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This was a slick set from one of pop's most enduring acts.

Ferry made a no-fuss entrance and entertained us with 90 minutes of breezy Roxy hits and Bob Dylan classics from his current Dylanesque album.

The omens weren't that promising on this Friday 13th event. Half an hour before Ferry took to the stage a raindrop the size of a tennis ball splashed on my head. But we were spared the downpour and instead treated to a vivid rainbow.

Thinner crowd

Audience-wise, this was a thinner crowd than I have experienced in the past. But 10 years after Blickling pioneered the pop in the park concerts, this is no longer the novel experience it used to be.

The pound in the picnic punter's pockets could have been spent on any number of venues this weekend, including Thetford Forest and Henham Park, so the competition was keen.

Ferry kicked us off with The In Crowd - and gazing across the sea of greying temples and sensible Marks & Spencer's outdoor gear, how Ferry must have witnessed a change in what that means over his four decades on the road.

Anyhow, a great song is a great song and after the Roxy/Dylan one-twos, it was John Lennon's Jealous Guy which prompted a lusty roar of appreciation.

Quality band

The guitar and saxophone solos were superb. Indeed, the band were a quality act and you can always count of Ferry for some stunning back-up vocalists.

Dylanesque has received a warm critical reception and you could see why. The treatments were not attempts at recreating the Dylan sound. They were respectful interpretations.

As Ferry himself has remarked, covering a Dylan standard equates to an actor taking on Shakespeare.

Dylan’s Simple Twist Of Fate was another particular crowd-pleaser although after an hour you could sense the yearning for a burst of Ferry's own classics.

Classic songs

These duly arrived with stomping renditions of Let’s Stick Together and Love Is The Drug though inevitably some old favourites were omitted; Oh Yeah was especially missed.

Ferry was at the heart of this set. A tall elegant man with feline movements, he orchestrated his band and flashed that Cheshire Cat trademark grin. He remains a class act.

Bryan Ferry played Blickling Hall on Friday, 13 July, 2007.