American Express presents BST Hyde Park is beyond excited to reveal the next sensational headliner for 2024. The iconic global superstar, Shania Twain, will take the stage on Sunday 7 July for her BST Hyde Park debut. Joining the line-up are special guests The Corrs, with more names to be announced. Tickets for this unforgettable show go on sale Wednesday 14 February, 10am GMT available at www.bst-hydepark.com.
“I’ve seen so many of my own musical heroes headlining at Hyde Park and have wonderful summer memories there. It is a real privilege to headline my own show this year. It’s going to be a s**t-kicking party!” – Shania Twain
Shania Twain, a household name for over three decades and “the Queen of Country Pop,” has left an indelible mark on the face of modern music. With a career spanning from her debut in the early ’90s to her continued success today, Twain is a multi-platinum, Grammy-winning artist and one of the most celebrated performers of our time.
Boasting over 100 million album sales worldwide, Twain is one of the best-selling music artists of all time and the best-selling female artist in country music history. She’s known for undeniably brilliant hits like ‘Man! I Feel Like a Woman!’, ‘That Don’t Impress Me Much’, and ‘You’re Still the One’. With Twain’s unmistakable voice and irresistible sing-along hits, it’s going to be an electrifying night at BST Hyde Park.
Twain’s influence extends beyond music, with her memoir, From This Moment On, and her residency in Las Vegas, proving her impact on the entertainment world as a whole. As a global icon, Shania Twain’s performance at BST Hyde Park will be a highlight of the summer.
Special guests The Corrs will head to BST Hyde Park on Sunday 7 July. The Corrs are Ireland’s first family of music, a multi-million selling sibling quartet who have conquered the world with a seamless blend of sleek pop rock, lush harmonies and Celtic folk trimmings. Comprising Andrea (lead vocals, piano, tin whistle), Sharon (violin, piano, vocals), Caroline (drums, piano, vocals) and Jim (guitar, keyboards, vocals), The Corrs have sold over 40 million albums since their debut Forgiven Not Forgotten in 1995, spawning a dozen classic hit singles.
The lineup for 2024 is poised to be equally spectacular, with Shania Twain joining previously announced headliners Andrea Bocelli (5 July), Robbie Williams (6 July) and Stray Kids (14 July), with more artists to be revealed soon so watch this space!
This announcement follows the tremendous success of BST Hyde Park 2023, featuring legendary acts such as P!NK, Guns N’ Roses, Take That, BLACKPINK, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Billy Joel, and Lana Del Rey.
It’s time to get excited for summer 2024 as American Express presents BST Hyde Park proudly announces that international superstar Andrea Bocelli will headline London’s best festival on Friday 5 July, the first classical artist to headline in BST Hyde Park’s history, and a 2024 UK exclusive. Tickets go on sale Wednesday 15 November 10am GMT, visitwww.bst-hydepark.com
Tickets purchased for the Amex VIP Summer Garden, VIP HydeAway and Gold Circle areas will include reserved seating. General Admission, Primary Entry and VIP Terrace will all be unreserved standing.
“In and of itself, it should be a private celebration: a career spanning 30 years, 30 years – a lifetime! – spent on stages around the world, striving to brush with beauty and offer my voice to those who wish to hear it, as part of the soundtrack of their lives. I am delighted to see how today this anniversary has become a celebration for many: a collective way to celebrate three decades of music and excitement, of memories and feelings, that can bloom to life to the notes of a score each time. Hyde Park is the perfect place for coming together to celebrate my 30th anniversary and reimagine it as a springboard propelling us into the future, imbued with positivity and the power of good. Celebrating it here is sure to be unforgettable, in the vast green lung from which London has been drawing breath for hundreds of years, in this park that is the embodiment of a glorious chapter in the history of a nation, of a continent, of a civilization…and also of so much wonderful music that has rung out here, nourishing it in its wake.” – Andrea Bocelli
Andrea Bocelli is the most successful classical artist of all time – he’s performed for Popes, Presidents, Prime Ministers and royalty, sang in many of the greatest concert halls and opera houses, and sold 90 million records. There is no other classical star that comes close – he has a Golden Globe, 7 Classical BRITs and 7 World Music Awards under his belt, plus a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He has performed across the world’s most famous venues and for globally significant events, including the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee at Buckingham Palace in 2022 and at the ceremonies of the Olympic Games.
This special UK exclusive show at BST Hyde Park comes at a milestone year for Bocelli, who celebrates 30 years of his career in 2024. Drawing millions in with his popular crossover appeal, Bocelli has collaborated with iconic opera singers such as Pavarotti as well as a host of A-list pop stars including Ed Sheeran, Ariana Grande, Céline Dion, Tony Bennett, Dua Lipa, and many more. As former BST Hyde Park headliner Céline Dion puts it, “If God had a singing voice, he would sound a lot like Andrea Bocelli.”
Jim King, CEO of European Festivals at AEG Presents, says, “We have wanted to host Andrea Bocelli in Hyde Park for many years and so it’s a great honour for us that we are able to share this special moment with him and his loyal fans. There can be no bigger occasion for all music than experiencing the world’s greatest tenor in London’s Hyde Park.”
Out today (10 November), Bocelli, alongside his 26-year-old son Matteo Bocelli and his 11-year-old daughter Virginia Bocelli, released the deluxe edition of A Family Christmas, which was the Bocelli Family’s first album together and the best-selling new Christmas album of 2022 in the U.S. The deluxe edition includes four brand new holiday recordings plus six bonus tracks.
One of the world’s most beloved performers, coming to the very special stage at BST Hyde Park for one night only. This will be an extraordinary one-off show and we look forward to seeing you there!
