Hundreds of thousands of football fans and opera-lovers gathered at the Eiffel Tower in Paris last night to see the Three Tenors kick off the weekend's World Cup final celebrations with an open-air concert.
Luciano Pavarotti, Jose Carreras and Placido Domingo performed their two-hour extravaganza in front of the historic monument. The trio sang the pop song turned English football chant, You'll Never Walk Alone, written by Gerry and the Pacemakers.
The singers have been accused of "dumbing down" opera by bringing it to the masses through the popularity of football. But they have also been credited with introducing opera to millions around the world who might otherwise not have gravitated naturally to it.
Last night's concert was broadcast around the world, with the TV audience estimated as exceeding the 1.3 billion viewing figure of the Tenors' 1994 World Cup concert in Los Angeles, and also topping their 1990 debut appearance in Rome.
The trio were accompanied by the Orchestre de Paris and American conductor James Levine.
With the Eiffel Tower adorned with the electronic figure of the number of days left until 2000, Parisians - who have begun taking enormous interest in the World Cup since France's semi-final victory over Croatia - are more concerned with tomorrow's final.
Many French people will be torn between watching the Tour de France and the clash with Brazil closer to home. Paris is bracing itself for locals and visitors to party all weekend in preparation for France's very first World Cup final.
Last night's concert will also be transmitted on BBC1 TV tomorrow afternoon before the final in the Stade de France stadium.
President Chirac attended the event.