The tone was set even before Clinton arrived on stage. In fact so many people had packed inside the 18,000-seat center to see Clinton that firefighters began turning people away from entrances for safety reasons.
The thousands who crammed into the arena were shown a video introduced by daughter Chelsea that paid tribute to Clinton's career and cheerfully poked fun at her "great guffaw of a laugh" and dismal singing talents.
Yet the message was unmistakable, paying tribute to her life-long crusade for equality and rights in a man's world. "She didn't become an astronaut, but she did reach for the stars," Chelsea said in the short film.
And as the video faded to black, the convention center erupted in a wall of noise, and Chelsea stepped out of the shadows onto the stage.
"I am proud to introduce my hero, my mother," she said, the cue for unbridled pandemonium from a crowd wildly waving "Hillary" banners as Clinton, dressed in an orange pantsuit, stepped up to the podium.
Thousands leapt to their feet with a deafening roar for a prolonged ovation which left former president Bill Clinton clapping and wiping tears from his eyes, a smile beaming across his face.
For several minutes there was uproar, as a smiling and confident Hillary strode up and down the stage soaking up the adoration of the crowd.
Among the audience, Barack Obama's wife Michelle also rose to her feet, clapping, before settling to listen intently to the words of the former first lady.
The over-riding intent of Clinton's speech was immediately clear: to end months of simmering discord and unite her party.
"Whether you voted for me, or voted for Barack, the time is now to unite as a single party with a single purpose," said Clinton.
"To my supporters, my champions – my sisterhood of the travelling pantsuits from the bottom of my heart. Thank you.
"You never gave in. You never gave up. And together we made history."
Clinton consoled them for their loss, and then like a stern, but fair teacher, cajoled and ordered them into switching their votes to Obama.
"We don't have a moment to lose, or a vote to spare. Nothing less than the fate of our nation and the future of our children hang in the balance," she exhorted.
When it was over, her bedazzled supporters were left in no doubt about what their orders were.
"My opinion of her was already very high and it just went up twenty-fold," said Moses Ross, a delegate from Portland, Oregon.
"I will support Barack Obama because Hillary Clinton has asked me to. I'm sad that we're not standing here talking about her running for president, but we have to abide by her wishes.
"It's time for us to get behind the Democratic nominee."
Tony Alexander, an Obama-supporting delegate from California, said Clinton not only "knocked it out of the park, she knocked it out of the state."
"She was everything we needed her to be," Alexander told AFP. "I am actually speechless."
Maryland delegate Kathleen O'Brien meanwhile said Clinton had fulfilled the purpose of her speech in style.
"She needed to be a uniter and that's exactly what she was. It was exceptional. She hit all the right notes, said everything she needed to say. She brought tears to my eyes. She's a class act."