BST Hyde Park 2023 was a year of firsts for the London festival – with once-in-a-lifetime shows from the world’s biggest musical stars P!NK (24 + 25 June), Guns N’ Roses, Take That, BLACKPINK, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (6 + 8 July), Billy Joel and Lana Del Rey. BST Hyde Park’s hugely popular summer event Open House returned for another year, offering a host of free activities throughout the week and All Things Orchestral presented by Myleene Klass and featuring Alfie Boe.
American Express presents BST Hyde Park isdelighted to announce the next monumental headliner for 2024. The UK’s own greatest entertainer and global icon, Robbie Williams,is making his big return to Hyde Park on Saturday 6 July 2024 for a UK exclusive show. Tickets go on sale Friday 8 December 10am GMT, visitwww.bst-hydepark.com
“It’s an honour to be back here to headline BST Hyde Park. I can’t wait to see you all there!” – Robbie Williams
Since bursting on to the stage as the youngest member of Take That in 1990 and then going solo in 1995, Robbie Williams has been at the top of his game for over 30 years, and it’s an understatement to call him one of the UK’s best musical exports.
Robbie is one of the most decorated music artists in the world with six of the Top 100 best-selling albums in British history, a huge 80 million album sales worldwide, 14 Number 1 singles and a record 18 BRIT Awards – more than any other artist in music history. Robbie secured his 14th UK Number 1 album with “XXV,” which topped the chart in its first week of release. The global hits of Robbie Williams are endless… Feel, Rock DJ, Let Me Entertain You and his best-selling and most iconic single, Angels.
Last year Williams released “XXV,” a hit packed album celebrating his 25 years as a solo artist, and featuring countless Number 1s, fan favourites and original tracks. He soon followed with a successful UK tour last year which is currently on the road across Australia and New Zealand.
Never far from the spotlight, Williams last month released his self-titled docuseries via Netflix, offering the world an intimate glimpse into the singer’s life and career, plus his biopic movie ‘Better Man’, Directed by ‘Greatest Showman’ Director Michael Gracey, will be released in 2024.
A UK legend, coming to the very special stage at BST Hyde Park. What BST Hyde Park does best is bring the greatest music superstars to London for once-in-a-lifetime shows and this certainly will be that. Williams joins previously announced headliner Andrea Bocelli (5 July), with more to be announced soon.
Tickets purchased for the Amex VIP Summer Garden, VIP HydeAway and Gold Circle areas will include reserved seating. General Admission, Primary Entry and VIP Terrace will all be unreserved standing.
BST Hyde Park 2023 was a year of firsts for the London festival – with once-in-a-lifetime shows from the world’s biggest musical stars P!NK, Guns N’ Roses, Take That, BLACKPINK, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band,Billy Joel and Lana Del Rey. BST Hyde Park’s hugely popular summer event Open House returned for another year, offering a host of free activities throughout the week and All Things Orchestral presented by Myleene Klass and featuring Alfie Boe.
It’s a drizzly morning in London today, which isn’t stopping thousands of people from descending on BST Hyde Park for New Jersey legend Bruce Springsteen tonight. On one side of the park we have the Trans Pride march in an array of gorgeous colourful outfits and placards, on the other – the Dad-Mecca. Cargo shorts as far as the eye can see, aged Springsteen shirts held as artifacts or badges of honour, and of course The Baseball Cap™. If Merrell walking boots ever did a convention, this should be the location.
Heading into the arena we decide to check out the merchandise, but sadly find the limited edition print poster already sold out. There are plenty of tshirt options though, featuring various motor-city style artwork and images of Bruce looking moody, as well as not one but two baseball cap options to appease the previously mentioned Dads.
Deciding to grab some early dinner we head to a taco place for some absolutely delicious barbacoa beef, before checking out the brilliant James Bay. Rocking out in his signature black hat, a neckerchief and skinny jeans, his voice soars across the site. We are treated to a set of absolute bangers. ‘Best Fake Smile’ and ‘Just For Tonight’ are impossible not to dance to, but ‘Endless Summer Nights’ and ‘Hold Back The River’ are the true epics of this show – James Bay is a fantastic booking for Springsteen day at BST in my opinion.
On the Birdcage stage, Oscar Corney is giving us feel-good Americana soft rock with a Telecaster in hand, and a decent crowd on deck. “We feeling good? Now that rains fucked off right?” he quips in his distinctly-not-American Cambridge accent, before playing ‘Afterglow’ in a gravelly singing voice which is reminiscent of the Boss himself.
The Chicks (…the artist formerly known as…) are here to present Dallas country and bluegrass with a side of feminism, this is the kind of hoedown I can… get down with. ‘Gaslighter’ isn’t exactly subtle but they sell it well, there’s a lot of banjo and hollerin’ – the sun is out and we’re up for dancing. Yelling “Well hello Hyde Park! Everybody ready for Bruuuce? We are the pre-show entertainment band!” and “London, do you know what a hootenanny is?” before ‘White Trash Wedding’, there’s no denying The Chicks know how to create fun.
It’s getting late, the sun is on it’s way down, and the arena has suddenly filled up. Low calls of “Bruuuuuuce” begin in the crowd, which sort of sound a bit like booing, but I get the intention. Starting early at 7pm, perhaps in an effort to not repeat curfew mistakes of the past, Bruce Springsteen hits the stage yelling out “Hello London Town” in his classic black shirt and peg-rolled jeans, to rapturous applause.
