a session.

As The Waterboys proved last night, they’re musicians who enjoy what they’re doing and there’s no need to waste time with labels.

Meanwhile, on Saturday night, if tents had ceilings, that’s where Lionel Richie’s capacity audience would have been dancing.

People were literally on their feet, eh, all night long. Funny thing, even Richie’s slow songs like ‘Easy, Ballerina Girl’ and ‘Stuck On You’ had this Marquee crowd dancing and singing along.

This was a night stuffed with hits: ‘Hello’, ‘Penny Lover’, ‘Three Times A Lady’, ‘Dancing On The Ceiling’ and ‘All Night Long’.

Euro for euro, he’s up there with the world’s top showmen. Anyone who watched his performance on the BBC’s coverage of Glastonbury on Sunday will share that regard for Richie.

Hats off to promoter Peter Aiken for enticing such a global superstar into this magical circus tent. Each year, he seems to pull off the same jaw-dropping coup, with legends likes of Dolly Parton, The Who, Paul Simon and Diana Ross stopping off in Cork en route to bigger stages around the world.

The bar just keeps getting higher each year.