BST Hyde Park: London’s World-Class Festival in the Green Heart of the City
Set against the lush expanse of London’s historic Hyde Park, BST Hyde Park has become a defining fixture of the UK’s summer music calendar. First launched in 2013 by AEG Presents, the event broke from the traditional multi-day camping festival model, instead offering a polished, city-based concert series—and in doing so, reimagined how fans experience live music.
From day one, BST made its ambitions clear. The inaugural year featured two sold-out shows from The Rolling Stones, instantly setting the tone for what was to come. Since then, the Great Oak Stage has welcomed a staggering lineup: Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift, Paul Simon, Adele, Elton John, The Cure, and more.
This year Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts headed up a heavyweight bill of legends with support from Van Morrison and Yusuf/Cat Stevens.
Kicking off the main part of the show is Van Morrison. There are probably as many fans awaiting him as Neil Young, and as he ambles onto the stage there is a sense of anticipation and awe-inpiring awareness as this legend was introduced.
It’s a strange set up with the band on the right-hand side of the stage, the left side completely empty. There are two gazebos’ put up, which cover the backing singers, offering some light protection from the scorching sun.
The set is perfect for the afternoon. It’s too hot to be energetic, and the tunes, are laid back, a gentle bluesy, jazz feel that is integral to proceedings.
There is an ease about Van Morrison this afternoon, resplendent with Saxophone, he still cuts a very cool yet understated figure. Van is still ‘the Man’.
Opening with Into The Mystic from the Moondance album, this is greeted by the adoring fans as would be expected. This is a standout song and certainly bodes well for the rest of the show. This is followed by Cutting Corners, his new single from latest album, Remembering Now. This gives the brass section in the band a chance to show their abilities and to bring a soft soul vibe to the afternoon.
As the band get properly into the mix, we get a medley of songs: Only a Dream, Glen Campbell’s Bonaparte’s Retreat and No Prima Donna. It was from here that the musicianship really shone out, and it was clear what a strong, tight lineup Van has working with him. The brass section was strong, driving the music, whilst the backing singers were in a class of their own. There is a part of me that wonders if there were times when Van Morrison relied more on the backing singers, as at times they were singing solely themselves, whilst he almost seemed to take a backseat. However, at 79, we cannot expect him to perform in the same way he did fifty years ago.
Secondly, the set list was interesting, with a number of expected songs not featured. Of course, with only an hour to play, it limits the extent of material that can be played, and on this afternoon, it was clear that the band had crafted a well-balanced set that worked perfectly on the day. Whilst not criticising, it is also clear that Van Morrison’s voice is not the same as it has been, yet again, this should be expected. A number of the songs, notably “Night Time Is The Right Time,” appeared to have been reset into a different key to accommodate his change in vocal range.
Perhaps due to this, some expected songs were omitted; not everything can be improved with a key change.
However, this was a celebration of everything that is good and great about Van Morrison. He didn’t rely on greatest hits but mixed the set around with old favourites and newer material.
Wild Night was still a storming rocker and had the audience moving, and the final song could only be the old Them anthem, Gloria. We could forgive him that there was no Brown Eyed Girl, but Gloria is a must, and the approach taken by the band as they extended it out was perfection.
This was one of those afternoons when the hour was over so quickly. Great memories.
Was it played too safe? Possibly, but if so, that was what the expectant audience wanted, and very few were disappointed.
Van Morrison setlist
- Into the Mystic
- Cutting Corners
- Only a Dream / Bonaparte’s Retreat / No Prima Donna
- Carrying a Torch
- Ain’t Gonna Moan No More
- Night Time Is the Right Time (Roosevelt Sykes cover)
- If I Ever Needed Someone
- Wild Night
- Crazy Jane on God
- Whenever God Shines His Light
- The New Symphony Sid (Lester Young cover)
- Summertime in England
- Gloria (Them cover)
Following the legend that is Van Morrison, and performing before the legend that is Neil Young, came the legend that is Cat Stevens.
Like Van Morrison, Cat only has an hour set, and he is clearly so excited to get started that he enters the stage forgetting his guitar, and having to run back to claim it whilst the intro from Tea For The Tillerman plays.
Yet, this was something very special. Cat Stevens, or Yusuf Islam as he is known now does not tour regularly so a performance is something very special. And lets be honest he is perfect for this line-up.
The man and his acoustic guitar are iconic, and he brings a set with him that has everyone hanging on every tune and every word. It’s not a greatest hits show, but it’s certainly thought out and perfect for the times. This was a set with a few surprises and a large number of tunes that had not been aired for a long time.
It was clear that Cat was enjoying himself right from the start. There was a complete feel-good vibe from the first notes played. Whether you knew the material or not, this was a set that could be thoroughly enjoyed.
The First Cut Is the Deepest had everyone singing. Although perhaps this song is better known through the Rod Stewart version, this is a song that is very much owned by Cat, and the reaction was intense. Arms were waved and voices sang.
Moonshadow also reached out to the audience. This was another of those moments that sent shivers down the spine.
Cat had a way of reaching out to the audience. Where Van Morrison allowed his music to do the talking, Cat was far happier reaching out to the Hyde Park masses. Anecdotes and song details were shared, and he was a man who was clearly in his element.
The Jimmy Reed song, Big Boss Man was aired for the first time in eight years, and The Little Ones, one of his most emotional songs, was played for the first time in twenty years. Moreover, this song, which was originally written about the genocide in Srebrenica, was adapted to reflect the situation in Gaza and, with calls for Palestinian freedom, suddenly turned the show political. We all know that Cat can be political, and he has not held back from making points in the past, and today was no different.