Bruce is holding his beat-up “mutt” Fender guitar, one of the most iconic pieces of rock and roll history that has been his choice of instrument for the last 35 years – or at least, it looks like it… he does notoriously have various copies of it to save wear and tear. Starting up with ‘My Love Will Not Let You Down’ into ‘Death To My Hometown’ and ‘No Surrender’ it’s a bloody good opening, and the sound quality is top notch.
By song seven ‘The Promised Land’, he still hasn’t stopped for even a few seconds break, and now heads down the front steps to greet his fans and hand over a prized harmonica to someone in the first row. The cameras pan down to fan signs during ‘Out In The Street’ where there are a surprising number of kids on shoulders, one holds a slab of cardboard with “This is my first concert” written on it. A lady a few rows back holds a photo of herself being kissed by Bruce at a previous concert, with the words “Make this the best day of my life again” while an enterprising man a little way over has a sign that says “Tequila 4 a harmonica?”. Bruce declines to take him up on the offer despite it being his tipple of choice according to previous reports.
Taking what looks like an explosive can of peroni light from someone in the front row, Bruce heads back onto the stage with dripping wet hands, for ‘Working On The Highway’ which honestly sounds a lot like Chucklevision and now I can’t unhear it.
Commodores cover ‘Nightshift’ is an absolute classic, but as he moves into ‘Mary’s Place’ we’re subjected to rain-based kismet, with the refrain “let it rain, let it rain”. Bruce is soaked to the skin and singing into the sky as if he had a pact with someone above for this iconic moment. ‘Backstreets’ is met with a huge round of applause, but I’ve heard at least three songs about “the streets” tonight already and it’s starting to get funny. Luckily ‘Because The Night’ (Patti Smith collab) is up next to turn things up a notch, it’s gorgeously seventies, that sort of twinkly ethereal sound you associate with starry skies around campfires.
The truly anthemic ‘The Rising’ has everyone ‘la la laaa-ing’ along before ‘Badlands’ sees off the last of the evening light over the arena. Well within the curfew limits we get into the encore with the sensational ‘Born To Run’, ‘Bobby Jean’ and ‘Glory Days’, and Bruce finally yelling “I think it’s time to go home”. Obviously this crowd has no intention of stopping and screams back “noooo”, to which he jokes “They’re gonna pull the fucking plug again! I don’t wanna go home either”. The lady in the crowd holding the ‘Bruce, take me dancing in the dark’ sign, practically faints as the opening notes play, but Bruce is busy wiggling his bum at the stage camera and dancing down the steps.
Yanking his shirt open (which was actually stripper style poppers, a bit less cool than actually ripping buttons off) Bruce thanks the E-Street Band and heads down to lie back into the arms of his fans, before his signature rendition of The Top Notes ‘Twist and Shout’ with a little bit of La Bamba mixed in – the very thing that got him and Paul McCartney shut down last time.
Going out half an hour before Hyde Park’s curfew, on an acoustic ‘I’ll See You In My Dreams’ and softly saying “Thank you so much” renders the crowd absolutely silent. It’s beautiful and a rare musical moment in this type of show. I’m still salty that we didn’t get ‘The River’ or ‘Thunder Road’, but there’s no way to describe how absolutely phenomenal Bruce Springsteen is as a performer and tonight has been a masterclass in classic rock. 73 years old, busting out a 3 hour set with no breaks, back to back 29 songs. Bruce Springsteen truly is The Boss.
Due to excessive traffic issues and poor time management, we are entering BST Hyde Park much later than planned this fine sunny Sunday afternoon. Luckily we grab our wristbands and a drink just in time to get a good spot in front of the Great Oak stage for my 90’s manic-pixie-dream-girl crush Gwen Stefani (pretty sure she was everyone’s 90’s celeb crush actually).
Were you even a 90’s kid if you didn’t have that one No Doubt centre-magazine poster on your wall? You know which one I mean. It just occurred to me that kids now probably don’t buy physical magazines… what are they decorating their rooms with…
Anyway, Gwen bounces onto the stage resplendent in a disco ball inspired outfit for opener ‘The Sweet Escape’ right into No Doubt classic ‘Sunday Morning’, like there hasn’t been a single minute between the day she wrote it and now. Yelling “I don’t think you guys understand the love I have for London Town… let me pinch myself, THIS IS MY LIFE!” before busting out another classic – ‘It’s My Life’ (Talk Talk cover).
In a curious revelation about the inner workings of her mind, she blurts out “I was thinking about my life. Most of the time when I’m singing the songs, I’m thinking – what am I gonna have to eat later? Thank you for listening to my music all this time” which comes across a little odd, a little nonchalant, given her previous emphatic affectations about her work.
Nevertheless, ‘Underneath It All’ brings the groove back, admittedly with a small side of cringe these days – the ska/reggae overlap has always been part of Stefani’s music but it is one of those things that we’ve gradually distanced ourselves from since the early noughties. It would be remiss of me to write about Gwen Stefani without joining the chequered commentary about cultural appropriation vs. appreciation over her recording history, and the inclusion of controversial ‘Harajuku Girls’ and iconic ‘Rich Girl’ give me awkward pause for thought. Bringing on stage rapper Eve for a duet/cover of her song ‘Let Me Blow Ya Mind’ was extremely welcome though, being immediately transported back to 2001 in the opening notes.
After what looks like a slight bra malfunction, Gwen returns in yet another skirt/trouser combo that also smacks of very firmly Y2K vibes, but that ska checkerboard pattern will never not appeal to me – even the dancers are rocking matching jumpsuits. Oh and she’s being wheeled around on a giant throne, also fun.
