DAY 7 AT BST HYDE PARK: BILLY JOEL DAZZLES WITH OVER 50 YEARS OF HITS AT AMERICAN EXPRESS PRESENTS BST HYDE PARK
American Express presents BST Hyde Park
BILLY JOEL
DAY SEVEN: Friday 7 July
THE LEGENDARY SINGER DAZZLES WITH
OVER 50 YEARS OF HITS AT
AMERICAN EXPRESS PRESENTS BST HYDE PARK 2023
The American singer-songwriter is joined by Joe Jonas for a special performance of Uptown Girl
on the Great Oak Stage
With a supporting line up of:
Daryl Hall | Natasha Bedingfield | Bowen * Young
Rumer | Remember Monday | Jon Muq
Brad Heidi | Sophia Alexa | Alyssa Bonahura
The final weekend of American Express presents BST Hyde Park continued with New York legend Billy Joel headlining Friday’s show. Arriving on stage to a roar of cheers, Joel delved straight into My Life, saying: “Thank you, London, England! Good to see ya, I don’t get to come here that much. And I’m not sure when this old ass is going to be back again.”
With 22 songs to perform, over two hours, showcasing powerful ballads such as Always A Woman, fun pop tracks such as Vienna and piano-led highlights such as New York State of Mind, Joel’s widespread artistry was put on full display, not least when he unleashed The Longest Time upon the crowd, with 65,000 voices singing back. An Innocent Man weaved quickly into Start It Up (Rolling Stones cover).
Speaking about his incredible vocal range, 74-year-old Joel admitted, “Your voice deepens as you get older. I didn’t think I’d do this song in my 70s, I didn’t think I’d be doing this gig in my 70s!”
Closing the legendary two-hour set tonight was a five-track encore, featuring We Didn’t Start The Fire, It’s Still Rock And Roll To Me and Big Shot.
Highlights from the evening were a special tribute to Tina Turner, where Joel interlaced The River of Dreams with River Deep, Mountain High – and, of course, the harmonic Piano Man. There was even a Beatles-inspired Hard Days Night interlude in the mix.
Then came the ultimate pop classic, Uptown Girl, for which Joel was joined on stage by Joe Jonas. “I’m going to bring a friend to sing this next song with me. Please welcome the Jonas Brothers’ Joe Jonas,” he announced to the excited audience.
The night ended with the 65,000-strong crowd dancing their hearts out to You May Be Right.
Second on the bill was American rock ‘n’ soul singer, Daryl Hall, who delivered a nostalgic walk down a memory lane of 70s and 80s hits. Performing a string of solo songs and tracks from his days as a part of America’s most popular musical duo, Hall & Oates, the 76-year-old artist was welcomed back warmly to the UK stage.
Launching straight into Maneater, he continued with Dreamtime – each song celebrating the success of his 2022 album, Before After, which features the star’s expansive five-decade long musical career.
As he relaxed into the set, Hall took his seat at the piano, to offer a thrilled audience classic Hall & Oates; such as Rich Girl and You Make My Dreams.
Natasha Bedingfield opened the Great Oak Stage this afternoon with a nostalgic look back over some of her greatest tracks. Opening with Love Like This and Pocketful of Sunshine, she went onto play a fiery rendition of her first ever release, Single.
“I just want to say how special it is to perform songs in London,” she told fans. “I love Billy Joel, as we all do, and Daryl Hall, whoop!”
Delivering exactly what the audience were hoping for, Natasha teased the crowd with covers of Coldplay’s The Scientist and Prince’s Purple Rain, before ending on These Words and an acoustic version of her biggest hit, Unwritten.
Today’s action began on the Rainbow Stage presented by British Airways with Ugandan-born, Texas-based singer-songwriter Jon Muq, who brought his stirring vocals and expressive pop to Hyde Park.
He was followed by British country-pop trio Remember Monday, who made their debut on the BBC’s The Voice, in which they reached the quarter finals. Jailbreaker, their original song that made them famous, featured in today’s set.
Acclaimed Pakistani-British singer, Rumer, closed the Rainbow Stage this evening with a selection of her most popular tunes, including Slow and Aretha. Her latest single. Don’t Interrupt The Sorrow, a collaboration with Redtenbacher’s Funkstra, also featured.
Kicking things off on the Great Oak Stage today were husband and wife duo from Nashville, Tennessee, Bowen * Young. Composed of Claire Bowen and Brandon Robert Young, the pair celebrated the release of their new single, Water To Wine, by opening with the song.
Australian-born Bowen said: “G’day everybody! It’s such an honour to be with you here today… We just love being here with you, so we’re just going to keep rocking. Is that alright?”
