I discovered opera during the World Cup Terry Hall, Woolwich

VIPs - who paid up to £400 per ticket - included the Princess of Wales, Prime Minister John Major and Michael Caine. They got soaked in the downpour along with everyone else.

Crowd chants to lower umbrellas gave way to the great man's voice when he appeared on the specially made pink-canopied neo-classical stage at 1900 BST.

But by the end of the evening St John's Ambulance had treated 193 people for the effects of the cold.

Some fans - like Terry Hall, 22, from Woolwich - had camped overnight to get a prime spot in the 50 acre site.

"I discovered opera during the World Cup when one of Pavarotti's songs (Nessun Dorma) was used as the tune," he said.

A woman working on a merchandising stall insisted it was "really a very middle-class crowd".

But even though she sold 1,000 Pavarotti t-shirts - costing £10 each - organiser Oliver Goldsmith doubts he will recover much of the £900,000 he paid to stage the concert.

The Royal Parks Plant a Tree Appeal will receive £100,000 from the event.

Pavarotti contributed to the cause by planting a tree near the concert venue before a press conference today.

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