Shania Twain turns Hyde Park into a boot-stompin’ honky-tonk

08 July 2024, 10:40

Original Photography by Dave Hogan

Dominating a sea of cowboy hats and animal print, Shania Twain disproves any lukewarm Glastonbury reports with a scintillating set, writes Jen Long.

Perhaps it's a knock-on effect from Harry Styles’ Love On Tour or Taylor Swift’s Eras, but music fans seem ever-more willing to turn a concert into an occasion.

Travelling into central London for Shania Twain’s return to Hyde Park for the BST series, tube carriages are packed full of girls, gays and theys sporting cowboy hats and boots, double-denim and leopard print, belting out the headliner’s hits by way of preview.

The festival site is packed, a sea of colour and glitter, as Twain takes stage backed by her audaciously animated band and launches into “Don't Be Stupid (You Know I Love You).” Following her performance last weekend at Glastonbury, she was dealt light criticism for not holding enough hits to take the legend’s slot. At Hyde Park, while the classics (“That Don't Impress Me Much,” “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!”) are seismic singalongs, it’s the deeper cuts that bring the crowd together. “Any Man of Mine” and “Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?” turn the damp field into the Twain Town Saloon.

The last time Twain played the royal park was in 2003, since then she’s been open about her battle with lyme disease, which has affected her voice. While her range is obviously reduced, her charisma, aptitude and the place she clearly holds in so many fans’ hearts elevates her performance into a joyful experience.

“Positivity is a cure,” she tells the crowd before launching into “Up!” Dressed in a striking Vivienne Westwood set and sipping from a giant Stanley cup, she embodies the country-pop dichotomy, and elaborates on the genre’s new-found popularity. “Folk music has developed all over the world. It’s the song, it’s the story, and it just makes me feel good,” she says.

Ultimately she delivers ninety-minutes of endorphin boosts to Hyde Park, cementing her status as a legendary name without doubt.

Setlist

“Don't Be Stupid (You Know I Love You)”
“You Win My Love”
“Waking Up Dreaming”
“Up!”
“I'm Gonna Getcha Good!”
“You're Still the One”
“Come on Over”
“Any Man of Mine”
“Giddy Up!”
“Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?”
“Honey, I'm Home”
“From This Moment On”
“That Don't Impress Me Much”
“Party for Two”
“Rock This Country!”
“(If You're Not in It for Love) I'm Outta Here!”
“Man! I Feel Like a Woman!”