Placido Domingo’s performance in Christchurch was part of the ”road back to normality” for the city, according to Prime Minister John Key.

Speaking at the after-party following the sell out concert in the CBS Arena last night, Key said Domingo and Welsh singing star Katherine Jenkins brought life back to the quake-ravaged Christchurch.

”Tonight you made Christchurch come alive. You made this city sparkle. It was a magical evening. You gave this city hope and faith, that not only will it be rebuilt, and rebuilt as a city that appreciates, understands and loves the arts, but as a great place to live. Your support and your dedication will be remembered not only by the 8500 people that came along this evening but by four-and-a-half million New Zealanders.”

Domingo paid special tribute to the Christchurch audience who gave him a standing ovation before he even sang a single note.

”The most important thing for an artist is the public. Without the public we are nothing. We always go out when we perform to conquer the public and tonight I think it was not necessary. The public was conquered already. You were all there with so much love, so much warmth from the very first moment of the evening,” he said.

Domingo lost four relatives when a devastating earthquake hit Mexico City in 1985.

via Stuff.co.nz