When the curtain fell, the first-nighters had given the cast a standing ovation, but that would not have come as a surprise to any regular theatregoers because they always do.
Instead, Ecclestone insists the sport's long-running political stoush is nearing its end -- probably on Wednesday, when all parties are hoping to sign a Concorde Agreement.
It seems that people right away knew this was going to be the start of something big, for the trophy was awarded to Harvard by General Franklin Pierce, who would be elected the 14th President later that year.
The weekend affair kicked off with a rehearsal dinner on Friday evening at a mansion in the private community of Hope Ranch in Santa Barbara County, nestled among the foothills of the Santa Ynez Mountains.
The final of South America's football leading club competition, the Copa Libertadores, will go ahead on the 8th or 9th of December, but at a neutral venue abroad.