With the exception of Bob Dylan, there aren’t many rock stars who can divide opinion quite as much as Neil Young. For every person (including some on this website) that cannot abide him, there are others who hang on the mercurial Canadian’s every note and word. He remains a big enough draw to headline Glastonbury, as well as this less controversial and publicised date as part of the British Summer Time festival.

Two of my three previous sightings of him have also been here – combined with the fact that chances to see the 79 year old might be running out, an added attraction was to cross off two other legendary figures that I had never seen perform live in another 79 year old in Van Morrison and Yusuf/Cat Stevens, a mere youngster at 76. Both were given generous hour-long sets.

I joked beforehand to a workmate I was attending the ‘boomer event of the year’ yet not only was Hyde Park pretty full, but with a wide variety of ages, not only those who remember the counterculture these gentlemen emerged from. However, a challenge for all concerned was how to cope with 90 degree plus temperatures in an open area with little shade.

Van Morrison’s answer was a dapper one, sporting a Panama hat with a blue ribbon to match his paisley shirt and cravat. Pity though the poor members of his 12-piece band, also many of an age, sweltering in black outfits, though a gazebo in the centre of the stage provided some protection.

The Northern Irishman opened with one of his best loved songs in ‘Into the Mystic’, then adding some sax to the impressive ‘Cutting Corners’. That distinctive voice sounded surprisingly fresh, though as usual other than the odd instruction to his band there was no communication with the audience.

The set moved into some jazzier numbers in medley format with the horn section, particularly the trumpet player, prominent, while ‘Carrying the Torch’ was one of a couple of duets with one of a pair of female backing vocalists. A couple of blues songs including ‘Ain’t Gonna Moan No More’ featured multiple instrumental slots, with the jazzy feel never far away, not least on the big band swing of ‘The New Symphony Sid’.

However by this stage I was yearning for something more familiar and got it with ‘Whenever God Shines His Light’ (bizarrely his highest charting UK single), including some tidy slide guitar playing and the same backing singer playing the Cliff Richard part, and ‘Wild Night’.

‘Summertime in England’ developed in very entertaining call and response fashion as the sax player echoed his vocals, but at that point the set threatened to end in anticlimax as with his name being called Van walked from the stage as the band played on. Fortunately, he soon returned from the wings, playing harmonica, and a lively ‘Gloria’ was of course made for audience participation- though once again he left the stage before the end and there was a vocal coda from the other backing singer. A singular man to the end, yet I enjoyed his performance much more than expected.

The second legendary figure on was Cat Stevens/Yusuf, surely one of BST’s most local performers ever, having been born in nearby Marylebone. I’m a convert to his beautiful songwriting even if it is far from my usual musical ballpark and it was watching his show stealing legends slot at Glastonbury a couple of years ago on TV that made me think that I ought to see him before it was too late, especially as he does not tour too often.

Slightly bizarrely he came out on stage and immediately retreated while an animated ‘Tea for the Tillerman’ video played, but after that false start opened with a couple of old folk rock favourites in ‘The Wind’ and ‘Sitting’. Unlike the acts either side of him he was a compulsive communicator with the crowd, though there was an irony that his first comment was to say ‘Midday (Avoid City After Dark’) was written in the style of Van Morrison! It also brought back personal memories, as it was that Alan Yentob documentary on the BBC when he was first resuming his musical career with the ‘An Other Cup’ album that first spurred my interest in him.

However when he modestly introduced an old song it was time to listen intently to ‘First Cut Is the Deepest’ and marvel that we were seeing a song that has been extensively covered and will continue to be played centuries from now, delivered by the actual man who wrote it while still in his teens. There was another crowd singalong to ‘Moonshadow’, yet his able band also shone on some more musically intricate material, notably on ‘On the Road to Find Out’, the ‘Freedom Calling’ part of ‘Foreigner Suite’ and even the blues of ‘Big Boss Man’.

Child welfare and other humanitarian issues have long been dear to him, so a series of songs including ‘Where Do the Children Play’ and ‘The Little Ones’ were interspersed with references ranging from the Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia 30 years ago to, naturally, the current situation in Gaza. His views were strongly expressed yet in gentle and measured tones.

