Leicester may not have seen the funny side when they ran out a week earlier at Sale to the Benny Hill theme. But on familiar territory the more inspiring riff from Deep Purple's Smoke on the Water ushered the Tigers out of the dressing room and from the kick-off only one team were ever going to call the tune.
The fifth anniversary of Leicester's last home league defeat approaches - they have gone 53 matches unbeaten - and the chances of Newcastle repeating that win in December 1997 virtually disappeared when no fleet of Gloucester Old Spots were seen leaving East Midlands airport. Leicester may have given the rest a start in losing at Leeds and Sale but this destruction of the north's third club suggests that rumours of their demise could have been exaggerated.
Newcastle have the least formidable pack in the Premiership so when they found the Leicester eight contained eight England internationals with a bench that included an All Black flanker and a France prop, the writing was on the wall in signs of giant neon.
They also came up against Tim Stimpson in rare form. The Leicester full-back, who left Newcastle after helping the Falcons to their title in 1998 before assisting the Tigers to four more, kicked 32 points to equal the Premiership record set by London Irish's Niall Woods and Felipe Contepomi of Bristol, but statistics tell only half the story.
Stimpson had a perfect day, kicking seven penalties and four conversions in the windless conditions from 11 attempts and landing a first-half drop goal from just inside the Newcastle half.
For good measure his try-saving tackle on Epi Taione before the break not only prevented a score but put the Tongan flanker out of the game. Stimpson's touch-kicking was also faultless. He even drew the referee's attention to the fact that the touch judge, David Rose, had signalled that Ollie Smith had grounded a second-half try.
Stimpson's peerless display is something of a double-edged sword for Leicester, though, as they contemplate a difficult autumn in which he and half this team - along with Austin Healey, out on Saturday with a groin injury - could be called up for November's games against the southern hemisphere's big three.
On Saturday, though, the crowd filed out to the sounds of Perfect Day. Which it was for Stimpson and Leicester.
Leicester: Stimpson; Ellis, Smith (Naufahu, 74), Kafer (Gelderbloom, 58), Tuilagi; Vesty, Tierney (Booth, 60); Rowntree, West (Chuter, 58), Garforth (Tournaire, 58), Johnson (Short, 62), Kay, Moody (Kronfeld, 70), Back, Corry.
Tries: Kafer, Back, Smith, Rowntree. Cons: Stimpson 4. Pens: Stimpson 7. Drop goal: Stimpson.
Sin bin: Tournaire, 79.
Newcastle: Botham; Shaw, Noon, Godman (Charlton, 67), Stephenson; Wilkinson, Grindal; Peel (Isaacson, 72), Brotherstone (Thompson, 55), Hurter (Ward, 58), Vyvyan (Hamilton, 67), Grimes, Taione (Otuvaka, h-t), Arnold, Dowson (Devonshire, 58).
Pens: Wilkinson 3.
Sin bin: Arnold, 48.
Attendance: 15,656.
Referee: S Leyshon (Bristol).
