BST Hyde Park 2023: Bruce Springsteen

BST Hyde Park:

Our final day of BST Hyde Park 2023 coverage is upon us, and what a way to finish with a line-up of superstars headlined by 'The Boss' Bruce Springsteen alongside the "heart-stopping, pants-dropping, house-rocking, earth-quaking, booty-shaking, Viagra-taking, love-making, legendary E Street Band". Bruce and his band delivered a 3-hour set that will go down in live music history. 

Elsewhere on the line-up were American Country Icons 'The Chicks' (formerly The Dixie Chicks) who performed an hour set of their biggest singles and a stunning cover. The phenomenal James Bay and the brilliant Brittney Spencer completed the Great Oak Stage lineup. The Rainbow stage featured a number of standout musicians including the stunning voice of Pa Sheehy, whilst the Birdcage Stage provided a place to witness the future of music through artists like Kelly McGrath and Oscar Corney. Swipe for our thoughts on each artist

Bruce Springsteen:

Today's set marked Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's second appearance at this year's BST Festival, and after the huge reviews of Thursday's set, it was going to take some beating. Even with some noticeable omissions from tonight's setlist including 'Thunder Road and Born in the USA' Bruce and his band still managed to pull out all the stocks to make this show even bigger and better.

A lot is said about the length of Bruce's set list, but when you have this many hits the time flies by. What is often not mentioned is how long it takes the band to get on stage. All eighteen member of the E Street Band got to walk on individually in the most spectacular sign of respect, each member taking in the deserved adoration. There were particularly loud receptions for the legendary Stevie Van Zandt and for Jake Clemons, the nephew of original E Street member Clarence Clemons. Bruce Springsteen took to the stage last to rapturous applause and the expected "BRUUCEE" chants, before sending the crowd into a frenzy with a spectacular opening trio of songs 'My Love Will Not Let You Down', 'Death to My Hometown' and 'No Surrender'.

Bruce and his band really do have unrivalled chemistry and as they worked their way through hit after hit, like 'Darkness on the Edge of Town' and 'Darlington County', the smiles on the audiences faces grew bigger and bigger. The now iconic cover of 'Nightshift' by the Commodores had every single pair of hands around Hyde Park clapping, before Bruce and the E Street Band moved onto 'Mary's Place'. The first two lines of this song's chorus are "Let it Rain" repeated over and over, and rather poetically that is exactly what happened at this moment, an almighty downpour covered Hyde Park. Spirits could not be dampened as everyone in attendance danced through the irony

'The E Street Shuffle' came next, a song which provides opportunities for every band member to flex their musical ability and have their individual moment in the spotlight. When you are as legendary a singer as Bruce Springsteen is it could be so easy to keep all the focus for yourself, but Bruce made a point to constantly share/shift the focus onto his bandmates throughout the night. The finishing of this song provided and appropriate moment to pause and let everyone catch their breath, whilst Bruce took the moment to reflect on life, mortality and remembrance. He told the story of his first band The Castilles, who were created by eventual long-term friend George Theiss. Tragically George passed away in 2018, but it inspire Bruce to pen 'Last Man Standing', a song he described as "George's gift to me when he died". He then proceeded to pay an emotional stripped back performance of the song, with the brilliant Barry Danielian accompanying him on the trumpet

Later highlights of the set included Bruce's infamous cover of 'Because the Night', originally by Patti Smith Group, which brought along the biggest sing along of the night so far. The main set was closed out by rousing renditions of 'The Rising' and 'Badlands', being followed by the best encore you will ever see. 

The eternal 'Born to Run' opened the encore, with every word being screamed back to Bruce as if they were the most important words ever sung. 'Bobby Jean' and 'Glory Days' followed giving the crowd yet another opportunity to dance, which they happily seized. This was followed by the anthem that is 'Dancing in the Dark', that had everyone joyously bouncing, dancing and cheering in unison. The encore
was closed out by 'Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out' which was dedicated to Danny Federici and Clarence Clemons, and then a brilliant cover of 'Twist and Shout. Once the excitement had died down Bruce took back to the stage one more time to play a solo acoustic version of 'I'll See You in My Dreams', The perfect end to a perfect day.

The Chicks:

The Chicks, formerly the Dixie Chicks, are nothing short of legendary in the country music scene. The response to their set from not only the audience, but also a number of the other artists playing, proves just how adored they are. The trio of Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer front The Chicks, but they are supported by a top- drawer live band who bring the performance to a whole new level.

Opening with 'Sin Wagon' The Chicks immediately had the crowd on their side, however it was second song 'Gaslighter' that really brought the crowd to life. Despite being one of the groups more recent songs it is clear this has already become a cult favourite. 'Juliana Calm Down', also taken from the Gaslighter album was played next, before Natalie Maines guided the band through the most stunning cover of Fleetwood Macs 'Landslide'.

This was the bands second appearance at this year's festival having supported Bruce Springsteen on his first date two days prior, however the energy The Chicks displayed while ripping through songs like 'The Long Way Around' and 'Wide Open Spaces' you would have thought this was their first chance to perform live in years. All three members brought the most infectious stage presence giving even more reason why every song played went down incredibly well with the crowd. Some of the band's biggest songs like 'Cowboy Take
Me Away' and their Bruce Robinson cover 'Travelin' Soldier' filled the middle of their set, resulting in some of the loudest crowd reactions of the day so far.

