The UK's NetAid benefit concert, held at London's Wembley Stadium last Saturday (10/9), was virtually a Live Aid for the Nineties, as artists who played at the Bob Geldof-organized show in 1985--such as David Bowie [ tickets ], George Michael [ tickets ] and Bryan Adams [ tickets ]--also topped this year's bill. Attendees of the massive concert, which aimed to raise funds for people in Kosovo and The Sudan, were also likely to have been fervent Live Aid supporters, as most appeared to be middle-aged, upper middle-class ex-Yuppies.

However, that was where the similarity with Live Aid ended. Whereas Live Aid had an urgent, unregimented feel to it, NetAid was a corporate initiative, meticulously planned and marketed. With the day's nine-band line-up slotted into 20- and 25-minute performances, and with messages about NetAid's goals played on large videos screens during the intervals, the chaos that usually ensues with a Wembley show was kept firmly in check.

After a short welcome by French soccer player David Ginola and Iman, David Bowie's fashion-model wife, Eurythmics surged onto the stage at 5 p.m. to kick off the show. The reunited duo's show was as polished and enthusiastic as ever as they launched into old numbers ''Missionary Man,'' ''Angel'' and ''Sweet Dreams.'' This was Dave Stewart's and Annie Lennox's second major appearance this year, having come together in February to perform at the Brit Awards after they were honoured for Outstanding Contribution To British Music.

Pop tunes were the overwhelming and addictive thread throughout the afternoon as Catatonia [ tickets ] and The Corrs [ tickets ] had the audience shouting and clapping their hands above their heads. Catatonia bounded quickly through ''Mulder And Scully,'' ''Road Rage'' and ''Dead From The Waste Down,'' a set similar to their performance at the Reading Festival in August. They were then followed by four enthusiastic Corrs siblings. Despite a poor sound system which cut out during their first number, ''So Young,'' The Corrs created the first big wave of hysteria for the evening with their hit, ''What Can I Do,'' and a folky version of REM's ''Everbody Hurts,'' heavy on the fiddles and Celtic drums. Andrea Corr was a sultry frontwoman as she coyly played with her hair and kept her cool, even when she had to sing with no sound.

George Michael's set, which followed The Corrs' 20 minutes later, began the reign of aging male mega-stars. Unfortunately, his set was shortened due to technical difficulties and he was only able to sing a mere four songs: ''Fast Love,'' ''Freedom,'' ''Father Figure,'' and what he described as an "old musical" number, ''Brother Can You Spare A Dime.'' Although Michael announced after NetAid that he would not let his performance be aired on British public television because he was not "satisfied" with it, his was by far the most sophisticated. Harking back to his Wham! days, Michael, dressed all in black with a perfectly trimmed goatee and handlebar moustache, was full of enthusiasm and wanted to get the audience dancing their legs off. His set was an impressive affair despite being hit with the same sound problems that plagued The Corrs.

David Bowie lived up to his reputation as the Thin White Duke as he casually smoked a cigarette half-way through his set and stunned the audience with better-than-expected renditions of ''China Girl,'' ''Rebel Rebel'' and ''Life On Mars.'' He also worked in ''Survive,'' a new song from his latest album ''Hours'', to prove that he could still make hard-hitting rock music despite being 52.

Doe-eyed Eighties popster Bryan Adams had a hard act to follow after the shaggy-haired Bowie finished, yet he managed to keep his once-young fans on their toes with ''Summer Of '69'' and his new single, originally performed with Spice Girl Mel C, ''When You're Gone.'' Unsurprisingly, the Stereophonics, who followed Adams, and Bush, who preceded him and Bowie, were unable to raise any pulses. Gritty, grunge-punk was about as palatable to the thirty-something, designer jeans-wearing moms and dads as weak coffee.

Fortunately, the night ended with a holler instead of a sigh as Robbie Williams brought the sparkle back into being a young and ambitious music-industry player. His laddish manner as he belted out ''Let Me Entertain You,'' ''No Regrets'' and ''Millennium'' was welcomed by one and all after the Stereophonics' stolid show. Although he was not taken seriously after he quit boy band Take That, the flight of Williams' solo career has been remarkable as he has charmed his way into the hearts of Brits over the past two years. He demonstrated his charismatic power over an audience as he had 65,000 people singing the lyrics to ''Angels'' and waving their arms during the chorus of ''Millennium.'' His performance at NetAid was the biggest and best of his career.

Thanks to the Internet, NetAid has set a record as the most watched concert in history and comparatively raised more money to combat famine and poverty than Live Aid did in '85. Yet, the problems that both concerts hoped to defeat are still the same. And, with the substantial backing of Bill Clinton, Tony Blair and Nelson Mandela as well as Internet-friendly showbiz stars, NetAid will continue to burgeon on an international level, courtesy of the world's most fluid communications medium.