‘Don’t Speak’ is where this set truly comes alive for me again, from there it’s a hit parade of core memory songs, with ‘Wind It Up’, and ‘What You Waiting For’ into ‘Spiderwebs’ which I screamed at the top of my extremely limited vocal range for.
‘Just A Girl’ is everything I want, remember and enjoy about Gwen Stefani. Her unique vocal sound seems unchanged by time, and it feels like such a treat for teenage-me to finally end up here, hearing it the way I did dancing with my friends in the living room to MTV. To cap it off, the slightly ridiculous ‘Hollaback Girl’ features dancers wielding giant bananas while she gads about in a sparkly cape – big Gwen energy.
(C) Dave Hogan / Hogan Media
There’s a pretty decent time gap before tonight’s main act, due in part to the absolutely insane stage set up being hastily squashed into view, so we have a little reprieve to check out some of the food options here at BST. For a relatively small festival footprint, you can pretty much find cuisine from most corners of the earth – but still settle for basic bitch buffalo loaded fries if you want to (and I did) but you better believe I’ll be sampling my way through as many outlets as possible over the coming weeks of BST gigs. They were delicious anyway. Though I didn’t make it around the rest of the site today due to time constraints, it’s nice to note that the site has lost none of its vibrancy from last year – there is colour, decoration and things to pique your interest everywhere you look. More exploration required.
With the sun beginning to dip over Hyde Park, it’s time to settle into our spots for tonight’s headliner, the incomparable wonder woman that is P!NK. Every single person I’ve met who has been to one of her shows assures me that she is incredible and possibly superhuman, so I’ve got a lot of hype and anticipation for this one – and it seems I am not alone. It’s a huge crowd tonight (and yes, a good percentage of that is potentially people who did not get Glasto tickets this weekend but we won’t dwell on that) but it is also a very female centric crowd too with a wide and enviable age range. I think if you’re the kind of performer who can appeal to three generations of women at the same time – you’ve kind of hit the jackpot, and that’s what I’m seeing here.
So when the stage screens light up with Pink’s AI avatar to introduce her Summer Carnival, I am understandably already enthralled to see the bottom of her sparkly silver boots hiding away up in the canopy of the stage, behind a giant Rocky Horror style mouth. The mouth opens to reveal Pink herself wearing a gemstone-encrusted leotard, who then plummets to the stage on a bungee cord before styling it out into something between circus and x-games. I have no desire to do such a thing personally, but I truly could watch her do an entire set up there, she is SO FUN.
(C) Dave Hogan / Hogan Media
Obviously the opening line is “I’m coming out” from ‘Get The Party Started’ because that is quite literally the perfect point to hurtle towards the audience with the sheer glee of someone with seemingly zero inhibitions or fear. Iconic.
‘Raise Your Glass’ will forever hit the spot with lyrics that celebrate the ‘underdog’, I think this is why the entire crowd tonight bar absolutely no-one, is singing along with wild abandon. It’s true that P!NK sits apart from other artists of her time, unlike the polished teen aesthetic of Britney and Christina, Pink had tattoos and short hair, swore and leaned into a grittier rock vocal sound. The genre-straddling appeal teamed with often inspirational and introspective lyrical content, has firmly rooted Pink in a place where we are appreciating her work throughout her career instead of just waiting for those early-days hits.
Oh and her wardrobe is beyond enviable honestly. I would 1000% try and steal that studded and glittery leather jacket if I saw it in a dressing room, watch out Alecia. Taking a quick pause to chat to those in the front rows Golden Circle area, she addresses a young fan “Happy birthday you’re 10, double digits, you’re gonna save the world… can’t wait!” and jokes “So many kids here.. oh god I’m such a mom now” before busting out classic ‘Who Knew’.
During ‘Just Like A Pill’ Pink is presented with an unenviably awkward situation, that I really feel she handles with incredible grace. Over the last few months we have witnessed Harry Styles being asked to do gender reveals on stage, Elton John’s farewell Glasto set the same night had cameras diverted to a couple getting engaged in the crowd… all sorts of interesting fan interactions. This though, feels like an absolute violation.
As Pink takes a small mid-song reprieve and walks down the runway, she is showered with gifts like flowers and soft-toys – cute right? Less cute is the Ziploc bag of ashes that is next to be hurled into her path. “Wait, is this your mom? I don’t know how I feel about this…” a clearly stunned Pink exclaims whilst gingerly picking it up and placing it carefully by one of the speakers. She then returns to singing but there’s an obvious wobble in her voice for those first few notes, and upon ending she quips “Well… that was a first” whilst looking uncomfortable. I get the sentiment of wanting to symbolically take your loved and missed person to something important to you, but truly this is intrusively unhinged behaviour, to actually throw human remains onto a stage. This moment will undoubtedly be filed in the same zone as Ozzy-biting-the-head-off-a-bat in rock’n’roll history I’m sure, but it speaks to the ever closing space celebrities are able to hold between themselves, and what fans think they’re entitled to.
Consummate performer that she is, Pink returns in a sparkly checked shirt and joined by a beautiful male duo dance performance for ‘What About Us’, followed by an aerial performance of her own – but not without a technical hitch. “Stop. Can we re-set? It’s too low. We just need six inches…” has the entire crowd giggling. “I’ll just do an Interpretive dance if this doesn’t work, I’ll tell jokes! Ok, go back into the sexy serious thing we were trying to do…” before performing ‘Turbulence’ whilst spinning around on a rope swing. I have no clue how she is managing to sound this good, doing that.
