Korea On Stage, OVO Arena Wembley review - a symphony of lights, beats and empowerment

★★★★ KOREA ON STAGE, OVO ARENA WEMBLEY A symphony of lights, beats and empowerment

K-Music extravaganza delivers rock anthems and electropop bangers

Choruses rocked, choreo popped, and thousands of light sticks danced in unison, as an incredible lineup of nine acts lit up this fourth edition of Korea On Stage, celebrating 140 years of UK-Korea relations.

Blur, Wembley Stadium review - a glorious reunion trip

★★★★ BLUR, WEMBLEY STADIUM A night of nostalgia, friendship and unparalleled joy

Britpop's kings revel in a night of nostalgia, friendship and unparalleled joy

“One night I had a vision of this,” says a visibly emotional Damon Albarn as he looks out to the mass of the crowd at Wembley. Despite closing the London Olympics in 2012, selling millions of albums and headlining Glastonbury, there is the sense that even in their prime, performing two nights at the 90,000 Stadium was one step out of reach.

So, the unadulterated elation – shock even that Blur feels to be here now pumps this reunion. All these years later they’ve done it, and you bet that they’re going to enjoy it.

Morrissey, Wembley Arena review - reminders of greatness

Dangerous views are docked for a night of potent performance

“I’d like you to know that you can breathe as heavy as you like,” Morrissey declares, somewhat against government advice. “It really doesn’t matter. I can take it!” Like a cross between Elvis Presley and Donald Trump, this great, divisive pop star feeds off rallies of the faithful.

Robbie Williams, Wembley Arena review - 12,000 people having a bawl

★★★ ROBBIE WILLIAMS, WEMBLEY ARENA 12,000 people having a bawl

Working hard, with a mission to entertain

"The nice bloke-ness of Robbie shines through all he does,” David Baddiel commented in a tweet thanking the singer for dedicating his Wembley performance of “I Love My Life” to him. There is no denying it. Williams has that side to him which combines mischief, being game-for-anything, and taking on the mission to entertain the audience. It is his strength.

Janelle Monae, SSE Wembley Arena review - strong in both sound and sentiment

★★★★ JANELLE MONAE, SSE WEMBLEY ARENA Strong in both sound and sentiment

A message from Metropolis - perfectly delivered for Pride month

Janelle Monae says her show is all about making memories. She tells the crowd: “I hope that I can become a memory for you that you access when you’re feeling down – a memory that’s rooted in love and freedom.”

Billy Joel, Wembley Stadium review – The Entertainer delivers

★★★★★ BILLY JOEL, WEMBLEY STADIUM The Entertainer delivers

A transport of delight away from current woes

While Elton John was picking up another bauble and tinkling the ivories in Paris, the world’s other Piano Man was heading to London and Wembley, where he last played three years ago. It was Billy Joel’s only British gig in a stadium tour that kicked off in Orlando in January and which saw him recently notch up his one-hundredth Madison Square Garden concert – as artist-in-residence he’s been playing one concert a month there since 2014.

Arcade Fire, Wembley Arena review - sensational spectacle

★★★★★ ARCADE FIRE, WEMBLEY ARENA Canadian indies sing up a storm in in-the-round show

Canadian indies sing up a storm in in-the-round, with a cameo from Jarvis Cocker

The Stones do it. U2 too. It takes immense and lordly clout for a touring band to breeze into town and each night summon a major recording artist to step onstage for some party fun. For Arcade Fire’s first night at Wembley Arena it was Chrissie Hynde. For the second, Jarvis Cocker lolloped up in a cream twin-breast linen suit to deliver that radio-friendly anthem, “Cunts Are Still Running the World”.

Chris Rock, SSE Wembley Arena review - energetic and fast-moving performance

★★★★ CHRIS ROCK, WEMBLEY Nice to have the controversial US comic back

Controversial US comic on rare UK tour

Chris Rock, another fine alumnus of the comedy factory known as Saturday Night Live, rarely comes to these shores, so his short arena tour was welcome. He last visited the UK 10 years ago as he had been busy with, among other things, presenting the Oscars, voicing Marty the Zebra in the Madagascar films and bringing up a family.

Bob Dylan, Wembley Arena review - mannered vocals, poor sound, upsetting

BOB DYLAN, SSE ARENA WEMBLEY Stormy weather but no hard rain for 76-year-old Nobel Laureate

Stormy weather but no hard rain for 76-year-old Nobel Laureate at SSE Arena Wembley

I’ll never forget the first time: Saturday 17 June, 1978, Earls Court. The concert lives on in my mind’s ear still – those not fortunate enough to be there should listen to Live at Budokan (on which, that autumn, in Liverpool’s Probe Records, I spent more than a week’s grant money), recorded on the same tour. A month later, Saturday 15 July, Dylan headlined at the Picnic, at Blackbushe, which felt like our Woodstock.

Hans Zimmer, Wembley Arena

HANS ZIMMER, WEMBLEY ARENA Stellar film composer lights up the arena with filmic eloquence

Stellar film composer lights up the arena with filmic eloquence

Anyone who has been to the movies in the past 30 years will have heard the work of Hans Zimmer. His music is part of the very fabric of our lives, as was dramatically demonstrated last night at the packed Wembley SSE Arena when the opening notes of The Lion King were greeted with a huge roar of appreciation from the audience.