Festival NewsFestival ReviewMusic News

Day 3 at BST Hyde Park – GUNS N’ROSES’ 3 HOUR EPIC

American Express presents BST Hyde Park

DAY THREE: Friday 30 June

GUNS N’ROSES TAKE TO THE STAGE AT

AMERICAN EXPRESS PRESENTS BST HYDE PARK 2023


The US rockers, who have sold over 86 million albums worldwide,
headlined the Great Oak Stage as a part of the
Guns N’ Roses World Tour 2023. 

With a supporting line up of:
The Pretenders | The Darkness | Larkin Poe
Dirty Honey | James & The Cold Gun | The Dust Coda
Grade 2 | Bad Nerves | The Foxies

Following a string of fantastic shows across the UK, Europe and Middle East, Guns N’ Roses took to the Great Oak Stage stage at American Express presents BST Hyde Park, preceded by a riotous supporting line-up including The Pretenders, The Darkness and Larkin Poe.

Band members Axl Rose, Slash, Duff McKagan, Dizzy Reed, Richard Fortus, Frank Ferrer and Melissa Rees, came together in front of a 65,000-strong audience at Hyde Park dishing out track after track from their 38-year career. 

Arriving on stage to their classic It’s So Easy from the 1987 LP, Appetite for Destruction, the band greeted waiting fans with a non-stop array of rock gold, a nuance of old and new, such as Welcome To The Jungle, Mr Brownstone, Double Talkin’ Jive and Patience alongside Hard Skool, Slither (Velvet Revolver) and Estranged. Civil War was transformed into an ode to Ukraine with footage of bombshelled houses playing on the screens behind the band.

“You all looking f****** great,” Axl Rose told the audience.

Proceeding with a catalogue of huge rock anthems, the band sang iconic covers including Live and Let Die (Wings), T.V. Eye (The Stooges), Down On The Farm (UK Subs) and Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan).

Then, as the night drew in, it was time for the favourites – Sweet Child O’ Mine, November Rain. Finally, after three full hours, Guns N’ Roses closed their set with Nighttrain, Don’t Cry and the iconic Paradise City.

Meanwhile, The Pretenders – who have been supporting Guns N’ Roses during their UK and European dates – raised the bar with their powerful supporting set. Second on the billing for the Great Oak Stage, Chrissie Hynde and the band played a non-stop array of hits, such as Talk of The Town and the beautiful Hymn To Her, alongside the sparkling Tattooed Love Boys and classic I’ll Stand By You.

Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders performs at American Express Presents BST Hyde Park on June 30, 2023 in London, United, Kingdom. (Photo by Dave Hogan/Hogan Media/Shutterstock)

“We are as excited as you are to see Guns N’ Roses,” Hynde grinned, before launching into the anthemic Don’t Get Me Wrong – her stage energy, as expected, fierce throughout. After over an hour, the performance ended with Mystery Achievement.

Earlier in the afternoon, Justin Hawkins led The Darkness onto the stage for an hour and 15 minutes of great rock.  The British rock outfit opened with their much-loved track, Growing On Me, before pulling out the likes of Heart Explodes, Get Your Hands Off Your Woman and Love Is Only A Feeling. They even squeezed in a bar or two of Christmas Time (Don’t Let The Bells End), before ending their electric set with the mighty I Believe In A Thing Called Love.

Justin Hawkins of The Darkness performs on stage at American Express Presents BST Hyde Park on June 30, 2023 in London, United, Kingdom. (Photo by Dave Hogan/Hogan Media/Shutterstock)

“Hey you guys! How’s it going?” Justin asked fans. “We have never played [Hyde Park] before!” The frontman received a roar of applause from fans when he ditched a black pinstripe jacket and black vest for his trademark topless look.

The Darkness performs on stage at American Express Presents BST Hyde Park on June 30, 2023 in London, United, Kingdom. (Photo by Dave Hogan/Hogan Media/Shutterstock)

The day began on the Rainbow Stage presented by British Airways with The Dust Coda. The four-strong London-based rockers dished out tracks such as Limbo Man and songs from their Top 30 album, Mojo Skyline, including Jimmy 2 Times. They were followed by Cardiff band James & The Cold Gun – who will release their debut album on 21 July – and LA hard rockers, Dirty Honey, who have expertly opened for Axl Rose before. “Let’s get you fired up for Guns N’ Roses!” they exclaimed.

Finally, it was American rock duo, Larkin Poe, who opened the Great Oak Stage for the day. Hailing from north Georgia and now living in Nashville, sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell warmed up the earlier arrivals with an upbeat, quirky set. “What a dream come true to be on this stage and be able to say, ‘Hello Hyde Park!’,” they beamed.

Rebecca Lovell and Megan Lovell of Larkin Poe perform on stage at American Express Presents BST Hyde Park on June 30, 2023 in London, United, Kingdom. (Photo by Dave Hogan/Hogan Media/Shutterstock)

A legendary day of live music on the third third day of this year’s American Express presents BST Hyde Park

American Express presents BST Hyde Park 2023 returns this month 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, the event 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, Stevie Wonder, Black Sabbath, Robbie Williams, Kylie Minogue, The Who, Blur, Kendrick Lamar 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 OPEN HOUSE 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. Visit www.bst-hydepark.com/events/open-house 

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, Live Nation, 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.
 

About AEG Presents:

AEG Presents is AEG’s live-entertainment division, a collection of companies dedicated to all aspects of live contemporary music performance, touring and a variety of programming and multi-media production.  AEG Presents is behind festivals such as California’s famed Coachella, Los Angeles’ Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival, London’s BST Hyde Park and All Points East, Paris’ Rock en Seine and a myriad of tours, live shows and venues around the world including the world’s most popular venue The O2 in London, LA’s Staples Center and many more.

Follow us on Twitter @AEG_Presents
 

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 £45m 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/TheRoyalParksLondonand Instagram.com/TheRoyalParks.

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

facebook.com/americanexpress  

instagram.com/americanexpress

Linkedin.com/company/american-express

twitter.com/americanexpress

youtube.com/americanexpress

About The Author

Show More
Back to top button
error: Content is protected !!