Yet the preaching was short-lived and old favourites Father and Son and Wild World followed, as well as If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out, which had numerous raised voices in accordance. The show finished with Peace Train.
On the whole this was a special performance. Cat played to the audience and for the audience. Whatever you’re political leanings are he has a point to make, and this was well received.
Cat Stevens Setlist
- The Wind (Cat Stevens song)
- Sitting (Cat Stevens song)
- Midday (Avoid City After Dark) (first since 2014)
- The First Cut Is the Deepest (Cat Stevens song)
- Miles From Nowhere (Cat Stevens song) (first since 2017)
- Moonshadow (Cat Stevens song)
- On the Road to Find Out (Cat Stevens song)
- Big Boss Man (Jimmy Reed cover) (first since 2017)
- Where Do the Children Play? (Cat Stevens song)
- The Little Ones (first since 2005)
- Foreigner Suite (Cat Stevens song) (“Freedom Calling” section; first since 2011)
- Father and Son (Cat Stevens song)
- If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out (Cat Stevens song)
- Wild World (Cat Stevens song)
- Peace Train (Cat Stevens song)
Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts
So, we came to the headliner and main man. After all these years, Neil Young is still a big draw, a very big draw, and there is a serious air of expectation hanging over the park. Despite the heat, everyone is drawing closer to get a good view of this legend.
Though Neil regularly visits these shores, it is still something special to see him in the live environment, and there are many here of all ages, young and old, waiting in anticipation, whether for the first time or not.
The start of the show is relatively inauspicious. Neil, with acoustic guitar and mouth organ, ambles onto the stage to one of his lesser-known numbers, Ambulance Blues. This is Neil at his most honest, the man alone, yet the heaving, sweary mass are eating from his hand from the first chord. It is simple, yet beautiful.
Cowgirl in the Sand sees the rest of the Chrome Hearts band kick in, and perhaps even a grin from Neil as they plug in the electric guitars and rip into the Crazy Horse song. There is plenty of heavy chords, feedback and his honest but at times almost frenzied guitar attack. How he gets some of the tortured sounds out of his instrument is only his business, but to quote Neil Diamond, it’s a wonderful noise.
There is no great ado about a Neil Young show. It’s just him and the band doing what they do best. There is no need for great stage designs, pyro or lasers. This is the great man and his music, and that’s all he needs to do his talking.
The set is a history lesson in his own remarkable musical ability. There is something for everyone, from his career. Solo material, Crazy Horse tunes, even a Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young song thrown in for good measure.
When you dance, I can really love has the crowd moving in accordance with the tune. It’s impossible not to dance, and with Cinammon Girl following, you are staring to recognise that something special is unfolding before your eyes.
Southern Man has a clearly pointed edge tonight, and though a song that has not always endeared him to certain elements of the Southern US states, it’s one that is embraced in a loud sing-along tonight. The Needle and Damage Done, his ode to the destructive nature of drugs, and heroin in particular, which took so many friends and bandmates. This is always a solemn song, and the meaning is not lost on those singing back the lyrics.
With the sun setting, we get Harvest Moon. Again, Neil and his acoustic guitar, the song stripped back to its base, yet audacious and beautiful all the same. Emotion overruns, and numerous couples are glancing meaningful looks at each other throughout,
Yet, from emotion, we go to spine-tingling as Neil sits down at a piano, and for the first time in a while, the familiar strain of “After The Gold Rush” is played. This song is as relevant now as it was when it was written fifty or so years ago, and Neil recognises this in updating the lyrics to reflect the 21st century instead of the 1970s.
From one extreme to the other, after the beauty of Gold Rush, we get the feedback-driven guitar fest of Hey Hey, My My, which again has everyone on their feet, punching the air to the line of ‘Rock and Roll Will Never Die.
The set ends with a soft Old Man, perhaps a gentle recognition that none of us are getting any younger.
He returns for a two-song encore, firstly Throw Your Hatred Down, before the pile driver that is Rockin’ In The Free World, which unfortunately falls foul of the powers that be who stick to a very rigid curfew and the moment the clock hits ten-thirty, the power is cut with the band in full flow. However, that did not appear to dampen anyone’s spirits. We still had over two hours of top-quality showmanship and songwriting. My only beef, no Like A Hurricane, but I guess we’ll have to go see him again, and next time we’ll get it. What a hardship…..
WORDS: ADRIAN STONLEY PHOTOS: ROBERT SUTTON
Setlist – Neil Young
- Ambulance Blues (Neil Young song)
- Cowgirl in the Sand (Neil Young & Crazy Horse cover)
- Be the Rain (Neil Young & Crazy Horse cover)
- When You Dance, I Can Really Love (Neil Young song)
- Cinnamon Girl (Neil Young & Crazy Horse cover)
- Fuckin’ Up (Neil Young & Crazy Horse cover)
- Sun Green (Neil Young & Crazy Horse cover)
- Southern Man (Neil Young song)
- The Needle and the Damage Done (Neil Young song)
- Harvest Moon (Neil Young song)
- Looking Forward (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young cover)
- After the Gold Rush (Neil Young song) (Tour debut)
- Love to Burn (Neil Young & Crazy Horse cover)
- Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black) (Neil Young & Crazy Horse cover)
- Name of Love (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young cover)
- Old Man (Neil Young song)
Encore:
- Throw Your Hatred Down (Neil Young song)
- Rockin’ in the Free World
