The deification of Nelson Mandela by the British pop elite — a process that began in the 1980s when he was still locked in a prison cell on Robben Island — was completed last night at a concert-cum-love-in in Hyde Park.

The great man himself was there, of course, a beatific presence among his disciples. And he accepted an enthusiastic rendition of Happy Birthday by an audience of 46,664 “friends and supporters” with his usual good grace, despite the fact that his actual birthday does not fall until July 18.

Also present were some of the stars who appeared on his behalf back in the 1980s (although the great majority were not). Annie Lennox, wearing a T-shirt bearing the legend “HIV Positive”, gave an impassioned speech on behalf of Mandela’s 46664 foundation, a charitable organisation dedicated to combating HIV in Africa. She described Mandela as “one of the greatest human beings the planet has ever seen”, and that was one of the milder endorsements. Simple Minds reprised Mandela Day, with the help of the Soweto Gospel Choir, and reminded us exactly why they used to be so successful at telegraphing grand gestures.

None of the acts overstayed their welcome and generally there was a much greater effort than in past concerts to balance commercial and cultural requirements. Set pieces by the pop acts were interspersed with performances by African artists such as Emmanuel Jal and Vusi, although their arrival tended to trigger an exodus to the bars and toilets.

Razorlight livened up a routine performance by calling for the international community to condemn the fraudulent elections in Zimbabwe. Sugababes confined themselves to a breezy swing through a couple of hits. The South African star Johnny Clegg and Joan Baez united for an emotional chant of Asimbonanga. Amy Winehouse sang Rehab with an edgy, rag-doll vitality. She returned at the end to lead the ensemble through Free Nelson Mandela.

Too bad it had to be the remnants of Queen with Paul Rodgers who were wheeled on to fill the role of stadium-rock big guns. Their We Are The Champions was as rousing as always in these situations. But there was something odd about a band who famously ignored the cultural boycott of South Africa in the 1980s now riding in to claim the glory at the end of an extraordinarily varied and generally appropriate show.

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