Possibly one of the more chilled out BST Hyde Park days yet, it made for a lovely, easy going atmosphere being amongst the Neil Young crowd. Everything was more relaxed – the queues were less at the vendors and toilets and even the crowds at the main stage seemed to be more spread out despite being an event at capacity. Young’s fans are just more respectable, they are simply here to enjoy the music, music they have loved for decades.

Casually walking on stage solo, Young begins the set with Ambulance Blues, stunning the crowd with his still as ever crisp vocal and highly skilled guitar playing. With the band joining him on stage which includes our favourite Micah Nelson (son of Willie Nelson) it was quite the scene to witness so many musicians who are clearly masters of their craft playing together with such passion and ease. What an absolute privilege to be in that audience.

The set was filled with fan favourites from his own catalogue and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young which catered for all the audience a few times over. Cinnamon Girl was a highlight and of course you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who didn’t feel emotional and nostalgic during Harvest Moon. The audience seemed to be soaking in every moment and singing along to their hearts content. Despite saying a chilled environment, there did seem to be more of a party going on in general admission, perhaps that is where a fair amount of hardcore fans were as they really brought the energy. Young continuously thanked his fans for being there and the entire performance was like a trip down memory lane. Each song will bound to have a core memory for his fans and at times, it was beautiful to see the emotion on people’s faces.

Closing with Rockin’ In The Free World, the PA was cut as he went slightly over curfew. This didn’t deter anyone’s enjoyment though and the crowd all left feeling completely satisfied with Young’s set.

Neil Young is a legend, there is no doubt about that and still to this day he delivers the performance of a lifetime. It should be noted I am not a hardcore Young fan so perhaps more seasoned Young concert goers may have a different opinion but for me, and as contradicting as this sounds as is the second time I have seen him live, I found the performance to be a once in a life time opportunity and was completely blown away. This is usually the case for BST Hyde Park events with legends and I am sure I will say the same tomorrow for Stevie Wonder.