(news.bbc.co.uk) - The Rolling Stones have performed their first British festival date in more than 30 years. The band took to the stage at the Isle of Wight Festival after transporting their 200-strong tour entourage to the site by privately-chartered ferry.
It was their first appearance at a festival since 1976's Knebworth Fair. Amy Winehouse and Paolo Nutini appeared for duets, and the Stones walked up a telescopic catwalk to play in the middle of the 60,000-strong crowd.
The show finished on Sunday night with a fireworks display, rounding off a three-day festival which has seen performances by Muse, Snow Patrol, Groove Armada and Kasabian. But the Rolling Stones drew the biggest crowd of the festival so far - and the biggest cheer.
They kept expectant fans waiting before appearing on stage 20 minutes late, amid a spectacular fireworks display and a rapturous welcome. Lead singer Mick Jagger joked with the audience: "I think we're the 21st act - that's a lot of acts. I hope you've got a lot more in the tank."
Guitarist Keith Richards told Virgin Radio he was pleased to be playing to a home UK crowd.
"Coming back home is always like a bit more special," he said. "We just carry Britain with us really, our little bubble of it."
Jagger gave an energetic performance, constantly interacting with the audience, dancing and strutting around the stage. "God knows how he runs around so much, he's fitter than the entire England rugby team", said one fan, Matt Jarvis, from Somerset.
Another fan, Rebecca Maddison, 34, from Plymouth, was standing next to the stage and said seeing the band up close was "absolutely amazing". The legendary rockers played for 90 minutes, rattling through hits like Satisfaction, Sympathy for the Devil, and Brown Sugar. Dee Mason, 73, who took a granddaughter along to the festival, said she had not seen the Stones playing live since 1983.
She, too, said the stage show was "spectacular". Last week, The Stones caused a 30-mile traffic jam as fans queued to see them in the Belgian town of Werchter, at the beginning of the latest European leg of their tour. After dates in France, Germany, Spain, Serbia and Russia, the band will return to the UK to play three shows at London's O2 arena - the former Millennium Dome - in August.