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#MusicMonday: Disappointment for Fans in London

Published Jul 16, 2012 By HD Living Staff

It’s said to be the best pairing since peanut butter and jelly as music lovers gathered for the Hard Rock Calling Music Festival in London this past weekend. After 50 years of waiting, Bruce Springsteen was finally given the opportunity to perform alongside Sir Paul McCartney, resulting in quite possibly one of the best duo’s ever. Unfortunately for both “The Boss” and “The Beatle”, as well as for the 80,000 fans that got to witness history, the concert was cut short due to the nightly noise curfew imposed at 10:30pm.

According to Leith Penny, the Westminster Council’s strategic director for city management, music licenses are granted until 10:30pm to protect residents in the area from late-night noise violations. Although the statute pleases the residents of the nearby neighborhoods surrounding Hyde Park, where the concert was held, to the fans and the performers it was considered an outrage. Naturally, many turned to Twitter to voice their frustration, and a number of tweets gave a glimpse into what they were thinking:

  • Steven Van Zandt, one of Springsteen’s guitarists tweeted, “We break curfews in every country but only English cops needs to “punish us” by not letting us leave until the entire crowd goes.”
  • Actor and comedian Simon Pegg also agreed with the fans, “Can’t believe they pulled the plug on Springsteen and Macca last night in Hyde Park. What joyless, bitter killjoy made that decision? #shame”.

The sudden an unexpected ending of the concert caused members of Springsteen’s E Street Band to react, issuing verbal complaints and comparing England to a “police state”. It is indeed a question of how the country that gave birth to some of the greatest rockers in the world was able to shut down one of the greatest gigs ever.

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