Back on solid ground once more, Pink heads to the piano saying “There are so many songs I wish I wrote… oh look at the sunset! I wish I wrote ‘Spiderwebs’… ‘Just A Girl’… ‘Don’t Speak’. My absolute She-ro Gwen Stefani is over there, you don’t get cooler than that” pointing stage side where Gwen is watching the show. “I also wish I wrote Baby Shark. I could buy everyone here a yacht” she laughs before performing a gorgeous cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘Make You Feel My Love’.
In another big moment, someone in the front decides to propose to their partner during this, which she notices “Did someone just pass out or propose? Was it a yes? Wooo! The first 20 years are the hardest” before going into the beautifully soulful ‘Just Give Me A Reason’.
‘F**kin’ Perfect’ sees Pink in yet another extremely steal-able studded biker jacket, this time in eponymous baby pink, before she changes into the early noughties revival outfit that we are now seeing on ASOS (RIP my youth). More rip-than-material crystal studded jeans and a leopard print corset were the lifeblood of Y2K teens. Add a diamante-butterfly backed g-string and you’ve hit peak Paris and Nicole.
With barely a break, we head into the third stage of this this epic show, with an acoustic ‘Please Don’t Leave Me’ and bringing her daughter Willow on stage to join her for the adorable ‘Cover Me in Sunshine’ in front of a glowing sun stage set, mirrored by the setting sun behind us.
“You know them right, First Aid Kit? These beautiful sisters… they were nice enough to write me this song” Pink leads in for ‘Kids In Love’ which is unmistakably First Aid Kit in composition. It’s a deliciously sweet twilight song, the kind you’d use as a backing track for a campfire scene, it’s going on my summer playlist.
The phone torch lights are out in force for ‘When I Get There’, she signs stuff for front row fans during ‘I Am Here’ before diving into protest anthem ‘Irrelevant’ “When I sing this song, you all have permission to lose your last marble”. In a post-Roe world we need more voices, and yelling “girls just wanna have rights” everywhere she goes is positive platform action.
“Yall ready to dance?” she yells, as the dancers whip off their velco trousers to reveal classic 80’s bodysuit-and-legwarmers gym wear, as she arrives back on stage in a silver bomber jacket doing fitness-video moves for ‘Runaway’.
Album namesake ‘Trustfall’ is highlighted by an amazing stairs/trampoline show where acrobats fell and popped back up in time to the music, before ‘Blow Me One Last Kiss’ in contrast featured dancers dressed in kinda creepy lips costumes and we dance our socks off to ‘Never Gonna Not Dance Again’. Finally, yelling “I’m coming to see you guys at the back” we get to see what the four giant cranes flanking the stadium are there for, as Pink is hoisted up into the air over the crowd during ‘So What’. I don’t know how she sings like she does while flying around above thousands of people but it truly cements her line “I’m still a rockstar” for me. What a bloody legend, please come back soon.
It’s a busy London Saturday, the tube is hotter than satan’s armpit, but we’re on our way to Hyde Park for BST today… let’s go.
As we head into the arena via the south entrance, we’re filtered straight into the VIP area which is a tree covered shady sanctuary in the heat, along with a few food carts, a bar and an ice-cream truck. It’s a small area but it’s quite cute and has nice loos.
On the way into the arena we hit up the merchandise stall for t-shirts, and there are some incredible Pearl Jam art prints on sale – specific to this event, a really special and interesting merchandise option. They even helpfully have a heap of tubes so you can transport one home safely/let your child use it as a lightsaber. There’s also a little bandstand stage here called ‘The Birdcage’ and absolutely heaps of food choices and water refill points. So far so good!
On the Great Oak stage, Dublin-based singer-songwriter Imelda May is a vision in flouncy Victorian mourning dress. She has such a dynamic stage presence and a stunning voice, we thoroughly enjoyed the Meatloaf ‘I’d Do Anything For Love’ cover, and hope to see her on many more festival bills in the future.
Punk rock fury from Petrol Girls on the Birdcage feels particularly prominent after the last few weeks in world events, and it’s pretty great to see them pull a decent crowd of young faces – punk has always existed as a call to arms, and we need it back more than ever.
Welsh rockers James & The Cold Gun give us that shoulder-to-shoulder sticky-club-floor teenage rebellion feeling, very fun but ever so slightly strange in the setting of belting summer sun under the light of a dappled tree canopy.
Elsewhere on site the South London Samba Band hit that sunshine beat with utter perfection, they are absolutely full of energy, which spreads into the crowd around them in the form of some very questionable but joyful dancing. After all of that, it’s time for a drink, and wow are you spoilt for choice here at BST. The bars are shipping containers all made up to look like a row of Santa Clara Cuban restaurants, colourful and interesting with enough different serving fronts to ensure there’s never a horrendous queue.
As we take a walk around the back of the arena, the presence of advertising partners is pretty overwhelming compared to other festivals. Maybe it’s a London thing, or the fact that it’s a small space, but it’s a bit of a bombardment. Having said that, some of it is quite sympathetically done, like AmEx giving out free water bottles and tote bags (as well as access to cold water filling stations, and the option to go into a private rooftop viewing area) seems quite welcome on such a hot day.
Around the corner there is another bar area which looks like something pulled straight from Snow White, a faux beamed pub called ‘The King’s Head’, then there’s the florally adorned Hard Rock area which directly overlooks the Rainbow stage. The Hard Rock Shop is obviously full of their own merch rather than BST stuff, but next door they’ve brought a sample of café items to an indoor food stall, surrounded by roadie cases of BST-relevant memorabilia, like you would see in the real Hard Rock Café. We took a peek at Eddie Vedder’s signed wetsuit, Elton John’s Union Jack biker jacket, and a choir robe signed by Mick Jagger. Oh and, it’s shady and cool in there. Magic.
