BST Hyde Park: Lana Del Rey's dazzling concert review

My dream eventually came true on Sunday, July 9, as I headed to Hyde Park to watch her live on stage.

Lana was the final headliner for American Express presents BST Hyde Park, after other icons such as P!nk, Take That, Billy Joel, Blackpink and Bruce Springsteen took to the outdoor stage.

My colleague Amy and I arrived at Hyde Park around 6pm, after enjoying some cocktails at a Simmons bar on Oxford Street.

We were informed to go to the South Entrance which was located near Queen Elizabeth Gate and shortly walked into the festival, queueing less than five minutes.

As soon as we arrived, we headed to the bar to grab a drink – I chose a can of Pino Grigio which set me back £7.50.

As expected, the drinks were overpriced – just like any other British festival – but this did not stop the dozens of people queueing for refreshments.

We had a wander around BST Hyde Park and grabbed something to eat – I had a chicken burrito which was £12.50, and Amy had a hotdog, which costed around £10 – the food was good, but again, overpriced (unsurprisingly).

Hyde Park was swarmed with guests – I couldn’t help but notice the fashion trend of low waist maxi skirts, bohemian crop tops and an array of hair bows, ribbons, and flower crowns – Urban Outfitters would have been proud.

We caught glimpses of one of Lana’s support acts, Father John Misty, who had a similar vibe to Lana with slow and tranquil hits.

BST festival (Image: NQ)

After Lana’s headline set at Glastonbury, I was expecting the National Anthem singer to arrive considerably late to the stage.

And like the true consistent icon she is – she did – but only by fifteen minutes, which is a step up from the 30-minute Glastonbury wait.

She welcomed the buzzy crowd just before 9pm to the rant track A&W, shortly followed by the saintly good Young & Beautiful.

The stage was surrounded by BST’s legendary Great Oak tree, as well as niche Lana references such as swings covered in flowers and walk-through mirrors – it was both whimsical and stunning – alike Lana, and her music.

I confess, I did have a search of the set list before I attended the event, and I was ecstatic to see my favourites on there, such as Bartender, Pretty When You Cry and of course, Born To Die.

My favourite part of the evening was when Lana made herself down to the crowd, and you could see her chatting, smiling, vaping, and taking selfies with the fans right in front – this is probably the most down-to-earth interaction I have ever seen between an A lister celebrity and fans.

Another personal favourite moment of mine was when Lana sang the melancholy Chemtrails Under The Country Club, when she switched the allude lyrics to “He got married while we were in couples’ therapy together” – a niche, witty reference to her past relationship which got the crowd cheering.

It was clear that she cares about her fans, and although there was hardly any crowd interaction between each song, watching her talk with people one-to-one is admirable and will be a moment those fans will remember forever.

Unlike her Glastonbury set where she was cut off during Video Games, the audience and I were able to watch it in full.

“I think this is where they cut me off” she humorously said as the song began to start.

It was mesmerising to see the thousands of people in the crowd who sang along to every lyric and harmony; Lana has a way of enchanting her fans and it was evident all through the evening.

And just like that, it was over, and we made our way to Green Park tube station – which was around a half-an-hour walk – surprisingly good considering the thousands of people doing the same thing. The evening was spectacular and she did what she came to do - wow the crowd.