The Mirror goes behind the scenes of Neil Young’s incredible BST Hyde Park show as we speak to tour insiders about the star’s life on the road
At 10.32pm on Friday night – two minutes after the strict curfew in London’s Hyde Park had passed – Neil Young’s guitar finally fell silent. After a blistering encore of Rockin’ in the Free World, with three false endings, festival bosses had no choice but to fade down the volume to zero.
For a man who took on the BBC over its Glastonbury coverage and won, he had met his match when it came to Westminster Council’s licensing laws. Not that the fans seemed to mind.
To them, Neil’s little act of defiance was the perfect ending to what has been billed as one of the all-time-great BST performances. “You could tell he was just goading them into that, it was glorious,” said one.
At 79-years-old, it would appear Neil is still very much a rule-breaker. In fact, the UK leg of his Love Earth world tour has been an exercise in doing things differently. Just ask both Emily and Michael Eavis. They were left poleaxed after Neil pulled out of Glastonbury earlier this year accusing it of being “under corporate control”.
He later reversed his decision but then took on the BBC and only allowed them to live-stream his set at the last minute. It’s not available on iPlayer.
Council red-tape aside, it was more plain sailing when it came to his second UK show in Hyde Park. For all his no-nonsense reputation, insiders say the opposite is true when you actually meet the Heart of Gold musician.
Many backstage at BST were surprised by how “incredibly down to earth and laidback he was ….with barely any entourage and just wife Daryl Hannah and a few family and friends.” One said: “Neil made the effort to go around thanking everybody, particularly all the security staff who remarked how lovely he was afterwards.”
Unlike other big A-list stars, it was very much a low-key affair with no fuss. Staff had laid on a table football table which “went down well”, as well as fridges loaded with Grolsch and Peroni.
Front of house, it was a markedly different atmosphere with a guest list spanning fashion, music, film and sport all clamouring to watch him. “It was almost like a pilgrimage…..Kate Moss, Owen Wilson, Dua Lipa, John McEnroe, Derek Chisora were all there,” says one insider.
Supermodel Moss is a particularly enthusiastic fan of the godfather of grunge. But despite being side of stage for support act Van Morrison, she didn’t have any such luck with Neil and watched from the crowd instead.
For a man who is turning 80 this November, this may have been because of Covid protocols. All staff working around the headline area were asked to take a Covid test before entering.
“It was a precaution but an important one not least as his tour goes on for many months,” said one.
But it would appear Neil still got to enjoy a taste of Britain. For a man who doesn’t do many interviews, many of the glimpses into the Canadian’s life comes from his website where he updates fans in his own inimitable style.
In staccato, short sentences, he said how the morning after Hyde Park he “went for a walk to the river…beautiful morning meadow…not too hot…nice breeze.”
Of the show itself, he admitted: “A lot of our family shared yesterday and the music was there for us…good to see and feel everyone.” He then chronicled his trip to Paris via Eurostar, where he was set to play last night (Sunday)
“Beautiful english countryside rolls by….may not see it til spring or summer next….want to return soon… missed too many old friends,” he says.
He added: “Sitting at the ferry dock watching so many cars coming off the ferry, arriving cars and home trailers…Everyone wants to visit England…so beautiful, open and friendly.”
Being on Eurostar, he said, reminded him of “playin’ trains with Ben..be nice to see him again soon.” Neil has previously told how he built an intricate miniature train set for him and his son Ben, who has severe cerebral palsy, to bond over.
For many fans, the beauty of the tour so far has been in its unpredictability. He is known to chop and change his set-list around at the last minute keeping the audience – and his band the Chrome Hearts – on their toes.
For a man whose back catalogue spans six decades including seminal albums Harvest, After the Gold Rust and Rust Never Sleeps, he is not short of material. And many believe this incarnation of the band has given Neil a new lease of life.
Certainly on stage, it seems like he is having a whale of a time, while both his haunting voice – and guitarmanship – remain as strong as ever. Says an insider: “The BST show was one of the best shows Neil had done…and the new band seems to have galvanised him.”
Of course, the singer is as famous for his activism as he is for his music. Just a few months ago he predicted that his outspoken attacks on Donald Trump could see him banned from entering the US for that leg of the tour.
“When I go to play music in Europe, if I talk about Donald J Trump, I may be one of those returning to America who is barred or put in jail to sleep on a cement floor with an aluminium blanket,” he wrote.
Even Neil’s train trip to Paris at the weekend was not without reflection about the state of the world.
After popping out the other end of the Channel Tunnel, he wrote: “On the way I saw the respect for earth’s beauty of France….no advertising billboards……pristine natural lands showing the beauty of Earth without disruption respect for earth beauty…appreciation…not a corporate $ checkbook. …They care in France…..it sure looks like it. ……music tomorrow..”
FIVE STAR REVIEW BY TOM BRYANT, ASSOCIATE EDITOR
It would take some effort to eclipse what was a magical show on Worthy Farm two weeks ago.
But as the sun set on W2, Neil Young did just that with a spell-binding performance for the ages.
All the focus had been on the star’s Glastonbury show in the build-up to his European tour. Not least the controversy over whether he would allow the BBC to screen his performance. But here in Hyde Park it was all about the music – and the 79-year-old rocker delivered with aplomb.
There was no scrimping on a hits-packed set list including Old Man, Harvest Moon and the Needle and the Damage Done. There was even a rare outing for his 1970 tear-jerker After the Gold Rush which made its tour debut.
Sat astride a piano, it was a moment of perfection and you could hear a pin drop in the hushed royal park. Otherwise, the godfather of grunge was at his rocking best, generating an inordinate amount of noise as they jammed into the night with a thrilling encore of Rockin’ in the Free World.
Until 10.32pm that is…