Up next on the Giant Oak we see the iconic Johnny Marr (of The Smiths fame) powering through a fabulous set with his vibrant yellow guitar. It’s a mix of works from various eras of Marr’s musical career – ‘Spirit Power and Soul’ is epic, but honestly the thing I’m most excited about – is getting to hear my favourite Smiths songs sans unavoidable Morrissey bullshit. Johnny sings them well, ‘Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want’ and ‘How Soon Is Now’ have the entire arena singing along, and ‘There Is a Light, That Never Goes Out’ is so upliftingly, I suppose canonically bright.
During a small break, Marr notes someone standing in the front section on their phone and snarks “I hope you’re texting ‘Johny Marr is a fucking bad-ass’” we all laugh, as the person in question red-faces it to the cameras. “It feels good to be doing this again after all this time, and to see your lovely faces” he tells us, before dedicating his last song to Pearl Jam for inviting him.
On their very own stage in the corner, the chaos creators themselves, arbiters of festival mischief since the dawn of time, The Cuban Brothers – are pied-pipering the hell out of BST. As their set begins with Kengo on the mix, Juan Erection throwing shapes and as he noted to all the kids ‘Uncle Miguel’ brandishing a hosepipe at the crowd. There’s something very comforting about seeing them back on the festival scene, albeit sans iconic brother Archerio who retired last season.
Yelling “I’m gonna pump some gas into you in the correct fashion” Miguel is as much of a bawdy menace as ever, I love it. He manages to cheekily forget that tonight is Stereophonics not last nights’ The Pixies… “I don’t keep an eye on who’s supporting us!”, sing us a verse of Even Flow and get us all to chant ‘Boris Is a Dickhead’ in the space of about 15 minutes. We’re treated to old school hip-hop, Kengo on rollerskates, Juan doing crazy flips and Miguel yelling “Goodbye Boris you narcissistic fucking clown!” which honestly, is just excellent fun. I’ll never not want to see The Cuban Brothers at a festival.
Up next, Stereophonics on the Great Oak stage. As someone who listened to a lot of Stereophonics as a kid but not much since, I don’t know that I was expecting too much from them. A bit of nostalgia sure, but maybe not greatness? Happily proven wrong, Kelly Jones’ voice is still grittily excellent and they give us the most epic tour of the classics that we want to hear.
“It’s nearly 30 years to the day I first saw Pearl Jam, supporting Neil Young at Finsbury Park…” says Kelly, before joking that they themselves only have an hour to fit in 25 years and 12 studio albums worth of music to fit in.
‘Bartender and the Thief’ is followed by ‘Hanging On Your Hinges’ but it’s the likes of ‘A Thousand Trees’, ‘Have a Nice Day’ and ‘Pick a Part That’s New’ which really hits you in the memories. The wistfulness for the optimism of the early noughties is ripe for twanging that emotion string, things definitely feel heavier this side of a global pandemic.
‘Just Looking’ flows into closing track ‘Dakota’ with the band squinting into the still scorching hot sun to say “Thank you, it’s been amazing… have a brilliant time tonight!” before leaving to rapturous applause.
We decide to check out the dinner offerings before the main act, and it is absolutely peak London in here. Truffle burger? Bhaat? Steak frites? You got it. Wash it down with some Perrier or a can of Pinot? We chose paneer wraps and churros, both of which were excellent. Festival food has come a loooong way, and I am grateful.
Ⓒ Sandra Sorenson for BST
The heat haze is still shimmering over Hyde Park, the arena is suddenly packed with warm bodies, and every face is turned towards the Giant Oak stage for tonight’s headliner, Pearl Jam.
There mega lighting rig above the stage reconfigures to a honeycomb style backdrop as the band take to the stage to a huge roar from the crowd. Then 10-Club VIP area at the front is definitely the best perk of the upgrade packages, as they get a full close up of Eddie Vedder emerging to The Beatles ‘All You Need is Love’, and images of themselves plastered on the giant wraparound stage screens above.
Without a huge amount of fanfare, the band rolls straight into the first song ‘Corduroy’ and its clear that Eddie’s voice, and the band as whole have lost absolutely none of what made them famous in the first place. It’s as raw and powerful an intro as I’d hoped for. “…hope this night goes nice and slow, we’re so grateful to be here and do it again, we’re gonna try and play everything we didn’t play yesterday” Vedder says, and having looked at yesterday’s set-list already – I know we’re in for a very special and unusual set. ‘Why Go’ is one of my favourite Pearl Jam songs of all time, and it seems I am not in the minority, it absolutely sets the crowd ablaze, with people singing and dancing all around us.
We slip under for ‘Deep’ which is crushingly heavy, another Ten hit, followed by Vedder lamenting on how damn hot it still is this evening, when he notices a situation unfolding in the crowd. It seems like someone needs assistance and Vedder directs medics into the crowd saying “…make a little tributary, everyone clear some space’, making sure the music doesn’t start again until they’re safely out. With the 2021 Travis Scott/Astroworld situation making for very bad headlines last year, I take great comfort that most artists out there do take concert safety seriously, and notice what is happening at their shows.
Not only this, but the well-known and expected outpouring of political and moral opinion by the band is also welcome – we stan a band who use their platform to raise awareness, to comment on what is happening in the world. Eddie talks about gun violence in the US, and about how it affects his family, in relation to track ‘Garden’ which he explains is about tombstones in a cemetery. Following this “…a song [they] wrote and performed with a legend, Neil Young. Tonight we play with another legend, Manchester’s own Johnny Marr” for ‘Throw Your Hatred Down’. It is nothing short of epic to see these legends grace the stage together, this is an unforgettable rock moment.
