HE came, he saw, he conquered writes David Crookes

And after Donny Osmond had finished knocking out the audience with one storming song after another, he left clutching his treasure -- many armfuls of flowers and just as many pairs of knickers.

This was Donny's first appearance in Manchester since the 1970s and, whereas most fans would think "out of sight, out of mind", his vast army of supporters have continued to follow him every step of the way.

Around 20,000 of them packed into the MEN Arena to see a show that was hot on the golden oldies and not too short on the new material either.

It had a real American glow: glitzy, schmaltzy and cheesy. This was Donny who was seemingly at his best, according to the fans.

He appeared with his perfect hair, his perfect white teeth and his perfectly pressed suit. Donny could do no wrong.

And when he sang his 1972 hit Puppy Love -- a song which held the top slot for five weeks in Britain -- his fans got to their feet, sang along and held the roof aloft with their screams.

All the time, knickers and flowers were thrown at the stage. Donny held one of his fans' red roses while singing Puppy Love, before walking to the centre of the stage and adding it to a range of bouquets that was building up quite impressively.

With fans waving their flags and wearing purple hats complete with flashing lights, Donny continued his two-hour show.

Everything he did was greeted by screams from the mainly middle-aged female audience. The scattering presence of men was highly noticeable. They were the ones sitting down, looking at their hands, exchanging knowing, embarrassed glances with each other.

The girls were doing no such thing. Donny wore a hat. Cue screaming. Donny sang Any Dream Will Do, from the hit musical Joseph and his Technicolour Dreamcoat. Cue screaming.

Donny belts out Would I Lie to You? Cue deafening sounds from the speakers. And cue even louder screaming.

He impersonated Elvis; he played the piano; he wore a grey suit; he wore a white jacket; he gave the audience a showbiz bow at the end.

And he told them: "I love Manchester, that's for sure." But do you know what, Donny? I think they loved you more.