Gone are the sparkled cowgirls and pop princesses of previous BST gigs. It’s the turn of the Baby Boomer generation to make up the core crowd of Hyde Park – a sea of grey hair, straw hats, and sensible shoes. They reapply sun cream religiously, have brought picnic blankets, and can be forgiven for taking their time getting up and down from the ground between acts. This is the generation that invented outdoor rock and folk festivals – and they’re here to show the rest of us how it’s done.
Neil Young @ BST Hyde Park
Van Morrison and his band bring cool relief, easing the crowd into the day with sultry summer blues, as the sun drips down in copper light across the park. He’s a class act, proficiently picking through a curated set of hits, slow grooves, and covers. He opens with Into The Mystic, meanders through Roosevelt Sykes’ Night Time Is The Right Time, and finishes with a slinky version of Gloria (originally by Morrison’s long-ago band, Them).
When Yusuf Islam (formerly known as Cat Stevens) arrives on stage, he looks as fresh and unaffected by time as a Hollywood star. He could be a poster boy for decades of wholesome, clean living. I doubt Morrison or Young could say the same.
He opens with the timeless and beautiful The Wind, its familiarity and charm holding the audience spellbound. Each song is met with warm affection. He quietly dedicates Midday (Avoid City After Dark) to Van Morrison, saying simply: “I just love him.” Before The First Cut Is The Deepest, he teases, “This is an oldie – I don’t know if you’ll remember it.” Judging by me and my fellow gig goers, I think he’s on safe ground.
He points to the sky – barely on the cusp of twilight – noting it’s a full moon. A perfect cue for the nostalgic, whisper-sung meditation on gratitude, Moonshadow. Before launching into blues number The Road To Find Out, he takes a moment to plug his book, Cat On The Road To Find Out, joking that it will “clarify what people got wrong and what people got right.” His blues chops shine again on Big Boss Man.
Between Where Do the Children Play? and The Little Ones, he stumbles over the pronunciation of his band members’ names, rushing to deliver a heartfelt statement about global violence, marking the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia and highlighting the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
He ends his set with three perfect hits: the wistful If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out (immortalised by the 1971 film Harold and Maude), Wild World, which sees his drummer hit the crescendo in a state of joyful elation, and Peace Train, which runs slightly over his allotted time. “Everyone needs to hear this song today,” he asserts, and yes, we do.
Nothing quite prepares the crowd for what Neil Young brings. He starts gently, easing in with Cowgirl In The Sand, before unleashing the fuzz-drenched, distorted guitars that earned him the title ‘Godfather of Grunge’.
Micah Nelson’s band, The Chrome Hearts, have taken over from brother Lukas Nelson’s Promise Of The Real as Young’s latest musical apprentices. They intensely follow his lead, taking notes on orchestration in real time. They’re a hard-rocking band – heavy on reverb, feedback, and raw energy.
The rock numbers stretch out, studded with lengthy guitar breaks and chaotic fills. At times, Nelson hammers an upright piano – is there anything more Americana rock ‘n’ roll than that? Cinnamon Girl is a swirling mass of guitars and throbbing bass, with Young’s reedy, high voice soaring above the dirge. Before Why Do I Keep Fuckin’ Up? he shrugs: “It’s nice to be here. Sometimes we do things right, and sometimes we do things wrong.” Southern Man tightens the sound, and then we’re treated to a brief, soothing acoustic interlude with Needle And The Damage Done and the lovers’ favourite, Harvest Moon. Compared to the jam-heavy rock numbers, these acoustic moments are short and sweet.
Young dives straight back into the fire, ripping through Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black) before settling at the organ with his harmonica for CSNY’s Name Of Love, and rounding off the main set with acoustic classic Old Man. But he’s not done. Young has the energy and passion to keep going, and the crowd show no sign of wanting him to stop. He tears into Throw Your Hatred Down, followed by a specially extended, almost never-ending version of Rockin’ In The Free World – designed to test the patience of the BST organisers and the 10:30pm curfew.
If you want rebellious music – if you want the true spirit of rock ’n’ roll – nothing beats the original. And no one does it better than Neil Young.
Live review of Neil Young And The Chrome Hearts + Yusuf Cat Stevens @ BST Hyde Park 2025 by Sarah Sievers. Photography by Trudi Knight.
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