‘Do The Evolution’ showcases the bands unmistakable delight in playing live, the energy is infectious and seeps into the crowd – contrastingly heavy, under the rainbow pastel summer skies of London. Van Halen tribute cover ‘Eruption’ is fittingly brilliant, and out in the front row the camera pans across a young lad with a “1st Row” sign, dances along as Eddie uses his plaid shirt as a cape for ‘Black’ and manages to snag himself one of Eddie’s tambourines, I am intensely jealous of a child.
A second tributary mention goes to the late great Taylor Hawkins, and is dedicated to his wife and children by the band. ‘River Cross’ is another thoughtful dedication to the people of Ukraine, and as the lighting rig snakes and changes to slither over them, the band drop into arguably their most famous song ‘Alive’. Hearing this live, is a full body experience, the ridiculous bone shaking power that this song has over everyone is absolutely wild. If you didn’t love it, I’m sorry to say, there’s something wrong with you.
Closing out with The Who cover ‘Baba O’Riley’ wouldn’t have been my number one choice to be sure, but adding in a return from Johnny Marr and Andrew Watt, I can’t deny it’s pretty special. It’s been such a different and varied set from last time I saw them, many moons ago at Leeds fest 2006. Grateful doesn’t even cut it – how lucky are we to be back outside after the absolute shitstorm of the last couple of years, witnessing something like this?
Live music isn’t just fun, isn’t just entertainment, or diversion. It’s the lifeblood of what it means to be humans with shared experiences. Pearl Jam tapped into that reservoir tonight, it was clear on so many awed faces leaving the arena. Thank you BST for making sure this happened, despite every setback.
Following the announcement that Stevie Wonder will take to the stage in Hyde Park to perform his masterpiece Songs In the Key of Life in its entirety, Barclaycard presents British Summer Time Hyde Park are excited to announce three spectacular new additions to the Sunday line-up.
But fans should act quickly as this amazing show is nearly sold out and the last few tickets are going fast.
Considered to be one of the world’s most prolific producers and performers, Pharrell Williams is the first new addition to the Sunday billing. The force behind so many incredible smash hits, including Kelis’ “Milkshake”, N.E.R.D.s “Lap Dance” and of course 2014’s Grammy-Award winning and feel-good track of the year “Happy”. Pharrell has worked with music legends from Britney to Justin Timberlake, Daft Punk to Snoop Dogg, and will be sure to drop it like it’s hot this summer.
Of Stevie Wonder,Pharrell has said – "Stevie Wonder was a fixture in my life as a child. His music is probably the closest thing to auditory transcendence."
Joining Stevie and Pharrell on the main stage is soul-singer extraordinaire Corinne Bailey Rae. The BRIT-nominated and two-time Grammy-Award winning artist rose to prominence with her breezily beautiful singles “Put Your Records On” and “Like A Star”, and has since released two albums, her multi-million-selling eponymous debut and the Mercury Prize-nominated The Sea. With her brand new studio album The Heart Speaks In Whispers out for release on May 13th, Corinne’s uplifting and charismatic performance – described last week as “mesmerizing” by the Evening Standard – will be the perfect soundtrack to a Sunday evening in Hyde Park.
Corinne Bailey Rae says, “I have been a fan of Stevie Wonder my whole life and saw the 'Songs In The Key of Life’ show at Madison Square Gardens. I cried, I danced and I had massive smile on my face throughout the show. It’s a dream come true to be asked to join Stevie Wonder when he brings this amazing show to Hyde Park, and also to be on the stage with Pharrell, who is a huge inspiration to me, and KING, who are my friends and musical collaborators.”
Also taking to the stage with their “nu-soul” sound is Los Angeles-based KING. The trio is composed of sisters Paris and Amber Strother and Anita Bias, whose whooshing synths, spiraling harmonies and detailed songwriting create a truly unique and jazzy sound – one that has been compared to the likes of Solange Knowles and Estelle.
Pharrell Williams, Corinne Bailey Rae and KING will all join Stevie Wonder to form an incredible line-up for the day of soul and R&B. The hot new additions to the line-up follow the announcement that Stevie Wonder will perform his masterpiece Songs In The Key of Life in its entirety, for a truly epic, must-see show from one of the most prolific artists of all time.
Hugely acclaimed in the US, Songs In The Key of LifeTour has run for 18 months, having been extended many times due to phenomenal public demand. Coming to the UK for the very first time, there is extra reason for celebration because 2016 is the album’s 40th Anniversary year.
On July 10th, Stevie Wonder will perform his masterpiece Songs In The Key of Life in its entirety, for a truly epic, must-see show from one of the most prolific artists of all time.
Hugely acclaimed in the US, Songs In The Key of LifeTour has run for 18 months, having been extended many times due to phenomenal public demand. Coming to the UK for the very first time, there is extra reason for celebration because 2016 is the album’s 40th Anniversary year.
Released in 1976 on the legendary label Motown Records, featuring the hits Sir Duke, Isn’t She Lovely and I Wish, it is cited as an influence on many of the world’s biggest stars, Elton John, Prince, Michael Jackson and Pharrell to name a few. It was crowned Grammy Album Of The Year in 1977 and is widely hailed as a true work of art.
It followed an unsurpassed trilogy of albums that graduated Wonder from teenage Motown prodigy to true artist – Talking Book, Innervisions and Fullfillingness' First Finale – all released in the first 4 years of the 1970s. Wonder spent 2 more years on 'Songs', producing a double album of enthralling music and cementing his position as a musical genius.
