Thank you for the Muse-ic
AS PASTY-FACED campers wandered down to the arena at midday on Saturday, bacon butties in hand, to catch the first acts of the day, in the Sessions tent a handful of early birds were already watching Logan Plant, son of Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant, with his own band Sons Of Albion.
At times looking and sounding like a younger version of his father, he is surely destined for greater things.
Noah And The Whale were the real wild card of the afternoon, however. The Virgin Mobile Union tent was bursting at the seams as people piled in to hear Five Years Time.
Girls Aloud, meanwhile, added covers of Salt 'N' Pepa's Push It and Robyn's With Every Heartbeat – shortly before Robyn herself performed it in the JJB Arena – to their repertoire of hits, including Sound Of The Underground, Love Machine, and the more recent Call The Shots.
The Feeling also surprised everyone, by throwing A-ha's Take On Me into their also popular set, while Scouting For Girls's Roy Stride entertained everyone with his Elvis impression.
As evening approached, excited fans stood in the rain for half an hour when Amy Winehouse arrived late.
She was slurring words, missing out lyrics, and looking ill. Sadly, instead of walking off stage having confirmed her status as one of the best contemporary female singers around, she left amid audible boos as well as cheers.
The worsening rain left everyone feeling a little cold, damp, and miserable, meaning The Zutons had a difficult shift to cover.
And while headliners Kaiser Chiefs fired up the 4Music stage again for its finale, it was Richard Ashcroft's note-perfect reunion with The Verve that really had people talking.
For Ben Reynolds, a 20-year-old electrician from Axon Crescent, Weston Coyney, it was undoubtedly one of the festival highlights.
"Ashcroft was just rock and roll," he said. "This is my first time at V and it is once in a lifetime experience," he added. "The campsite last night was wet and it stank, but having V so close is the best thing for Stoke-on-Trent so I don't care about any of that."
Matthew Hall, also an electrician, aged 21, and from Weston Road in Weston Coyney, agreed.
He said: "This is my first time at V and I'll be coming a second time next year as well. It's something you've got to experience."
As daylight broke on Sunday, the site was awash with mud, glorious mud, and the crowd was refused entry to the arena for an hour while groundsmen pumped out floodwater and laid down temporary walkways.
Running late, the first acts from each of the stages were dropped, meaning The Futureheads opened the second day's main stage.
Fortunately, as they did, the first chinks of sunshine shimmered through the dark rain clouds.
Soon revellers were dancing and splashing around in a temporary lake that had formed overnight.
By the time Alanis Morrisette took over, the oasis had turned brown, and so had those wallowing in it.
Among the sparkling clean music fans was day ticket holder Clare Williams, of Coronation Road, Newcastle, a 25-year-old scientist who said: "I came because I wanted to see Muse, the Stereophonics, and Newton Faulkner. I'd come again but only with a day ticket, not for the weekend – it's just too muddy."
V first-timer Vanessa Hughes, of Castlefield Street, Shelton, a 26-year-old biochemist, added: "My impression of V so far is that it's mad and muddy, but I go to quite a few festivals, and it's great that I didn't have to travel far to come to this one."
Meanwhile, 21-year-old Meir Hay plumber Joe Middleton, a fan of Muse, The Pigeon Detectives, and Maximo Park said: "Coming to V is like a holiday; if you love music, even if you have to save up money to come here, it's just awesome."
Alanis Morissette was visibly moved by the fact that more than 10 years after Jagged Little Pill was released, people still knew the words to songs such as Ironic. Meanwhile, Duffy had her legions of fans begging her for Mercy, and Maximo Park produced a slick set, as did The Kooks later on.
Before the night was over, The Hoosiers said goodbye to Mr A with fancy dress outfits. Their costumes added to an array of comedy outfits worn by the public this year, including bumble bees, Pink Ladies, men in tutus, vikings, and Borat in his mankini.
By last night, most people had grown accustomed the mud, indeed quite fond it. It was daubed on their faces, it was hand-printed on their T-shirts. Some people were even bathing in it. And despite the rain having returned by then, V 2008 ended on a huge high.
Second to last on the main stage were the fabulous Stereophonics, before Devon band Muse put on a jaw-dropping sound and light show.
With screaming guitars, fretwork on fire, thrashing drums, and Matthew Bellamy's beautiful piano solos pairing up with haunting vocals, as their high drama set closed with a pyrotechnic display, Muse proved themselves to be the undisputed Guitar Heroes of our times.
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