JIM KING weekends, the new-look event featured enhanced and new creative elements, along with a substantially bigger Great Oak Stage that enabled it to accommodate more stadium level-touring productions.
BST Hyde Park 2022 saw Star Live deliver the new Great Oak Stage, consisting of its Titan stage, a huge oak tree stage right, and a stunning wrap around screen.
Star Live also installed grandstand hospitality using its VISTA Starbox structure, and worked across numerous elements from accessible viewing platforms to the Rainbow stage.
Project director Gavin Scott has been leading the project for Star Live since 2022, and worked closely with Es Devlin again prior to the unveiling of the new look Oak Stage.
He says,“ It is a much bigger stage, and initially the challenge was building a scaled oak tree that size that replicated a tree’ s natural structural integrity, and then integrating all the technical production, the screens, audio and lighting, to make it blend in without impacting sightlines.”
Post-Covid, King says he never had any doubts about the decision to expand BST Hyde Park to nine shows once the Covid restrictions were lifted:“ I always had great confidence coming out of Covid, across all of our festivals, but most strongly with BST. We wanted to uplift the event to come back as strong as possible. Fortunately, we have a strong network of suppliers. Including Capital, Vanguardia, Peppermint, Star, Proper and Spacial who have worked with me for over 20 years, and they always embrace the ideas and vision that I am seeking. London, for me, is the best live music city in the world, and BST is in the middle of it. You can walk to it, it has the most amazing production, incredible fan experiences and so why would people not want to come?”
L-R Jim with AEG Presents EVP Shawn Trell and chairman Jay Marciano
“ What Jim has done in Hyde Park, reimagining what an event could look like in that location, is a remarkable job. The event just screams quality,” says Barton.
One of the most powerful agents in the world, CAA’ s Rob Light has been supportive of King’ s work on BST Hyde Park since the early days.
“ There are a lot of great stadiums, Wembley is certainly one of the iconic ones, but there is nothing like Hyde Park, being in the centre of an amazing city like London, walking to the venue from the tube – the beauty and magic of the city surrounding you, and an audience that is so excited to be there,” says Light.“ I have been to so many magical shows in the park, it brings a very special energy – Carole King doing Tapestry start to finish for the first time ever, Michael Buble singing for 90 minutes straight in the pouring rain and crushing it, Stevie doing Songs in the Key of Life, Bon Jovi, the Eagles..
“ I went to the Stones with Tom Cruise as my guest. Tom didn’ t want to leave before the end and beat the traffic, so he stayed to the last note and walked home with 65,000 fans. Lana Del Rey mesmerising 65,000 people, Springsteen and McCartney, Streisand; I could go on and on. For many years Shania Twain would be in London for Wimbledon, and she would come to the shows with me, and I would say,‘ You need to headline here’. Last year she did and loved it. It just is a very, very, special place for music.”
AEG has the Hyde Park contract until 2027, and King says that his vision for the event stretches far beyond that:“ I think BST has only just got started. There are great artists coming through. There are more stadium shows taking place than ever, and look at who ' s headlining, nearly all of them are aged between 25 and 50. I still passionately believe that artists want to play the best shows. The promoter helping deliver that magical connection between the biggest artists in the world and their fans is everything. That’ s why I do this.”
King has come a long way in the past 30 years but shows no sign of slowing down. He says that since AEG launched the European Festival division that he oversees, it has gone from promoting six festival days to more than 30, and the plan is to maintain that momentum.
“ That growth will keep going, but it ' s sustainable and targeted. We want all of our shows to stand for something and be coordinated with each other because there is strategic value in enabling them to be routed and booked collectively.”
“ I look at the successes of Coachella since it started in 1999 and where it is now. I ' d like all of our shows to be able to replicate the success and longevity of what Paul Tollett has achieved there. Similarly, I ' m tremendously proud we started Creamfields back in 1998, and what Scott Barton, who used to work with me, is still delivering. These festivals have a long journey still left to run, and I feel that all of the events that we ' re involved in are on the same trajectory.”
Taking the plunge
In 2018, with AEG Presents having won the tender for East London’ s Victoria Park, All Points East( APE) was born. The award-winning, 10-day, 50,000-capacity, APE festival consists
WHAT OTHERS SAY...
“ I’ ve worked with Jim for many years and with many of my artists, including Tom Petty and Bob Dylan. Some of my artists are not easy, but Jim has always been very professional and great to work with. I always think of him as Gentleman Jim.”
ITB founder Barry Dickens accessaa. co. uk 31