“Hello Hyde Park,” added Young. “It’s warm today! I don’t know if we’ve seen this many people in one place before, you’re making a dream come true today and we really appreciate it.”
The couple, who were married by John Carter Cash, son of Johnny Cash and June Carter, displayed their unique musical style with a haunting cover of Beyoncé’s Halo.
With an entire weekend of legendary live musicians still to come, it’s been a phenomenal day at American Express presents BST Hyde Park 2023.
BST Hyde Park 2023 returns this summer for its 10th anniversary year and we’ve got even more legendary headliners this year: All Things Orchestral presented by Myleene Klass and featuring Alfie Boe (23 June), P!NK (24 and 25 June), Guns N’ Roses (30 June), Take That (1 July), BLACKPINK (2 July), Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (6 and 8 July), Billy Joel (7 July) and Lana Del Rey (9 July).
www.bst-hydepark.com | @bsthydepark
About American Express presents BST Hyde Park:
Set in London’s beautiful Royal Park, BST Hyde Park kicked off in 2013 with The Rolling Stones reliving their legendary 1969 gig, plus Bon Jovi, Lionel Richie and many more packing out the park for memorable summer nights.
The event has featured many now famous shows from Carole King, Celine Dion, Stevie Wonder, Barbra Streisand, Adele, The Rolling Stones, Taylor Swift, Robbie Williams, Black Sabbath, Take That, Kylie Minogue, The Who, Blur, Kendrick Lamar, The Strokes and so many more.
Every year, each headliner is joined by a full supporting line-up across multiple stages, from major superstars to handpicked developing acts performing for fans from across the UK and the world.
And the midweek programme allows free access to the site with outdoor cinema, street food markets, children’s theatre, fitness classes, summer sports screenings, evening events, live music and much more.
About American Express® Experiences:
American Express connects Cardmembers to the kinds of rewarding experiences and opportunities that matter to them and their businesses. Through American Express Experiences, Cardmembers have access to presale tickets, and exclusive offers at some of the UK’s most sought-after entertainment events via partnerships with a range of entertainment institutions, including AEG, Somerset House, The British Film Institute and the National Theatre. American Express Experiences is just one example of the powerful backing that American Express provides its Cardmembers. To find out more about the American Express Experiences programme please visit: https://www.americanexpress.com/en-gb/benefits/entertainment/events
About AEG Presents:
Combining the power of the live event with a focus on true artist development, AEG Presents is a world leader in the music and entertainment industries. Operating across five continents, the company has an unparalleled commitment to artistry, creativity, and community. Its tentpole festivals and multi-day music events — which include the iconic Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival and the legendary New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival alongside British Summer Time at Hyde Park, Stagecoach, Hangout Festival, Electric Forest, and Firefly — continue to set the bar for the live music experience. AEG Presents promotes global tours for artists such as The Rolling Stones, Ed Sheeran, Elton John, Taylor Swift, Celine Dion, Justin Bieber, Kenny Chesney, Paul McCartney, and Katy Perry, in addition to — through its network of clubs, theatres, arenas, stadiums and renowned partner brands such as The Bowery Presents, Concerts West, Frontier Touring, Goldenvoice, Madison House Presents, Marshall Arts, Messina Touring Group, PromoWest Productions, and Zero Mile Presents — creating and developing an unmatched infrastructure for artist development and audience reach. More information can be found at www.aegpresents.com.
AEG’s European headquarters are located in London.
About Hyde Park:
Every year millions of visitors from London, the UK and across the globe enjoy the iconic Hyde Park, one of the capital’s eight Royal Parks. Spanning 350 acres of green space in central London, Hyde Park has hosted world-renowned music artists since the 1960s. The summer concerts are an essential part of income generation for The Royal Parks, providing necessary funds to maintain and develop the parks for future generations to enjoy. They also help support the diverse culture of London and introduce new audiences to the parks.
About The Royal Parks:
The Royal Parks is the charity which manages, protects and improves the parks in an exemplary and sustainable manner so that everyone, now and in the future, has the opportunity to enjoy their natural and historic environments.
The charity looks after eight of London’s finest open spaces: Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, St James’s Park, The Green Park, The Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill, Greenwich Park, Richmond Park and Bushy Park. It also manages other important open spaces in the capital, including Brompton Cemetery and Victoria Tower Gardens.
It costs around £55m a year to manage the parks. The charity raises around 80 percent of this money itself, with the remaining 20 percent coming from the Government.
For further information please visit: www.royalparks.org.uk and follow The Royal Parks on:
Twitter @theroyalparks
Facebook.com/TheRoyalParksLondon
About American Express:
American Express is a globally integrated payments company, providing customers with access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build business success. Learn more at americanexpress.com, and connect with us on
Linkedin.com/company/american-express
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