Legend Neil Young's Hyde Park concert 'cut off' as he breaks one strict rule

Edinburgh Live

2 days ago

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Music chiefs were compelled to cut the power during Neil Young's Hyde Park performance as he exceeded his allotted time. The star was scheduled to wrap up at 10.20pm on Friday night, adhering to a strict 10.30pm curfew in the Royal park.
However, the 79 year old was still energetically performing an extended version of 'Rockin' in the Free World' at 10.32pm, prompting festival bosses to intervene. An insider revealed: "Neil and his band were having a great time and would have kept on going. There were at least three false endings to the song before festival bosses decided enough was enough. Neil and the band looked a bit puzzled when the power was cut but they are strict about these things - especially as it's a royal park."
Westminster Council enforces a 10.30pm finish as part of their licensing conditions. There were some jeers near the front when it became apparent that the power had been switched off.
However, fans praised Friday night's show, stating: "It was one of the all-time great BST shows. Neil completely rocked out the place."
Hyde Park has witnessed high-profile curfew breaches in the past - most notably for Bruce Springsteen in 2012, reports the Mirror.
Sir Paul McCartney had joined Bruce and his E Street Band to perform Beatles classics 'I Saw Her Standing There' and 'Twist and Shout'. But as they prepared to start another song, their power was cut by the then-promoters of the Hard Rock Calling festival.
BST is managed by a different team.
Steve Van Zandt, the E Street Band's guitarist, expressed outrage at the "police state". Then-London Mayor Boris Johnson deemed it "an excessively efficacious decision".
However, when Springsteen returned to Hyde Park in 2023, he poked fun at the incident. During a rendition of Glory Days, he quipped to the 65,000-strong crowd: "It's time to go home. I'm telling you, they are going to pull the f***ing plug again."
It was previously reported by The Mirror that organisers had planned for Bruce's concert to start earlier, at 7pm, to avoid breaching the 10.30pm curfew. The strategy paid off, as the show concluded at 10pm.
Young's BST performance came just two weeks after his headlining set on Glastonbury's Pyramid stage.
BST HYDE PARK REVIEW BY TOM BRYANT.
Following a magical performance at Worthy Farm two weeks prior, Neil Young surpassed expectations with a captivating show in Hyde Park. As the sun dipped below the horizon, the 79 year old rock legend delivered a hits-packed set list with ease, featuring classics like Old Man, Harvest Moon, and The Needle and the Damage Done.
His 1970 hit, After the Gold Rush, made a rare appearance and marked its tour debut. Seated at the piano in the tranquil Royal park, it was a moment of sheer perfection that silenced the crowd.
Apart from this, the grunge pioneer was at his peak, with his band creating an extraordinary amount of sound as they jammed into the night, culminating in a thrilling encore of Rockin' in the Free World.
That is, until 10.32pm....