BST Hyde Park: Neil Young reaffirms “rock ‘n’ roll will never die” with no-frills masterclass

‘Shakey’ was joined by Yusuf / Cat Stevens and Van Morrison on a day of searing heat and spellbinding songs

“Yeah, we practice all night,” Neil Young wryly shrugged midway through his BST Hyde Park headline set. Having already crunched through a portion of his classic catalogue, most of which were liberally littered with the kind of frayed guitar solos which earned him the moniker of the ‘Godfather of Grunge’, Young seems rejuvenated by the chrome hearts. Backed by his taut, newly formed band, the chrome hearts have only reiterated that Neil has no intention of burning out.

Now, at 79 years young, he’s burning brighter than he has in perhaps the past three decades.

It’s quite understandable that watching four fellas on stage in tattered clothing jamming out – for extended sections when it looked as though they were playing to only themselves – isn’t necessarily everyone’s cup of tea. Irrespective of tastes though, there’s something innately enjoyable about watching Neil Young let loose on the Great Oak stage, at this stage in his career.

The lack of perceived showmanship or spectacle in favour of ‘the music’ and the kerfuffle (which Young himself instigated) around whether or not he’d actually even perform seemed to turn festival-goers off of his recent Glastonbury headline set. A changing of the guard may have felt inevitable, with Young the only legacy act topping the bill.

On familiar territory at BST Hyde Park, however, Neil Young reaffirmed that “rock ‘n’ roll will never die” with a no-frills masterclass.

60,000 attendees that made their way to London’s verdant hotbed might have not felt quite as immortal however. In the searing summer heat, pockets of shade proved to draw in the biggest crowds of the day to avoid perishing. That was until Van Morrison arrived, opening with the eternally gorgeous ‘Into The Mystic’ and returning for an encore of ‘Gloria’ beneath the sanctuary of his gazebo. Notorious for being a curmudgeon nowadays, the Belfast hero even cracked a smile. The ever-cheery Yusuf/Cat Stevens remedied the sunburn with his soothing setlist, even teeing up Young’s politically-minded headline set by declaring “free Palestine”.

When the golden hour arrived, illuminating the “Love Earth” motif behind the stage, so did Neil Young. Opening with ‘Ambulance Blues’, it was jagged brutalism from the outset, his entrusted electric guitar Old Black orchestrating the likes of ‘Cowgirl In The Sand’, ‘Cinnamon Girl’ and ‘Fuckin’ Up’. Each rendition was as gritty and fist-clenching as his dogged activism and his general belligerent self. But the typically unpredictable icon has favoured crowd pleasers on this tour, like surprise inclusions in ‘Southern Man’ and ‘After The Gold Rush’. There was still no appearance of ‘Heart Of Gold’, predictably.

Far more vocal than he was at Glastonbury, Young communicated with the multi-generational audience on several occasions, asking that we “take care of each other”. Maybe he knew he was being listened to. You could even spot a rare grin after fragile recitals of ‘Needle and the Damage Done’ and ‘Harvest Moon’, with the crowd – all weepy-eyed and cuddling in huddles – singing the lyrics word-for-word back at Neil. His vocals haven’t aged badly, likely down to his high-pitched coo being pretty darn unconventional in the first place. But when there were a few notes that emphasised the strain, the crowd were there to back him.

True to form, there were a few chaotic moments. This was a live rock show in every sense. The strung-up keyboard stored in the rafters and lured down for ‘Like A Hurricane’ was sacked off in favour of ‘Hey Hey (My My)’ on a whim. Coincidentally, it’s a song which Oasis covered way back in 2000 at Wembley Stadium, who themselves were ensuring rock music continues to enthrall the masses at their Heaton Park homecoming on the same night.

“Thank you, folks, I really appreciate you being here,” reiterated Neil, both arms triumphantly aloft once ‘Old Man’ – more poignant than ever in Young’s increasing years – came to an end. That was before he and the chrome hearts returned for an encore of ‘Throw Your Hatred Down’ and of course, ‘Keep On Rockin’ In The Free World’ due to intense fanfare, mirroring his gratitude.

If only the plug wasn’t pulled due to hitting curfew, both he and Hyde Park alike would’ve gladly kept rockin’.

Photos by: Isha Shah / jrcmcord photography