The last part of the set was the best. The poignant lyrics and melodies of ‘Father and Son’ get me every time (none more so when used in the Ted Lasso finale, but I digress). Then helped by lyrics being flashed on the screen, ‘If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out’ and ‘Wild World’ became big joyous communal singalongs.

He seemed a little breathless in the heat while speaking but used up all the time and more, running over as he finished with ‘Peace Train’. While perhaps not as hit packed a set as that one at Glastonbury, it was the perfect accompaniment to a warm summer’s early evening and at that stage I was putting short odds against him stealing the show.

The omens indeed were not good when Neil Young and his relatively new Chrome Hearts band came on in low key fashion to a plain backdrop with no stage show. Sporting a baggy t-shirt and grey hair poking out of a railroad engineer’s cap, his face betrayed no hint of a smile, even less so when a sound glitch meant his first couple of lines were inaudible.

The band went straight into a trio of workouts all nine minutes or so in length- starting with a slow burning but splenetic ‘Ambulance Blues’. He said very little during the set and none of it political, but I couldn’t help thinking this half century old song was being dusted off for a purpose when I heard the ‘I never knew a man could tell so many lies, he has a different story for every set of eyes‘ line.

The better known ‘Cowgirl In The Sand’ saw him benefit from good harmony vocal support and was the first demonstration of that unique and thrillingly ragged guitar style that led him to be dubbed the Godfather of Grunge. And while his newest album remained oddly ignored, ‘Be The Rain’ was returned to the set as a timely lyrical reminder of his long-time environmental concerns.

A couple of more concise numbers in ‘When You Dance I Can Really Love’, and ‘Cinnamon Girl’, which got by far the biggest cheers to date, illustrated quite how well he was working with the Chrome Hearts. Regularly he would swing over to jam in close proximity to the young rhythm trio, the line-up completed by the wizened figure of keyboardist Spooner Oldham, a man who goes back even further than the trio of stars.

‘F***ing Up’ was proof that for this Jekyll and Hyde character the noisier and angrier part of his repertoire was at this stage dominant. Indeed ‘Sun Green’ served its purpose as another political rant, to a Canned Heat-like musical backing (with second guitarist Micah Nelson switching to keys). I also got the impression that, while he may look like the neighbour telling the kids to get off his lawn, he was actually really enjoying himself letting sentiments like ‘hey Mr Clean, you’re dirty now’ go and was sounding in strong voice.

But after more feedback strewn soloing in ‘Southern Man’, belatedly we got Mr Hyde the acoustic troubadour with touching versions of ‘The Needle And The Damage Done’ and ‘Harvest Moon’, perfectly placed to match the atmosphere as the sun gradually went down, as well as ‘Looking Forward’, which had me thinking I should dust down the Crosby Stills Nash and Young album of the same name, played once and now on the shelf. He then turned to piano for ‘After The Gold Rush’, another to get a warm reception especially when he updated it to sing ‘mother nature on the run in the 21^st Century’.

Back in full on electric mode, ‘Love To Burn’ ended up being a bit repetitive but then, as Micah pointed his guitar skywards and a giant winged wooden idol came down from the stage, ‘Hey Hey My My’ was as thrilling a slab of noise as it has ever been and again the old curmudgeon seemed to be enjoying himself too. In another change of style he took to what looked like a church organ for another CSNY song in ‘Name Of Love’ and ended the main set with a beguiling ‘Old Man’, Micah adding lap steel guitar.

I feared there may only be time for one encore song, and the band got back into that rough and ragged groove for ‘Throw Your Hatred Down’, another dug out of obscurity with a timely message, if again a bit monotonous.

Fortunately, as he struck those unmistakable chords, there was still time for ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’, a song much covered but never bettered. It was the perfect crowd pleasing closer, though he dragged it out with a repeated chant of ‘we need a man of the people to keep hope alive’, at least three false endings, and at 1030 on the dot the plug was unceremoniously pulled as the band were still finishing off.

Of my four Neil Young shows, this was easily the most satisfying. I never expected him to be so vibrant and even appearing to have fun. Best of all, the often contrary artist picked a perfect setlist that both devotees and casual fans could enjoy. It ended a memorable evening seeing three genuine legends, all of whom have marched to the sound of their own drum and forged a unique style for seven decades. We may not see their like again.

Review and Photos by Andy Nathan

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