When Shania Twain asks how you’re feeling, there is only one correct answer: ‘Man, I feel like a woman.’
And, yes, I felt like a woman. But I also felt everything else: joy, awe, exhilaration,bliss, and so on. Shania’s headline set at BST Hyde Park was one hell of a show.
She performed in the central London park a week after her Legends slot set at Glastonbury. Fans had complained about the sound quality at the festival, but everything was note-perfect last night.
Even a cold – on a couple of occasions Shania turned her back to the audience to blow her nose -didn’t affect the 58-year-old’s powerhouse vocals. She’s still very much The One.
As soon as you entered BST Hyde Park, it was clear everyone was here to worship country queen Shania. Yes, we were a stones throw away from Oxford Circus but we could’ve been in Nashville – everyone other person was either wearing a cowboy hat or rhinestone boots.
Shania was prompt – I think even a tad early to her set, which always endears me to megastars. She needed no introduction and she didn’t give one, launching straight into Don’t Be Stupid (You Know I Love You).
She looked incredible. In a nod to the UK, she wore a Vivienne Westwood denim skirt and matching jacket. She also got the audience to help her choose between two cowboy hats based on their cheers. We picked the one with the most gemstones, obviously.
As Harry Styles brought our Shania as a special guest at his Coachella set in 2022, there were rumours she would return the favour. It didn’t happen at Glastonbury, so there were whispers BST Hyde Park, just a short drive from his North London home, could be the night. Spoiler: there was no Harry Styles, but Shania couldn’t help but tease.
During an interlude, she brought up Harry and explained their recent friendship. Shania said Harry told her his mum used to listen to her music on repeat. ‘I’m old,’ she joked. ‘I’m probably older than Harry’s mum.’
The wisecracks didn’t end here. Shania had an endearingly goofy charm. At one point, she hugged the artificial tree built into the stage. ‘Is this real?’ she asked. It was not. But she shrugged off its artificiality and told it: ‘I believe in you.’
Before performing Honey, I’m Home, Shania asked the crowd to harmonise. She thought we sounded great – well, other than one particular person who was ‘off-key’. After trying to find the offending audience member to scold them, she joked she’d been a bit tough but ‘just wanted the best for’ us. And we were all putty in her hands.
Aside from her excellent crowd interactions, Shania was an exceptional performer. She said she has been a popstar for 27 years, but at BST Hyde Park she has the energy of a 27-year-old. At various points she was nipping around the stage, jamming with her musicians, and was just an all-round ball of fire.
And, my god, she delivered the bangers. Shania played a stripped-down acoustic version of You’re Still The One. It was just Shania and her guitar. A haunting performance, I don’t think there was a dry eye on the house.
That Don’t Impress Me Much saw the stage transform into a Western cowboy bar. It was a place where I would prop up the bar and feed endless dimes into the jukebox. If I could mainline Shania’s exuberance during the performance, I would.
The closer was, of course, Man I Feel Like A Woman. Shania had been singing for an hour and a half at this point – but you wouldn’t know it as she belted out the timeless classic. The excellent musicians also played an extended instrumental of the song to see us off into the night. My only complaint was that by the end, I was so high on Shania Twain I couldn’t sleep.
American Express presents BST Hyde Park is taking place until July 14 with performances from the likes of Stevie Nicks and Kylie Minogue.
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