It was the moment so many were waiting for. Yes, this was meant to be all about Manchester playing host to the Brit Awards for the first time ever, but when Dolly Parton - by video-link from Nashville - introduced Sharon and Kelly Osbourne on to the stage, the audience at the music industry's biggest night of the year were gripped.
Kelly, 41, was dressed in a stunning floor-length black velvet gown, while Sharon, 73, looked impeccably chic in a sharply tailored trouser suit. They were at Manchester's Co-op Live Arena to accept Ozzy's Lifetime Achievement Award and had dressed in black to commemorate Ozzy who sadly died last July.
Inevitably Sharon's speech about her late husband, the riotous Black Sabbath frontman who battled Parkinson's and died of a heart attack aged 76 just two weeks after performing a farewell concert in his hometown of Birmingham, was warm, honest and rawly emotive.
Kelly Pays Emotional Tribute to Her Rock Legend Dad
'He came from a small working-class neighbourhood in Birmingham' she said fondly. Going on to describe how he 'rose to become one of the most recognisable and respected musicians'.
'I'm honoured to accept this award for my gorgeous husband. God knows, I wish he was here to accept it himself.'
She spent five minutes regaling the audience, in true chatty Sharon style, with tales of Ozzy's achievements. Her husband had always hated speeches, she said, but she couldn't help but 'waffle on'. A doting and, it must be said, frail-looking Kelly stood by her side until it was her turn to pay tribute to her dad.
'Thank you for loving my father as much as we do,' she said. Before jokingly showing support for Ozzy's beloved football team Aston Villa: 'And I hope I don't disrespect Manchester by saying this. But up the Villa and Birmingham.' To which playful boos echoed throughout the crowd.
Osbournes Draw Support as Industry Pays Tribute
You couldn't help but notice however that mother and daughter held hands for almost the entire night, a visible lifeline for each other perhaps amid the crush of brash music industry figures and media.
One onlooker said: 'Kelly used to be the loudest person in the room, always giving her opinion, but now she's very shy and comes across anxious, you can see she's just holding herself together.'
'Sharon seems in a much better place. But it's clear Kelly is still dealing with a lot of grief,' said another source.
Throughout the ritzy and raucous evening, which saw the elegant Tottenham-born singer of the moment Olivia Dean win four awards, numerous industry figures, friends, and well-wishers popped by the Osbournes' table to offer their condolences.
Later, the pair headed to the glamorous Sony Music Entertainment after-party at Soho House Manchester, where the champagne flowed freely at the packed event.
Kelly slipped on a feathery jacket over her strappy dress, perhaps a small shield against the incessant attention before eventually escaping through the back door later in the night.
Brits After-Parties Roll On With £2,000 Goody Bags
The rest of the guests didn't leave until the early hours but took with them £2,000 goody bags which included Antler overnight bags, Sony headphones, Harry Styles perfume and Diptyque candles.
Across town the Warner Music after-party was in full-swing with model and DJ Kim Turnbull, proving she didn't need a Beckham on her arm to steal the spotlight. Stepping out with a group of girlfriends in a slinky semi-sheer black frock and leaving boyfriend Romeo at home, the 24-year-old was the undisputed belle of the ball, dancing all night behind the DJ booth.
Her only break was when Dua Lipa's brother Gjin, 20, took over to DJ while Dua, 30 and her dad Dukagjin, 56, joined the heaving crowds to proudly film him.
Dua, who looked dazzling in a Thierry Mugler corset, hopped from party to party and was seen dancing with the dapper music producer Mark Ronson. The pair had performed on stage together earlier at the Brits when Ronson, 50, collected his award for Outstanding Contribution To Music.
Hosted at steakhouse The Cut & Craft Manchester, guests feasted on mini burgers, cheese toasties and lamb arancini and quaffed Moet champagne, palomas and spicy margaritas.
Harry Styles Slips Away as Stars Party On
Harry Styles, who wore a disco-approved pin-striped Chanel suit for his opening performance at the Brits, remained effortlessly aloof when it came to the after-parties, and the 32-year-old was only briefly spotted before he disappeared home.
Gene Gallagher, 24, front man of band Villanelle, was out and about with a group of friends, after his uncle Noel won Songwriter Of The Year.
Party-hopping throughout the night, he ditched the Warner Music bash to join his uncle and cousin model and influencer Anais, 26, at the Sony party across town. His uncle Noel, 58, spent his night mainly chatting with friends and in true star style left discreetly via the back door.
Being Manchester it was hardly surprising that Happy Mondays legend Bez, 61, was out and about. In fact downstairs in the strobe-lit nightclub at the Warner Music party, he completely stole the show, darting around with his signature energy among the youthful crowd.
Despite the moody lighting he was all too easy to spot in his vibrant red-checked jacket and matching cap.
He was also hard to control at the ceremony in which he presented Group Of The Year to Wolf Alice, with sources telling the Daily Mail he had to be taken off the red carpet midway through interviews because he kept running off and causing chaos.
Across town at The Ivy, Universal Music hosted their afterparty where triumphant winners Olivia Dean, 26, and Lola Young, 25, who won the Breakthrough Artist award, partied the night away.
Fun and glamorous though it was, the first Brits in Manchester clearly wasn't without its trials and tribulations, just like last week's Baftas.
ITV were forced to censor host Jack Whitehall and others on stage throughout the night.
During the ceremony Jack, 37, appeared to make reference to disgraced ex-ambassador Peter Mandelson while speaking to Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham. However, the joke didn't make it past ITV censors and viewers watching the ceremony at home heard 'bird noise' over Jack's comments.
Happy Mondays frontman Shaun Ryder, 63, was later muted too for swearing on stage.
With a two-year deal signed off for Manchester to host the biggest night in music you can only wonder what next year's Brit Awards will bring.