Garth Brooks Opens BST Hyde Park 2026 With First UK Show In Almost 30 Years

Garth Brooks opened American Express presents BST Hyde Park 2026 on Saturday 27 June with his first UK live show in almost 30 years.

The country artist played to a sold-out Hyde Park crowd on day one of this year’s festival, topping a bill that also featured Zac Brown Band, Ashley McBryde, Alexandra Kay, The Shires, Jackson Dean, Mae Estes, Crowe Boys, Leah Blevins, Chanel Yates and McGrath.

According to BST Hyde Park, Brooks became the first artist to perform under the event’s new 69,999 capacity, making the show the biggest-capacity concert in the festival’s history.

The set opened with “Rodeo”, followed by Dennis Robbins’ “Two of a Kind, Workin’ On A Full House”, setting up a night built around Brooks classics, country favourites and a handful of covers.

Faced with a loud response from the Hyde Park crowd, Brooks told fans that “normally the magic comes from the stage but today it came from the audience.”

Brooks later introduced “The Beaches of Cheyenne” by saying: “We’re gonna play a lot of cowboy songs tonight.
That’s just what we do when we roll in. Here’s one I hope you remember. I really hope you like it. It’s called ‘The Beaches of Cheyenne’.”

The set also included “The River”, “Two Pina Coladas”, “Papa Loved Mama”, “The Thunder Rolls”, “Unanswered Prayers”, “That Summer”, “Callin’ Baton Rouge” and “Ain’t Going Down (‘til The Sun Comes Up)”.

One of the night’s more spontaneous moments came when a sign in the audience prompted Brooks to perform Bob Seger’s “Night Moves”.

“It’s nice to meet you. Kelly, do you understand that this is a show that cannot be changed on a dime?
We got dance moves, we got it all going on right here, right?” he joked before playing the song.

Brooks also covered Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” and “Shameless”, before closing the main set with “Friends In Low Places”.

Before that final anthem, Brooks told the crowd: “I am shocked at the love that was sent this way tonight…
I’m not sure what the future is, but you can bet your ass. I’m coming back here.”

Earlier in the day, Zac Brown Band performed on the Great Oak Stage, with “Toes” bringing one of the first major singalongs of the day.

“We couldn’t be more happy than being out with you today,” Zac Brown told the crowd. “Thanks so much. Thank you to the big man, to Garth, for having us here.”

The band also played “The Devil Went Down To Georgia” and previewed material from their album Love & Fear, including “Hard Run”.

Ashley McBryde brought a heavier country-rock edge to the Great Oak Stage, telling the audience ahead of “One Night Standards”: “I’m Ashley McBride. These are the people I make music with… My goodness, look at you. I’m looking at more people than the populations of everybody in this band’s hometowns combined. This is the most people these Arkansans have ever seen in their life.”

The Shires opened the Great Oak Stage, with Ben Earle saying: “We’re so proud to be from the UK making country music and to see how far country music has come here.”

Elsewhere, Jackson Dean played the Rainbow Stage with songs from his album Magnolia Sage, while Mae Estes also appeared on the same stage and introduced “Guitar With A Twang” by telling the Hyde Park crowd: “Out here in London, we heard, you like your guitar with a twang?”

Alexandra Kay performed songs including “Everleave” and “Straight For The Heart”, as well as a cover of Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club”. Crowe Boys opened the Rainbow Stage with a cover of Snow Patrol’s “Chasing Cars”, while McGrath, Leah Blevins and Chanel Yates appeared on the Birdcage Stage.

The Garth Brooks setlist supplied for BST Hyde Park 2026 was:

Rodeo
Two of a Kind, Workin’ On A Full House
The Beaches of Cheyenne
Two Pina Coladas
Night Moves
The River
Papa Loved Mama
The Thunder Rolls
Unanswered Prayers
That Summer
Callin’ Baton Rouge
Ain’t Going Down (‘til The Sun Comes Up)
Shameless
Change The World
Shout
The Dance
Piano Man
Friends In Low Places

BST Hyde Park 2026 continues with ATEEZ on 28 June, Maroon 5 on 3 July, Mumford & Sons on 4 July, Duran Duran on 5 July, Pitbull on 10 July and Lewis Capaldi on 11 and 12 July.

Further information is available at www.bst-hydepark.com.