Saturday November 20th, 8pm - Cheb Mami has been on the road for several weeks now, bringing the house down wherever he performs. And tonight the Little Prince of Rai is set to take Broadway by storm! Much to the delight of Rai fans, Mami has the stage at the Beacon Theater to himself tonight - Sting's got the night off, which means Mami's fans can finally get their hands on tickets for the show. Given Sting's international renown, concert tickets are usually sold out weeks in advance. "Normally there aren't any tickets left for my fans," says Mami, with a discreet little smile, "but tonight I'm performing a concert just for them so everybody's happy!"

Cheb Mami is no newcomer to the music scene in New York. The young Rai star made a major impact on audiences when he last appeared in the Big Apple in '97, getting the crowd up and grooving in Central Park when he performed at the "Vive la World" concert at the Summerstage Festival. In fact, Mami proved to be the real star of the "Vive la World" show, upstaging even the voluptuous diva Ishtar (Alabina) with his infectious Rai sound.

Judging by the attitude of the hundreds of fans thronging outside the Beacon Theater on Saturday night, only one thing counts - and that's to be on time to greet the arrival of 'cousin' Mami, the pride and joy of Algeria! Strangely enough, nobody seems in the slightest hurry to get into the Beacon and catch Mami's support act - a trio of Algerian musicians. Mami's fans prefer to wait patiently outside the theatre instead, smoking a cigarette or chattering noisily away to their neighbours. Meanwhile, the brave little Algerian trio assemble on stage inside, tuning their instruments to play to a virtually empty house!

8.30pm - Just as the lonely support trio bend over and start packing up their material, Rai fans suddenly pour into the theatre, entire families thronging down the aisles and jostling their way to their seats. Within two minutes every seat in the house is full and the Algerian flag is already unfurled across the first-floor balcony! The Beacon pulses with excitement and patriotic feeling - and oh, what I wouldn't give for a couscous and a glass of mint tea! (Judging by the loud "you yous" echoing round the walls, you'd think you were halfway through an Algerian wedding). Excitement reaches fever pitch as the Algerian Ambassador to the UN and his wife take their seats, the crowd heaving like a giant pressure cooker just waiting to explode.

9pm - Time to begin (and not a minute too late - in the U.S. there's a law stipulating that if concerts fail to start on time, technicians are entitled to twice their hourly rate!) By the time Mami's musicians arrive on stage, the audience has already leapt to their feet. As for the two kids in front of me, they've already rushed out into the centre aisle and are catapulting towards the stage. I'm wondering whether I should join the rush and jump to my feet - or whether I'll block my neighbours' view. I'm still wondering when one of my neighbours leaps up, grabs my arm and urges me to join him in a pseudo bellydance!

When Mami himself arrives on stage mass hysteria breaks out. All thoughts of sitting down to watch the concert are blown out of the water - I'm swept up by the crowd and even if I wanted to regain my seat, I could never find it now! Judging by the expression on the faces of the American security guards, they've never witnessed anything quite like this at the Beacon before. In fact, the poor guards look totally bemused by it all. Forgetting their training as stage bodyguards, they stand around, open-mouthed, asking themselves whether this is normal or not.

Meanwhile, Mami launches into his set and the audience stampede towards the stage, men, women and children clambering past security barriers, trying to kiss his cheek, tap his back, shake his hand … By now total pandemonium has broken out on stage and Mami is standing lost and confused in the midst of the throng, clutching his microphone and looking increasingly tense. The singer shoots several desperate glances to the side of the stage, looking for someone to deliver him from this on-stage anarchy. But nobody appears!

Cami finally decides to take control of the situation himself. Calmly addressing his fans in Arabic, the singer urges them to dance and party to their heart's desire - but, please, not up on stage there with him! A couple of fans greet this announcement with churlish insults, but the singer appears not to notice as the rest of the audience break into shouts of joy and rapturous applause. Hailed in France as the Prince of Rai and in the U.S. as a musical ambassador, Mami goes on to finish his show in regal style, establishing himself as a true king of showbizz.

After Mami's extravaganza, fans pack up their flags and file off to find the rest of their families, patiently waiting outside. Meanwhile, Rai fans who couldn't make the concert huddle excitedly in front of television sets - in half an hour Mohamed Khelifati, aka Cheb Mami, pride of the Maghreb, is due to perform on "Saturday Night Live" with Sting!