Phil Collins at Mission concert: Let it rain down!

Phil Collins rocks The Mission last night. Photo / Paul Taylor

Thousands defied the drizzle on Wednesday night to hear international superstar Phil Collins belt it out at the Mission in Hawke's Bay.

Poncho-clad punters came from all over the North Island, some regular visitors of the concert, but others making the trip especially to hear Collins.

Rachel Henderson and Chris Burrows said they had come up from Wellington, although were mainly there to support their partners, who were the Collins fans in the group.

"We're probably the worst people to ask," Henderson joked.

In true Wellington fashion, they said they preferred the rain to if the weather had been like it was on Tuesday, hot and sunny.

"It's fantastic, it was meant to be."

She said she was most looking forward to hearing I wish it would rain down on me.

Experienced Mission Concert goers Rosie and Allan Gilbert, who were up from Manawatū, said usually they were front of the line, running in the gates to get a good spot. However, now they felt they were a bit old for such shenanigans.

They were excited to see Collins perform live for a second time.

"We saw him 32 years ago in Auckland," Rosie Gilbert said.

She said she was not looking forward to any song in particular and that he could sing anything and she would be happy.

She said it would have been nicer if the sun had been shining, but her husband said he was happy whatever the weather.

"We'll just have a few glasses of wine and we'll be all right, we've had our Berocca so we're away," she joked.

Bay of Plenty visitors Gay and Bruce Caren said they felt they cursed the Mission with bad weather, as they had tried to go to the Lionel Richie concert in 2009 which had to be cancelled due to bad weather.

"We probably made it rain, we came to Lionel Richie which was cancelled."

They said that time they had fun water sliding down the hill.

Central Hawke's Bay residents Sam Bell, Amy Ryan and Anne Stoddart said they come to the Mission Concert relatively often, but Phil Collins was a particularly exciting act.

"Phil is one of the legends," Bell said.

The three agreed they were most looking forward to In the Air Tonight.

Luckily, by the time opening act Badger were finishing up people were able to strip off their ponchos with the worst of the rain seeming to have passed.

Badger entertained the crowd with a mixture of international songs and Kiwi classics, ending on New Zealand's unofficial national anthem Why does love do this to me, by The Exponents.

As well as Badger, people at the concert also were treated to Germein, and Rob Ruha and the Witch Doctor before Collins came on.

* Stay tuned later today for concert review, wrap and more photos.