With a combined age heading towards 240 this must have been one of Hyde Park’s oldest line-ups, OK maybe The Rolling Stones were older when they played. But don’t be fooled by the age of these three artists. Each has carved out a career that has earned them many nicknames, but the word legend can, and should, be applied to each of these and in their own way they each lived up to that tag tonight, despite the raging heat.
The previously announced timings for the show appear to be mysteriously ditched, presumably to give Neil Young more time, though even this wasn’t enough for him (more later). Earlier than advertised, Van Morrison enters the stage in his floral shirt and trilby, ditching his standard full suit attire, and bringing a huge band with him. He’s not just a singer of course, he’s a band-leader that can give a nod or a gesture to the band to specify what he expects from them. The heat is so intense that a gazebo has been set up on the stage for his backing singers and brass band to perform under, whilst the rest of the band grin and bear playing straight into the sunlight. Performing a one-hour set in these conditions is an achievement in itself, making it fun and engaging even more so. Van Morrison isn’t known for his stage banter or light-heartedness, and this is maintained throughout his set. But he does bring a warmth with his songs and a gentle jazz-infused soundtrack as many of the crowd arrive. He could have performed a greatest hits set but that would be completely out of character, instead he trawls his extensive and impressive back cataloguing performing the likes of ‘Into the Mystic’ and ‘Wild Night’ from across an esteemed almost sixty years career.
As with Neil Young, having a new album to promote appears to have skipped Van Morrisons setlist with only one track from the recent, and rather good, Remembering Now album. The often maligned ‘Whenever God Shines His Light’, originally a duet with Cliff Richard, is greeted with some scepticism but is actually a highlight with the backing singers delivering a powerful melody, contrasting with Morrison’s gruffness.
Introducing the band seems to bring out Morrison’s sense of humour and laughter, not something you generally associate with him, before the band launch into an enthralling version of ‘Gloria’, covered by many artists but here performed as it was intended.
Following Van Morrison, Yusuf / Cat Stevens set is nothing short of fabulous, proving him worthy of the tag legend, despite a slightly bizarre start. Arriving on the stage to tell the audience to watch a short video of ‘Tea for the Tillerman’ he promptly leaves, only to be joined onstage with his full band once the video finishes. Yusuf, the youngest performer tonight at a mere 74, appears to have lost none of his vocal qualities that made him a house-hold name in the 70’s. More importantly he has lost none of his passion for morally-inspired story-telling. He isn’t political, but he holds a social conscious which is welcomed by the crowd. When he introduces a sobering ‘Little Ones’, originally written in response to the Bosnian War’s 1995 Srebrenica massacre, he aligns the song message to the current horrific situation for Palestinian children with a sobering “The number of innocent children being slaughtered is indescribable,” before also calling out the “dictators” closer to home to rapturous crowd response.
Clearly running out of time, Yusuf asks the audience if they want one or two more songs, figuring that Neil Young won’t mind if he overruns. In turn the audience are treated to a spell-binding ‘Wild World’ and ‘Peace Train’ which brings the audience and artist together in one voice. He could have performed for twice the amount of time and we’d have lapped it up. Despite not having played a concert for over a year the band were on the top of their game and leave the crowd ready and attentive for the main act.
And so, we arrive at tonight’s headliner, Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts. In true Young fashion he takes to the stage to perform an eight-minute version of a relatively obscure album track, ‘Ambulance Blues’, to get things started. An inauspicious start, due to microphone problems, but once the sound is restored it is clear this is a mighty opening, even if isn’t exactly a sing-a-long one. But this is followed by the more familiar tracks the crowd have come to hear, elongated versions of ‘Cinnamon Girl’ , ‘Love To Burn’ and ‘Hey Hey, My My’ remind you that Young has a back-catalogue of immense depth. Throughout the show Young appears to be in a fun mood, joking with the band and crowd and looking like he’s having a blast.
Taking to the piano Young performs a stunning, and rarely performed, version of ‘After the Gold Rush’ to a hushed audience who take in every minute of the song’s beauty. This is a real treat, and a tour first. The softer and more acoustic parts of the show include Crosby, Still, Nash & Young’s ‘Name of Love’ and one of Young’s oldest tracks ‘Old Man’.
The band are tight and able to move easily between the acoustic and electric parts of Young’s career. There is a clear reason Young is referred to as the god of grunge, the dirty snarl of his guitar and the attitude of this is what we love, regardless of whether it’s what you want, and he sticks to his guns. If he wants to play deep cuts from the Greendale album he will and does. There are no lasers, barely any lights, no theatrics or video imagery. This is Young and his band, locking in and having fun.
Leaving the stage after an almost two-hour set everyone knows they will return though time is running out. Sure enough they return and lock straight into a powerful version of ‘Throw your Hatred Down’, the lyrics of which seem to fit perfectly into the current state of things, and then, to everyone’s delight, a staggering version of ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’ which just keeps going, multiple false ends and starts. The band look like they could keep going all night until….organisers pull the plug. It is two minutes past the half-ten curfew in central London, and the end is thrust upon us by the organisers. It’s been a blast and watching all of these musicians tear through their seventh decade of performing you have to ask, how long can they go on? Hopefully a long time. Neil Young summed it up with his “rock ‘n’ roll can never die” and on the strength of tonight he’s damn right!
(Photographs by Ishasha Photography and JRCMCord)