Together, the albums made the 25-time GRAMMY winner the only artist to have ever received Album Of The Year awards in three out of four consecutive years.
Praise for the album over the years has come from all quarters:
Elton John – "Let me put it this way: wherever I go in the world, I always take a copy of Songs In The Key of Life. For me, it's the best album ever made and I'm always left in awe after I listen to it. When people in decades and centuries to come talk about the history of music, they will talk about Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder."
Barack Obama (on his musical heroes) – "If I had one, it would have to be Stevie Wonder. When I was just at that point where you start getting involved in music, Stevie Wonder had that run with Music of My Mind, Talking Book, Fulfillingness' First Finale and Innervisions, and then Songs In The Key of Life. Those are as brilliant a set of five albums as we've ever seen."
Kanye West – "I’m not trying to compete with what’s out there now. I’m really trying to compete with Innervisions and Songs In The Key of Life. It sounds musically blasphemous to say something like that, but why not set that as your bar?"
Praise for Songs in the Key Of Life US tour:
Rolling Stone – “Fitting an album that attempted to capture the nuance of existence, the show is possibly 2014's greatest testament to the limitless potential of American music itself.”
Hollywood Reporter –“You just wanted it to go on forever, for it was yet another song in the key of Stevie Wonder’s magical life.”
Consequence Of Sound – “After three hours of playing, people were still hoping he’d do a second encore. You can tell it’s not 1976 by looking at him, but you’d never know if you were only listening. Some things get old, but Stevie Wonder barely ages.”
A fabulous and fierce line up will throw the party of the summer in London’s iconic Hyde Park with music legends Kylie Minogue, Grace Jones and Chic feat Nile Rodgers
Prepare for an unforgettable day of floor-filler hits with two queens of the club and the man who pioneered disco, performing tunes you just can’t get out of your head. With many more incredible hit-makers to be announced in the coming months, Your Disco Needs You!
The universally adored Kylie is unquestionably one of the top pop entertainers on the planet, famed for her fabulous and extravagant live shows. She took her awesome Kiss Me Once tour around Europe last year, featuring glittering renditions of her heart thumping greatest hits.
And she is once again causing palpitations on her latest collaboration with disco legend Giorgio Moroder. ‘Right Here, Right Now’ the first track to be released from his forthcoming album.
Kylie comments:
“I'm so excited to perform at Hyde Park this Summer. I have great memories of playing shows there and am looking forward to doing it all again! Given the amazing artists performing and that it will be the longest day of the year, I can't wait!”
The Australian pop siren has sold over 70 million records worldwide in a career spanning over 25 years, boasting the kind of success and longevity most performers only dream of.
Kylie has clocked up 33 UK Top 10 singles, including seven #1 hits including ‘I Should Be So Lucky’, ‘Spinning Around’, ‘Can’t Get You Out of My Head’ and ‘All The Lovers.’
Also taking to the stage on Sunday June 21st and performing live for the first time in 2015, will be the one and onlyGrace Jones. Since releasing her first single ‘I Need A Man’ in 1975, Grace has become one of music’s singular icons, known as much for her incredible outfits, on stage hula-hooping and larger than life character as she is for her ground-breaking club hits ‘Pull Up To The Bumper’, ‘Slave To The Rhythm’ and ‘Nightclubbing’. When Grace is around, anything can happen.
Grace Jones comments:
"I'll bring the Jekyll to Hyde Park"
And returning to Hyde Park are Chic feat Nile Rodgers. Back by popular demand, after a now legendary mid afternoon set at the inaugural Barclaycard presentsBritish Summer Time Hyde Park in 2013, Nile and his band will once more be whipping the crowd into shape (and on to the stage!) with the hits that invented disco – ‘Everybody Dance’, ‘Good Times’, ‘We Are Family’ and ‘He’s The Greatest Dancer’.
Other headliners already announced for Barclaycard presents British Summer Time Hyde Park are Taylor Swift, joined by Ellie Goulding and John Newman on June 27th and The Who, with Paul Weller, Kaiser Chiefs and Johnny Marr on June 26th.
Global superstar and seven-time Grammy Award winner TAYLOR SWIFT was the first headliner announced for Barclaycard presents British Summer Time Hyde Park2015 bringing The 1989 World Tour to the Great Oak Stage in London’s iconic park on Saturday 27 June
Joining the most talked about artist in the world will be very special guests ELLIE GOULDING and JOHN NEWMAN.
BRIT and MTV Europe awards winner ELLIE GOULDING is one the UK’s best selling female artist having sold almost 20 million records worldwide. Her last album ‘Halcyon/Halcyon Days’ topped the UK chart, went top ten in the US and she has just had a UK top ten single ‘Outside’ with Calvin Harris. Ellie was one of the special guests Taylor Swift brought onstage in Los Angeles during her RED tour; the pair duetted on Ellie’s hit ‘Anything Could Happen’ and also her UK #1 ‘Burn’.
British soul sensation JOHN NEWMAN is currently working on the follow up to his UK #1 album ‘Tribute’ which featured the number 1 single ‘Love Me Again’ and was a top ten hit all over the world. Like Ellie, John has also worked with Calvin Harris scoring a UK chart topper with ‘Blame’ earlier this year.
Taylor Swift is the essential pop star headlining the essential event of 2015. Her critically acclaimed sell out 2014 RED worldwide tour saw her play five sold out shows at London’s The O2. With career record sales in excess of 30 million albums and almost 80 million song downloads, Taylor is the only artist in history to have an album hit 1 million plus first-week sales in the US three times (with 2010's Speak Now, 2012's RED and 2014's 1989).
