Photo Credit: BBC/Sarah Jeynes
Closing out the summer festival season in style once again was BBC Radio 2 in the Park. Taking place at Hylands Park in Chelmsford, a familiar site for festival action of the years, saw BBC Radio 2 bring in huge names, massive headliners and local stars across two days in the sunshine.
Kicking off the day were Welsh rock giants STEREOPHONICS, who are usually a festival headliner themselves, selling out multiple arenas up and down the country, this was a welcomed addition to get the crowd warmed up with their thirty minute performance. Opening with ‘Vegas Two Times‘, the Chelmsford crowd were instantly locked in. Following up with ‘I Wanna Get Lost with You‘ and the classic ‘Have A Nice Day‘, Kelly addressed the crowd to leave all their worries at the door and enjoy themselves at the show as he led the band into ‘There’s Always Gonna Be Something‘, a slower intro to ‘Maybe Tomorrow‘ before concluding with the timeless hit ‘Dakota‘ to round off their triumphant opening performance.
Returning to her home turf, pop sensation JESSIE J delivered a more different approach to her live show with a stripped back acoustic display. Opening with her chart topping single ‘Domino’, the fresh approach to the track certainly worked perfectly, allowing Jessie’s vocals to take on a far more dominant role. In between tracks she would entertain the audience with stories, which led in to her next songs ‘Living My Best Life’ and ‘Believe in Magic’. Her son was watching in the wings, and even ran out to see his Mum and sang ‘Happy Birthday To You’ which got everyone in the attendance a little teary eyed while applauding the beautiful moment. Rounding off with ‘Nobody’s Perfect’ and finally her chart topping hit ‘Price Tag’, Jessie’s homecoming was nothing short of amazing.
Just 24 hours after the re-release of his debut album ‘Ronan’, celebrating 25 years of his solo career RONAN KEATING brought out all the stops for his Radio 2 in the Park performance. Opening with the rockier ‘Lovin’ Each Day‘ to get the place up off of their feet now the sun began to set. Ronan followed this up with a cover of Tracy Chapman’s ‘Baby Can I Hold You‘ with the crowd matching the energy throughout into ‘Last Thing On My Mind‘. Ronan then told the story of how his next song ‘The Way You Make Me Feel‘ came about, where he greeted Saturday night headline Bryan Adams to join him for this. A very pleasant surprise to see the headline act make a brief appearance for a song he collaborated on 25 years ago. Keating rounded off his set with ‘When You Say Nothing At All‘ and finally his biggest hit to date, ‘Life Is A Rollercoaster‘, with Keating making his way along the catwalk stage, singing directly into the camera for those at the back to see as well as pointing and waving at his fans who surrounded the barricade.
Concluding Saturday night with a series of hits, Canadian rock star BRYAN ADAMS graced Hylands Park with his presence. Having released his sixteenth studio album ‘Roll With the Punches‘ just a week prior to his BBC Radio 2 in the Park performance, tracks from the record have quickly become firm favourites with his fans across the globe. Opening with ‘Kick Ass‘, followed by crowd pleasers and classic Bryan Adams tracks ‘Run To You‘ and ‘Somebody’, the crowd at Hylands Park were already satisfied at this stage. Unleashing further classics in the form of ’18 til I Die’, ‘Heaven‘ and ‘When You’re Gone‘, the latter saw Melanie C join Adams on stage to deliver the track with full effect. Emotional song ‘(Everything I Do) I Do It For You‘ set up the final portion of the night where the inevitable ‘Summer of 69‘ concluded Bryan Adams’ headline performance at BBC Radio 2 in the Park with a roaring applause that could be heard across the county of Essex.
Boasting a career that spans over three decades, Chesire born David Gray‘s presence sends chills down peoples spines no matter where he performs. With a surprise addition to the line-up for this year’s BBC Radio 2 in the Park which saw a strong six-song set from the Sale man, tracks from his most recent record ‘Dear Life‘ and ten time platinum selling ‘White Ladder‘ playing the part across the performance. A duo from his most famous record kicked off the show, with ‘Please Forgive Me‘ opening followed by fan favourite and timeless classic ‘Babylon‘ to follow, Gray’s energy was impeccable for a man behind the keys. Talie Rae joined the stage for ‘Plus & Mine‘ before concluding with ‘Sail Away‘ for a brilliant but short show.
Britpop legends Suede served as one of the earlier acts performing on the Sunday line-up. Boasting three UK #1 albums since bursting onto the scene in the mid90s, Brett Anderson and co remain one of the most energetic bands of that era. Their tenth studio album ‘Antidepressants‘ was unveiled to the world just 48 hours prior to their performance, so with a couple of tracks from that record featuring in the set, the remainder were Suede classics. Opening with ‘Trash‘ to a packed Hylands Park field in front of them, Anderson relished the thriving audience below him. A step back in time continued with ‘Trance State‘ before the conclusion came in the form of ‘Beautiful Ones‘ to round off their strong afternoon slot.
Local Essex lad Olly Murs returned to his homeland for a special performance that saw him warm up the crowd ahead of the festival’s closing act. Kicking off with ‘Troublemaker‘, this was enough to get Hylands Park dancing right from the off. Having performed earlier in the day, Olly invited Anastacia on stage for a joint effort of ‘Up‘, with further fan favourites flourishing through until the end. ‘Dear Darlin‘, ‘Heart Skips A Beat‘ and finally ‘Dance With Me Tonight‘ concluded Olly Murs’ grand homecoming in style with pure energy, singalongs and emotions.
Closing out another fantastic BBC Radio 2 in the Park saw Sheffield rock gods Def Leppard grace Chelmsford’s Hylands Park with an action packed set that covered many of the bands greatest hits. As they made their way out on to the stage, a huge roar welcomed the Steel City band as they unleashed into their powerful performance with ‘Rock! Rock! (Til You Drop)’. Keeping up with the big hitters, ‘Rocket’, ‘Lets Get Rocked’ and ‘Animal’, guitarists Viv Campbell and Phil Collen treat their fans to various guitar solos, shredding riffs and smiles throughout the show, while Joe Elliott and Rick Savage strut around the stage, covering all areas. With no time for an encore, Def Leppard powered on right through as they rounded off with fan favourites ‘Photograph’, ‘Hysteria’ and finally ‘Pour Some Sugar On Me’ to bow out of Chelmsford to a roaring cheer and the perfect conclusion to the 2025 edition of BBC Radio 2 in the Park.
Taped Magazine 