Seeing a reticent audience rise as one is a sight magical in its rarity.

“If you want to dance, do it,” urged Angélique Kidjo, the singer, humanitarian and, judging by her ability to gyrate and sing in four tongues as well as her own custom-made language, polymath.

In response, isolated pockets of her crowd shifted shapes during the opening salvo. But by the time Benin’s most powerful singer was shimmying through the aisles, high-fiving impromptu dancers either side of her and causing the sort of scenes which saw stewards gamely attempting to maintain order, every seat in the house had been rendered redundant.

Following a joyful mass hymn to Africa, Kidjo invited a throng onto the stage, giving all of them – most notably a man jiggling ferociously in a resplendent red suit and a young lady with future plans as a dancer – the chance to rock out with her contorting drummers, percussionists and guitarists.

Miriam Makeba, the singer who gave African music global popularity, is an inspiration to Kidjo, and her intoxicating folk, jazz and pop evokes her hero’s spirit.

A closing cover of Gimme Shelter sealed this boisterous triumph.