Bruce Springsteen's Hyde Park gig won't be cut off after infamous 2012 gig

28 June 2023 , 18:43

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Bruce at Hyde Park in 2012 (Image: PA)

Rocker Bruce Springsteen is returning to London’s Hyde Park – where he was famously cut off 11 years ago.

But this time, organisers say The Boss will not be silenced.

Bruce is going on earlier, at around 7pm, so his notoriously long set won’t run over and fall foul of the 10.30pm curfew.

A source at the BST Hyde Park show said the scheduling would ensure the icon gets to play all his hits with no interruption when he takes to the stage next Thursday and Saturday.

The source added: “Fans needn’t worry… there will be plenty of time to hear what will be two historic sets.”

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The 73-year-old, whose hits include Born to Run, last played the Royal Park in 2012 as part of festival Hard Rock Calling, which was arranged by a different promoter.

The Boss is due to play two sets at Hyde Park (Darren Quinton/Birmingham Live)

Sir Paul McCartney joined Springsteen and his E Street Band to play Beatles classics I Saw Her Standing There and Twist and Shout. But as the stars appeared ready to launch into another number, their microphones were switched off.

Westminster Council insists on a 10.30pm finish – which caused Steve Van Zandt, one of the E Street Band guitarists, to vent his fury at the “police state”.

And London’s then-mayor, Boris Johnson, criticised the move as “an excessively efficacious decision”, saying the band should have been allowed to “jam in the name of the Lord”.

Bruce’s return comes as BST promoter Jim King said they could have sold out Hyde Park four times over – after all 130,000 tickets for the two days disappeared in just minutes

And he described The Boss, from New Jersey, as “one of the most important artists not just of his generation but every generation since he first started”.

He added: “He is as relevant today as ever and if you look at the artists who want to perform with him, and the fans who want to come out and the multi-generational aspect of both of those dynamics, it’s incredible.

“Those shows sold out in a heartbeat. We could have sold four out with him easily.

“One of world music’s few – and true – icons and incredibly relevant still.”

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Billy Joel and Lana Del Rey will appear along with Bruce next week.

Tom Bryant