LN Enjoys Stroll In The Park

Hard Rock Calling and O2 Wireless Festival turned out to be something of a stroll in a London park for Live Nation, as both events reported sellout shows and record crowds.

Toby Leighton-Pope said he was very happy to get 36,000 into Hyde Park for a Saturday-night bill that included Eric Clapton, Sheryl Crow, John Mayer and Robert Randolph & The Family Band. He was also happy with the 30,000 who turned up the following day to see The Police, KT Tunstall, The Bangles, Starsailor and The Stranglers.

Between Hard Rock Calling (June 28-29) and O2 Wireless Festival (July 3-6), Leighton-Pope managed to squeeze in another Hyde Park show for Jack Johnson supported by Ben Harper, which did 35,000.

Wireless booker Steve Homer kept the ball rolling and, after the first two days had pulled 14,500 and 19,500 respectively, finished eight days in Hyde Park with two 25,000-capacity sellouts headlined by Fatboy Slim and Counting Crows.

Both Leighton-Pope and Homer reckoned it was the best of the four years that LN has done in the park, selling 185,000 tickets at an average of nearly 26,500 tickets per show day.

Homer’s Wireless bill included Jay-Z, Hot Chip, Morrissey, Beck, Guillemots, Dirty Pretty Things, New York Dolls, Ben Harper, Bowling For Soup and Powderfinger.