Mid-way through Glory Days, song 24 on the 28 song setlist unfurled in front of a sell-out 65,000 capacity crowd at the second of his brace of BST Hyde Park headline shows, Bruce Springsteen looks across to his faithful lieutenant Little Steven, sighs, and says, "Steve, I think it's time to go home."
Drawing upon his wealth of late-career acting experience in The Sopranos and Lilyhammer, Stevie Van Zandt, drapes an arm over his friend's shoulder, his facial expression one giant question mark, and replies, "Say what?"
Springsteen drops his voice to a theatrical stage whisper.
"I said, I think it's time to go home."
Van Zandt now looks even more confused.
"But... but..."
"I'm telling you," Springsteen hisses through gritted teeth, a petulant sulk creasing his face, "they're going to pull that fucking plug again! They're going to pull that fucking plug again!"
It's an in-joke that the majority of the 65,000 fans gathered here this evening understand. When Springsteen first played Hyde Park, back in 2012, some Westminster Council jobsworth decided to switch off the PA when a two-song encore with surprise special guest Paul McCartney crept beyond the event curfew, leading an enraged Little Steven to label England "a police state". Tonight, leaving nothing to chance, Springsteen and The E Street Band take to the stage for the penultimate BST Hyde Park festival show of 2023 at 7pm sharp: what follows is over three hours of live music which sparks pure euphoria throughout the royal park.