A powerful performance of 'March March' showed The Chicks at their very best, a performance that clearly resonated with the audience as there were very few dry eyes around me. Flawless performances of 'Not Ready to Make Nice' and ' Goodbye Earl finished what was another epic set

James Bay:

British superstar James Bay took to the Great Oak Stage delivering a set filled with big hits, trademark tracks and even some unreleased music. Opening his set with a staggered rocky introduction before going into the full version of 'Best Fake Smile' Bay immediately had the audience in the palm of his hand. 'Just for Tonight' came next, as James, in his signature hat, guided the audience through a brilliant singalong to the catchy tune. This was followed by the stunning ballad 'If You Ever Want to Be in Love', a harmony filled song that really shows the synergy Bay and his band share.

'Wanderlust' a deep cut from James Bay's 2018 album Electric Light was played next, a song that sounds just as fresh today, which shocked me that it was never released as a single. The soulful chorus displays just how adaptable Bay' voice is, as well as the true depth of his songwriting. 

James Bay then took a moment with the audience to show his appreciation for turning up in their masses to his set before saying, "You get an opportunity like this, and you can't help yourself. I'm going to play some new songs". Bay and his band then played two unreleased tracks "Goodbye Never Felt So Bad" and "All My Broken Pieces" in the most flawless way that would make you think they have been playing both tracks for decades. If this is a sign of where James Bay's future is heading, he is only going to get bigger and bigger

The set began moving towards its close with upbeat performances of 'Get Out While You Can' and 'Endless Summer Nights', sandwiching an emotion filled rendition of Let It Go`. The set closed with Bay's global smash hit 'Hold Back the River' that resulted in a singalong worthy of a headline set. The song, like the rest of James' set was delivered with the conviction of a performer at the top of his game

Brittney Spencer:

Brittney Spencer had the privilege of not only having the opening set of the day, but doing it on the Great Oak Stage, and she couldn't have provided a better start if she tried. The contagious energy that radiated throughout Brittney's set really made it feel like she was having the time of her life throughout. This was further shown when Spencer previewed the day ahead saying "I was inspired by The Chicks, but I've never met them, so today I'm losing my mind because I saw the sign on their dressing room with their name on. I'm so excited!". 

The inspiration of The Chicks was obvious throughout the set, but that is not to say Brittney had copied anyone, her music is as brilliant and authentic as it comes. Stunning live performances of original songs like 'Better as Friends', 'Sober & Skinny' and 'More Than Perfect' had crowds amazed by her musical brilliance. These were split up with a few covers including a brilliant rendition of' The Beatles' Yesterday' that had everyone singing

Pa Sheehy:

Irish singer-songwriter Pa Sheehy brought his unique vocals and distinct brand of indie-folk music to the Rainbow stage, and it couldn't have gone down any better. Despite being in arguably the most difficult slot of the day, right before the evening's headliner, and on a different stage, Pa gave his absolute all and pulled in a deservingly big audience.

Being backed by his brilliant live band, Pa Sheehy made the most of a rare patch of sunshine by delivering thought-provoking music that brought smiles to faces and had everyone's feet tapping and arms waving. For me Pa Sheehy's Song of the Set was 'The Years Never Waited'. This incredible song brings such strong feelings of nostalgia, and couldn't have provided the more perfect introduction to Pa. The brilliance of Pa's music is not isolated to just this song, in fact his hour set flew by with every song receiving louder and louder responses

Oscar Corney:

I first encountered Oscar Corney's music after AdamO, owner of the Six Six Bar in Cambridge, labelled Oscar the future of rock ahead of his This Feeling showcase back in March. I saw more than enough proof that night that Oscar's music could hit the big time, but it is always easier connecting to crowds with a hometown show. 

The way Oscar connected to the BST crowd, and the way the crowd lapped up every second of the set, shows that a hometown show is not needed for Oscar to wow audiences, and he really does look set to have a huge future.

Oscar took to the stage alongside his brilliant live band, mastering their way through a crammed full set of fan favourite, band favourites, and new songs that resulted in all those in attendance having the best time. Songs like ' Patience' and 'Afterglow' had everyone around the Birdcage Stage fully engrossed by Oscar's incredible live energy. Personal favourites 'Red Wine' and 'Be Someone' really prove just how brilliant Oscar's songwriting is.

Kelly McGrath:

Kelly McGrath is a seasoned vet when it comes to performing at BST festival, making her third appearance this year having previously supported The Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton. Her Nashville-inspired country music is some of the absolute best around, and her joyous stage personality meant this was the perfect way to open the birdcage stage.

Kelly's set felt almost autobiographical, her songwriting is so special that you feel you know more and more about her by the time each song finishes. 'London Boy' proved a crowd favourite, showing McGrath's wealth of life experiences both side of the Atlantic, a feature the British crowd clearly connected to.

One of the more emotional moments of the set was Kelly McGrath's performance of 'You and Me Today', a song written and dedicated to her father who tragically passed away when Kelly was just age 11. The raw emotion feeding into this song was something bittersweet to witness.