"I THINK you're going to be in the minority there, it was a load of rubbish."
So said an extremely opinionated woman in a white fur coat, desperate to collar whoever crossed her path in a Liverpool city centre pub, to tell them how little she thought of that evening's Capital of Culture launch at St George's Hall.
As you can gather, when collared, we told her how much we had enjoyed the spectacle.
And looking back, I don't think we were the only ones to be engrossed by the ceremony.
This wasn't the Summer Pops, this wasn't an outdoor concert, this wasn't a laser show, this wasn't a firework display; this was the launch of 12 months of events and projects which will finally lift Liverpool into its rightful place as one of the UK's key cities for innovation and investment. And this show pitched it just right.
Before it began, I had flashbacks to the toe-curling, self-congratulatory Liverpool Nativity, which probably put a small percentage of the projected two million visitors for 2008 off coming to visit.
But those pre-Christmas jitters vanished when the MC appeared atop the Wellington monument, small as a dot, but helpfully beamed onto some rather large screens, to get things underway.
Using the architecture surrounding St George's Plateau as a stage was a genius idea. Kudos to the brave soul who stood on the roof of St John's Beacon to hammer out a solo, followed by a string of strummers on the St John's car park roof and all those Urban Strawberry Lunchers with their makeshift orchestra on St George's Hall itself.
The personal highlight was the aerial acrobats weaving their way in perfect time across an animated film projection on either side of the Hall, riding Liver Birds, arriving in Luxembourg a fortnight too late for their Capital of Culture stint, and travelling around a virtual city.
Ringo Starr's latest single has an infectious chorus, but perhaps a sing-a-long to Yellow Submarine would have been preferable to a song with the refrain 'Liverpool, I left you'.
An unforgettable night, which had to be different from all the events in the city which had gone before. And maybe it's a good thing it provoked debate. That's what all aspects of culture should do.
Ceremony Number Two
My tickets to the other launch at the spanking new Echo Arena were only confirmed on Friday afternoon, and I was chuffed to get the chance to see both versions of the city's welcome to 2008. Not only that, but we were in the queue to pick up said tickets with Janice Long, several McGanns and Sue Johnston - it seems all of the city's finest sons and daughters were up for this party.
A venue the city has been crying out for for years, the Arena looks vast when you walk in, and surprisingly cosy once each of it's 10,600 seats are taken.
It seemed pretty obvious that the rather ineffectual workmen sweeping and painting the same section of stage for 40 minutes before curtain-up were part of the show, but many were surprised when one of them went on to a lighting rig, acrobat-style, to fix a dodgy light and then fall to the ground, taking a makeshift 08 logo with him.
The stage design was as impressive as the occasion, with the RLPO stacked, somewhat like the dancers in Jailhouse Rock, in tiers at the rear of the stage, to be conducted by Vasily Petrenko on his extendable platform.
Screened behind gauze, on which more and more inventive films and animations were projected, the Orchestra remained an imposing presence throughout proceedings, particularly for the renditions of The Beatles' Revolution, and Gary Christian's moving performance of Here Comes the Sun, backed by images of (fingers crossed) the good things to come for the city.
If Pete Wylie had been plugged in to the National Grid for his performance of Heart As Big as Liverpool his enthusiasm - not to mention his suit - would have provided enough energy to light up the city for the remainder of 2008, and probably the run up to the London Olympics as well.
Wylie then joined The Farm for an on-your-feet performance of All Together Now, the first sure-fire indication that the party had started.
It was two hours which invoked an immense pride for the city I call home, and at times it was surreal to think we were sitting in a state of the art venue in the heart of the Liverpool docks.
As Phil Redmond said as he walked on stage top introduce Ringo Starr, "This is just the beginning."
Let's hope it is. And if I remain in the minority in my opinion of the spectacular style Liverpool welcomed its proudest mantle on to its shoulders, then so be it.
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