Red-faced Rugby World Cup organisers were forced to apologise after technical issues ruined an embarrassing opening ceremony at St James' Park.
England dismantled Samoa in the delayed tournament's curtain raiser in Newcastle, but some supporters were left feeling short-changed before the Group A clash kicked off as the pre-match entertainment was wiped out by PA system failures.
A large crowd of 43,000 packed inside St James' were awaiting a set from warm-up act the Kaiser Chiefs, but the show fell completely flat as the audio was abruptly cut off. There was a confused silence in the stadium as rugby league icons Kevin Sinfield and Jason Robinson held the coveted World Cup trophy pitchside.
The Kaiser Chiefs awaited an update on audio glitches but could only play one song and were left having to improvise after being unable to perform their biggest hit 'Ruby'. Performers were also left rather awkwardly having to dance without accompanying music.
Singer Ricky Wilson took it upon himself to spark excitement in the crowd, sprinting up and down the pitch and almost slipping, as he looked to raise spirits ahead of the hotly-anticipated clash. The audio problems were eventually fixed and the game kicked off 10 minutes later than originally scheduled.
Organisers issued a public apology for the disruption during half-time in England's victory. "The official statement read: "RLWC2021 would like to sincerely apologise for the disrupted tournament welcome, which was severely affected by technical failure.
"It wasn’t the start we wanted but we would like to thank fans for their patience and for continuing to celebrate the teams and the tournament."
Fortunately for organisers, the PA malfunction did not overshadow an electric opening day of the tournament. England did not make pre-match chaos an omen for their performance and were rampant in a blistering 60-6 victory over Samoa.
Dom Young starred as Shaun Wane's side made a mockery of their underdog status against a Samoa team crammed with NRL and State of Origin Stars. The ten-try mauling got England's tournament off to a dream start and left supporters re-evaluating their expectations on home soil.
The subdued atmosphere quickly changed as flying England ran in brilliant tries, including six in the final 16 minutes as a much-fancied Samoa side completely capitulated in front of a record attendance for a Rugby League World Cup opener in the northern hemisphere.
Elsewhere, holders Australia also made the perfect start with a convincing 42-8 victory over Fiji in Leeds.
