Reading '98 is sure to be looked back on as the focus and the undisputed success of this summer's festival season. Indeed, previous to that last weekend in August what could and should have been a triumphant chain of events were looking like an anticlimax from all angles. Before summer was even upon us the Phoenix festival fell as a casualty of poor ticket sales (although this served to bolster the might and expectation for Reading '98 as Mean Fiddler, organisers of both events, were able to transfer acts to further expand the Reading line up). And as the festival season unfurled, both Glastonbury and V98 suffered the brunt of the bad weather and some less than sparkling performances. Ticket holders for Reading were therefore awarded extra hope that they had chosen the right event to attend, and the festival spirit within them burned a little brighter.

The origin of Reading, as is well known, is basically a rock festival - or "Rawk" as it is better termed to conjure up the spirit of the thing. In more recent years though it has mellowed and its horizons expanded, taking in more of the laid back vibe that always characterised Glastonbury and has become the preferred mood of popular music today. The result is a very wide ranging and diverse bill, from the traditional rock sounds of Mansun and Ash, through the twisted pop of the Super Furry Animals and Garbage and out to the reaches of the textural soundscapes of Mogwai, the folk tinged commentary of Arab Strap, the dub influenced Asian Dub Foundation and Audioweb, the true veterans Page and Plant and the original reggae of Lee 'Scratch' Perry. Result; a very diverse crowd of festival goers. Dozens of current trends are represented, from heavily tattooed metal fans to Goths to young fans of the masses of the indie/pop that sprung up to hordes of the unremarkable, floppy-fringed indie kids of a few years ago and much lying between. All age groups too are present. Though mostly twenty-somethings there's a fair share of younger kids, some families even including toddlers and the lifelong festival folk who almost seem to be part of the furniture. All in all what results is a concentrated microcosm of popular youth culture, and the music will be loud and there will be no watersheds and little censorship. Because we want to (man).

The festival organisers are well aware of all this of course, and do their very best to cater for as much of popular youth culture as possible. Aside from the main stage and the three smaller music tents (sponsored by Melody Maker, Carlsberg and Dr. Martens) is the Bravo cinema tent, showing all manner of short films through the afternoon and feature films and cult-classics well into the night. Among the dozens of fast food carts and stalls offering alternative and ethnic clothing and accessories, tattoos, body piercing, record shops, herbal highs, a bar, a cool drink and chill-out-in-a-deckchair tent (Starburst sponsored) and souvenirs are the Nintendo hut and MTV's tent where passers by are invited to come and spill their stories to a camera. Also on display is a BMX and skate ramp and the chance, for around £40, to take a two-hundred foot bungee jump from the cradle of a crane, which proves popular all weekend.

Thus mainstream and alternative youth culture is contented and mixes freely and without disturbance. People have the opportunity to compromise a little and adopt a lifestyle which they may see as ideal or experimental for a few days. This is, perhaps, what is truly meant by festival spirit - a sense of freedom runs through everything.

The main enclosure, the place where everything scheduled to happen happens, for most of the weekend is a mass of people passing to and fro, from tent to tent, stall to stall, and gathering in a steadily increasing crowd in front of the main stage each day. The sun shines brightest on Saturday, but all three days are hot and still. As the sun sets red on the horizon a dozen small fires are lit by those who will see out part of the night there. Outside in the camping area there is a continual buzz of activity. The tents are closely packed and people gladly group together to share fires, beer and smokes. There is a police presence but it is very unintrusive and official stewards are left to take care of most problems that occur. Very little real trouble occurs over the whole weekend.

As if boosted by the warm weather the bands for the most part rose to the occasion. Friday saw a busy afternoon in the Melody Maker tent with good and entertaining performances from Lodger, Arab Strap and Mogwai. Over on the main stage Rocket From the Crypt put on a true Rock'n'Roll show that should have won a few people over to their style, while the Carlsberg tent concentrated on heavier rock. For the headlining acts the crowd found itself well divided. Many turned out for Jimmy Page & Robert Plant on the main stage and were treated with a large selection of Led Zeppelin classics plus a few new tunes, proving these old timers have still got it where it counts. The Melody Maker tent was filled to bursting for the Super Furry Animals, though their set was marred by a little bad sound. Gomez also gathered good support for their show in the Dr. Martens tent.

Saturday appeared to be the choice of the one day ticket holder and the festival population almost seemed to double. Both the sun and the music shone, with Asian Dub Foundation proving their worth on the main stage as one of the best live acts to come through this year. In a change of style the Carlsberg tent ran DJ sets all day, climaxing with the groundbreaking Roni Size and Reprazent, and the Dr. Martens tent presented a mixed bag topped by Alabama 3. Saturday though was all about the headliners. The biggest crowd seen yet gathered at the main stage for the 8:20 kick off of The Prodigy's set. It was a show filled with their most popular tunes, but lacked something of the performance and delivery they're known for, as if much of their touring energy has been spent for this year. A hint of controversy was thrown on the floor. "Last night the Beastie Boys called and asked us not to play this, but we do whatever the fuck we want!" boomed Maxim before they launched into "Smack My Bitch Up". Many cheers rose to greet this, but the volume of applause was greater when the Beastie Boys took the stage. Dressed in bright orange boiler suits they performed in a mixture of styles with boundless energy. Old skool rap melted into high energy rock and relaxed funky instrumentals. AdRock did attempt to explain the Prodigy incident, "I don't want to say too much about it, but where I come from a song called 'Smack My Bitch Up' isn't cool." Applause and cheers again. The Beastie Boys stance against violence is well known.

Sunday's crowd was almost equal to Saturday's, and they were kept well satisfied by another full and interesting day. Audioweb were the highlight of the daytime on the main stage, while the Carlsberg tent staged the "Big Beat Boutique" featuring the likes of Monkey Mafia, Justin Robertson and finishing with Bentley Rhythm Ace. As usual most of the attention was duly focused on the headline acts. The New Order revival began here, and fortunately the performance matched the expectations of the fans. The set was made up of all the well known classics - "True Faith", "Blue Monday", "Regret", and even took a dig way back into Joy Division for a short while. Bernard Sumner beamed from behind his mikestand and everything from the music, the crowd and the whole atmosphere fell into place like the last pieces of a jigsaw and everything felt just perfect. That this was the peak and most fitting climax of the festival couldn't have been clearer if it were written in ten foot high letters on the backdrop. Even the appearance of Keith Allen for the closing "World In Motion" didn't tarnish things.

Poor Garbage then, that they have to follow that. Shirley Manson appears humbled by what has gone before from the moment she appears. In fact she appears humble before the crowd too, and issues so many thanks and apologies (for not having any hits to play for the encore! Erm, hello?!) throughout the set that it becomes quite tiresome. The opening "Temptation Waits" was fantastic, one of the better songs from their "Version 2.0" LP soaked in the triumphant residue left by New Order. Sadly the confidently and competently performed set failed to build as it might, and it was a Mancunian rather than Scottish/American buzz running through the crowd when it was finally all over. Disappointment was as scarce as the raindrops, and for once this year that means none.

Reading '98; undisputed triumph of the summer and a greater than expected treat for all involved. The positive spirit within a person is a far fatter and more comfortable beast when in warm and happy surroundings, and the weather must be partly to thank for this. We are - most of us - after all, fair-weather festival folk. It may in the end be down to some luck, but the positive vibes and attitude created mean that this festival experience will be a last or one-off for very few people.