A party on top of a party, Hyde park provided all the spectacle of the Olympics opening ceremony, with a couple of homegrown bands thrown in for good measure.
After Rihanna and Hard rock calling, Hyde Park has finally got the wood chips out so we’re not sliding in mud. Which is fine, but with the rain and damp the whole arena has the scent of a garden centre at the weekend, or a very large Hamster cage. A hamster cage with an extremely timid sound system; as has been noted all summer, gigs in Hyde park have been suffering from a chronic lack of volume. Even simon and garfunkel fans complained it wasn’t loud enough. Simon and Garfunkel! Are they really that worried about getting a snotty complaint from some big wig in The Dorchester across the road? Anyway…at least tonight we’re allowed stay up past our bedtime (sorry Springsteen).
Following Paolo Nutini, Duran Duran open with ‘Planet Earth’ and ‘a View to a Kill’, they were briefly upstaged by the Red Arrows during ‘The Reflex’ and finished with ‘Wild Boys’ and ”Rio’. Sure they might be short on recent hits but they get the party started.
Then came the opening ceremony from the Olympic stadium on several big screens around the park, turning the concert into an almost cozy domestic experience, with much of the crowd choosing to sit down like kids round the telly. By now everybody knows what a resounding success it was, but briefly this is what it was like from the park: The Skit with Bond and HRH went down a storm, as did the Mr. Bean sketch. The history of British music section turned the park into one huge karaoke session, with ‘Bohemian rhapsody’ getting the biggest singalong. Of course the forging of the Olympic ring got the biggest ‘oooh’ of the evening.
Following that spectacle is a though call, but sterophonics hit the ground running, banging out ‘the bartender and the thief’ for all they’re worth. Most of the rest of their set is mid tempo, radio friendly tunes. They do catchy yet morose pretty well. Their cover of ‘Handbags and gladrags’ is a particular high point, an achingly bittersweet ballad if ever there was one.
Snow Patrol don’t have any banging tunes. I don’t know, they’re a rock band and yet, they do not rock. Their one high point is ‘chasing cars’ which they play as the screens either side show team GB entering the stadium. Then it’s time for the lighting of the torch, and singalonga Macca, there’s nothing like a rousing Chorus of ‘Na Na Nanana Naaaa’ to send a crowd home happy, smiling and still singing into the darkness. Well done Danny Boyle and co. if you’re going to blow 27 million in one go, then you might as well put a smile on the whole country.
For more information on events and the closing concert check out:
http://www.btlondonlive.com/home
