Ronan Keating's entrance from the back of the Point, through the crowd to the stage, would put you in mind of Bono, but never mind, showbiz is showbiz. On a night when Keating could have done just about anything on stage and still command total adulation from those assembled, he chose to begin with the biz part. Here to promote an album as well as a new (minus the other four) image, he went about it with professionalism and aplomb, as did his band.

The first part of the gig was devoted exclusively to songs from his album Ronan, and was similar, musically, to the lighter end of present-day American Country. From a difficult, birth on The Late Late Show almost six years ago, Keating has matured considerably, and proved himself a good singer and performer.

But as a musical persona he still seems unsure as to whether he's a product or a musician. The musical style, though sometimes a little mushy and unrefined, is that of a musician - which seems to have grown up a little quicker than many of his fans. At a rare lull in the screaming, Keating confesses to us that he had sleepless nights worrying if he was making the right kind of album for "you guys", and tonight's show, he says proves to him that he was - though shortly afterwards, a trio of Boyzone songs got the loudest screams of the night.

Paraphrasing the Boyzone songs with a little ceremony, Keating conjured his trademark cowboy hat from a shiny metal box and danced and sang like the Boyzone "frontman", then put the hat back again (perhaps forever?) as he sang the final refrain from Father and Son - "I have to go . . . away".

In another Bonoesque moment, Keating showed the extent to which he needs to redefine himself and to seek respect - he made almost a plea to his audience to forget this boy-band nonsense and see him as an artist - yet he remains unsure. To be fair, he is walking a fine line between leaving the die-hard Boyzone fans in the lurch and bringing them along as he grows up, and tonight he seems to be doing it as well as it can be done.