Music legend Elton John brightens a rainy day

The one-day festival was blighted by torrential downpours during the afternoon and a constant drizzle throughout the evening.

But the weather didn’t dampen spirits on stage or in the 20,000-strong crowd, which was a sea of umbrellas.

We missed earlier acts due to a mammoth queue for the car park, which was almost stationary.

But we made it into the arena in time for girl band The Pierces, which suffered a few sound glitches but seemed to be well-received by the hardcore fans at the very front.

We stood near to the back for Rumer – much of which was unfortunately drowned out by the loud music from the funfair to our right – but I enjoyed her performance of music which very much reminded me of Morcheeba.

And The Lighthouse Family was a real blast from the past.

But for me, it was music legend and headline act Elton John who made the soggy jeans and endless queues worthwhile.

The superstar hit the stage with Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting) and delivered again and again with a set full of mega hits and crowd-pleasers including Yellow Brick Road, Sacrifice, I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues, Rocketman and Tiny Dancer.

I loved how appreciative he was of his audience, giving a little bow and thanks to each section of the crowd.

My only criticism was that at some points we couldn’t hear what he was saying between songs.

But frankly, I was so thrilled by the set list and infectious energy he threw into it, that I was still dancing even when the tracks finished.

Your Song was the perfect finish to a Elton fan’s dream show.

Exiting was much more successful than entering, and we left with a spring in our steps and a smile.

And, luckily, the sneaky alternative car park we had found at another entrance to the site meant we managed to avoid a similar nightmare coming home.