Fans likely to queue for sight of Pavarotti on stage

Luciano Pavarotti flew to Britain yesterday for his first appearance in the newly redeveloped Royal Opera House, prompting the kind of excitement normally generated by pop stars.

With the portly Italian tenor increasingly opting for concert appearances instead of full operatic performances, every one of the 9,000 tickets was snapped up as soon as the seats for the four performances of Puccini's Tosca went on sale.

For fans left empty-handed, the only hope is to queue for one of only 67 seats that will be released on the day of each performance, for either £46 or £26. The performances start this Friday, with further appearances on 15, 18 and 21 January. Queuing is expected to start early, and may even include camping overnight.

Critics may claim that the maestro's voice is well past his best and mock him for playing the love interest, Cavaradossi, at 66. But Pavarotti's adoring public are prepared to make sure the welcome is a warm one.

It is four years since his last recital, seven years since he performed in an opera at Covent Garden and 10 years since he played Cavaradossi in London.