Garth Brooks gives London the homecoming it had been waiting decades for
Garth Brooks kicked off BST Hyde Park on Saturday night with the kind of show only he seems able to pull off: a field full of cowboy hats, tens of thousands of voices singing back every word, and an artist who looked genuinely stunned by what he was seeing in front of him. It was his first time playing under the festival’s newly expanded capacity, and the night went down as the biggest single show in BST Hyde Park’s history.
For Brooks, this was never going to be just another date. He built his name in the late 1980s and went on to become the best-selling solo artist in U.S. history, a status confirmed by the Recording Industry Association of America and one he holds ahead of Elvis Presley. Albums like “No Fences” and “Ropin’ the Wind” turned him into a phenomenon, and he remains the only artist ever to land nine separate albums at Diamond certification, more than ten million copies sold each. Yet despite all that, his presence on British stages has been rare, and Saturday’s appearance felt less like a regular tour stop and more like a long-overdue reunion.
He didn’t waste any time setting the tone. Visibly moved by the reception, Brooks told the crowd that normally the magic comes from the stage, but on this night it came from the audience instead. He opened with “Rodeo” and had the entire field moving within seconds, helped along by fans who had travelled in from across the UK and Ireland just to be there. The cover of Dennis Robbins’ “Two of a Kind, Workin’ on a Full House” came next, setting up a set that blended his own catalogue with a string of well-chosen covers.
Brooks has always leaned on storytelling, and “The Beaches of Cheyenne” showed exactly why that’s earned him a reputation as one of country music’s finest songwriters. He introduced it warmly, almost cautiously, hoping the crowd would still remember it. They did. Later, a fan’s sign in the audience sent the show off script entirely, prompting an unplanned version of Bob Seger’s “Night Moves.” Brooks laughed it off, joking that a show like this isn’t supposed to change on a dime, before delivering a performance that suggested otherwise.
The singalongs only grew from there. “The River” drew a response loud enough to visibly catch him off guard, and by the time “Two Pina Coladas” rolled around, it felt like the whole park knew every line. He also paid tribute to a fellow BST Hyde Park alumnus with covers of Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” and “Shameless,” both met with loud approval. And when “Friends in Low Places” finally arrived, it landed exactly the way it was always going to: as a full-blown, park-wide anthem. Before it, Brooks told the audience he was floored by the love shown to him that night, adding that whatever happens next, he’d be back.
It’s the kind of moment that fits neatly into a career already overflowing with milestones. Brooks has picked up the Kennedy Center Honor and the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, alongside a string of RIAA Diamond Awards and seven CMA Entertainer of the Year titles, a record nobody else holds. He’s also a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Musicians Hall of Fame and the Grand Ole Opry, credentials that put him among the most significant figures country music has produced.
Earlier in the day, Zac Brown Band warmed things up nicely. “Toes” got feet moving and voices singing along to its laid-back refrain, and the band made clear how much it meant to be invited along by Brooks. A high-energy run through “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” pushed the party further, before the group played “Hard Run” from their album “Love & Fear.”
Elsewhere on the bill, Jackson Dean drew an enthusiastic response on the Rainbow Stage with songs from his album “Magnolia Sage,” while Ashley McBryde brought a heavier, rock-leaning edge to the Great Oak Stage, joking about the size of the crowd before launching into “One Night Standards.” Mae Estes had the audience laughing along before “Guitar with a Twang,” and Alexandra Kay impressed with “Everleave” and “Straight for the Heart,” along with a cover of Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club” that won the crowd over completely. The Shires opened the Great Oak Stage with visible pride in how far the UK country scene has come, Crowe Boys got an early singalong going with a cover of Snow Patrol’s “Chasing Cars,” and over on the Birdcage Stage, McGrath, Leah Blevins and Chanel Yates all turned in strong sets, Yates closing hers with a cover of Christina Aguilera’s “Genie in a Bottle.”
It was a packed opening day, and a hard one to follow. BST Hyde Park continues over the coming weeks with headline sets from ATEEZ, Maroon 5, Mumford & Sons, Duran Duran, Pitbull and a two-night run from Lewis Capaldi.
