It was up to that well-established combo, The Orange Men, to put on a show, and they didn't disappoint.
Like the devotees of Will Smith, the men in black (and navy) strode up to the castle gates to deliver a letter to Blair.
They even delivered that much-sampled riff "We haven't gone away, you know". Their performance had none of the special effects seen annually at Drumcree, but they did carry a banner emblazoned with barbed wire and a church in silhouette.
Meanwhile, it emerged that the Love Bug computer virus had wreaked havoc with e-mail systems in Westminster. As Peter Mandelson was spotted, shirtsleeves still rolled up, walking the castle lawns, it seemed clear that what was needed in Hillsborough was a love bomb. Making up is very hard to do.
Hillsborough was not alive to the sound of music yesterday, but the atmosphere outside the castle still resembled the lead-up to a much-hyped open-air gig.
OK, so the Peace Process Posse showed little sign of actually performing, but diehard media groupies turned up en masse.
At least the sun was shining. Those experienced in these matters brought deck chairs, lounging in them and slurping ice cream. Others stood around in anticipation, topping up newly acquired tans.
The news had broken that some members of the posse were equally browned off inside.
An alleged leak (delivered to UUP councillor Chris McGimpsey in a fashionably brown envelope) indicated that Peter Mandelson and Brian Cowen were experiencing artistic differences.
Cowen's language, according to the leak, was unvarnished and not befitting a group of such acclaim. Mandelson, meanwhile, looked typically polished even with his shirt sleeves rolled up ready to take the stage.
Fans did get a chance to glimpse lead singer Tony Blair as he strode purposefully from the helipad to the castle auditorium.
The Irish contingent, meanwhile, including co-songwriter Bertie Ahern, meandered along the half-mile walkway, clearly enjoying the sunshine.
Blair looked very much like a man with things on his mind - Ken Livingstone, the British local elections and the imminent arrival of his baby, to name but three. Asked whether he would prefer to be in London, he just laughed.