Short Madonna set irks fans at the Big Weekend

United Kingdom | | 12 May 2008

Music fans at Radio 1's Big Weekend were left bewildered after headliner Madonna played only five songs.

Madonna closed the first day of the free festival in Maidstone, Kent, but some have accused her of letting down the fans who waited all day to see her.

Her first ever festival show in the UK, she played just five songs - Candy Shop', 'Miles Away', '4 Minutes', 'Hung Up', 'Give It 2 Me' and 'Music'.

The headline set lasted just half an hour, similar to her show at Coachella in 2006, and despite wowing onlookers with an energetic set some fans felt disappointed.

Georgia Cronin from Tonbridge told: "She was brilliant but should have been on longer. She didn't play any of her classics and had so many other songs people wanted to hear."

Michael Carter from Maidstone added: "It was absolutely boiling all day and people had waited for Madonna's set. It was really a headline set, was it?"

Another let down were The Fratellis, who seemed to battle with sound problems and failed to ignite the crowd with material from their new album.

And Usher caused angry reactions after arriving on stage saying "Hello Manchester". The mistake led to a puzzled silence and boos from some quarters, however the US rapper redeemed himself with a mix of his biggest hits, including 'Yeah'.

Other popular sets included Foals, The Ting Tings, The Futureheads and We Are Scientists, who celebrated singer Keith Murray's birthday with a sheep shaped birthday cake brought on stage by Radio 1's Jo Wiley.

Radio 1's Big Weekend continues from Maidstone's Mote Park on Sunday.