Blondie, Shania Twain and Take That- it was the Proms in Hyde Park.

Blondie, Shania Twain and Take That- it was the Proms in Hyde Park.

After all the flag waving and hullabaloo the previous night, the Proms came to Hyde Park in the heart of London's West End and what a show it proved. The BBC tend to do these events rather well. In fact they really did push the boat out which given the rain on the day, seemed quite an appropriate metaphor for the big event. Everything went off both smoothly and successfully without even the slightest technical hitch.

There was also a special BBC anniversary as well which also seemed to go according to plan. This year Radio One and Two celebrate their 50th anniversary and as Tony Blackburn and Paul Gambaccini were at pains to point out this was the year when everything felt like a major celebration for two of the BBC's two most important radio stations with apologies to Radio Three and Four who should never be overlooked and if anything are equally as good if sometimes better than One or Two. But that may be just an opinion.

Anyway here we were on an early autumn afternoon at Hyde Park just waiting for the dark, grey clouds to open their floodgates which, in due course, they obligingly did. But that was no deterrent for all those devoted camp followers who so valiantly stood in the pouring rain shoulder to shoulder in that tough, stoic British way. The British are just stubbornly determined and indifferent when the rain falls so there was no surprise there.

Here they were, this ocean of humanity, swimming against the tide, brollies and umbrellas by the ready for the inclement weather, happy to be in Hyde Park on a rain swept day. Some of them must have been privately wishing they'd stayed at home. Still it was good to be at an outdoor BBC music concert featuring all of those old favourites from both the late 1970s, 80s and 90s. And of course the headlining act were those exemplary household names Take That. So everything seemed set for a good old fashioned knees up. Who for a moment, cared about the weather? There was some serious music to be appreciated.

This was the BBC's great outdoor music extravaganza, a yearly easy listening music fest for the whole family. It may have none of the hippie appeal of Glastonbury but it looked as if vast swathes of the huge crowd were having the time of their lives. From the early part of the afternoon to the complete darkness of evening and night, the Proms in Park exploded into action, quite literally at times, with the very best in light entertainment.

Then the famous faces began to appear on the stage and all of that careful BBC planning and preparation had come to fruition. The speakers were working, the amplifiers checked and re- checked again thoroughly and the sound systems were in sound working order. No trouble there then. Now there were the stunning visual effects, the colourful backdrops and of course those incessantly fiery flames. There were flames and more flames. In fact there were so many flames that you were reminded of a November bonfire display.

Onto the stage stepped the incomparable Whispering Bob Harris, the man who introduced us to that legendary rock programme The Old Grey Whistle Test which is now sadly just a memory. Harris now provides his radio audience with a large slice of country and western on Radio 2. But when he walked out to a hugely appreciative and discerning audience he knew what the crowd were hoping for. Harris doesn't whisper but he does give us that understated and gentle delivery that hits just the right spot.

Harris was then joined by Jo Whiley, one of a new generation of female DJs whose predecessor Annie Nightingale is still held in the highest esteem. Whiley, like Harris, was casually dressed for the occasion and announced the acts with impeccable timing and a genuine love of music from right across the musical spectrum. Sometimes presenters and radio DJs seem to have the right voice for the radio and as the concert progressed this was a point that was readily reinforced over and over again. And so we came to the acts.

I have to admit that I came into the Proms in the Park at roughly Sunday tea time so didn't catch some of the earlier acts. This may have been an oversight on my part but the impression was that  I had only missed a taste of what was to come. We were, after all, in the presence of one of the best boy bands in recent times. I knew then that all of the supporting acts would simply shimmy onto stage, sling a guitar around their necks and rock the evening away.

There is something to be said for that outdoor music concert vibe and atmosphere. This was just the most visually stunning and acoustically brilliant music concert of the year. It was an electrifying, spectacular feast of rock, pop and country and western. So here we were with some of the finest singing practitioners of their trade, belting out the oldies and goodies with big, bold and boisterous voices that could almost be heard in the City of London.

I caught up with Emeli Sande, the very latest in smooth sophistication. Emeli Sande belongs to today's zeitgeist so it's hard for me to pass considered and objective judgment on a new kid on the pop music block. What I do know is that Sande gave us a rich and meaty mix of soul, anthemic singing and beautifully delivered songs that sounded utterly accomplished.

With a lovely set of wind chimes and the most delightful bongo behind her, Sande launched into her repertoire with that smoky, sultry and rousing voice that was very much in the now. Hers was a full on and passionate voice that reminded you of dark, intimate jazz clubs and a glass of white wine. There were shining  spotlights that pierced through the gathering gloom and then Sande's superb version of Janis Joplin's memorable ' Piece Of My Heart', a true music standard that has quite definitely stood the test of time.

Sande continued to sway from side to side in the most vivid of what looked like a red tartan coat, black boots and and the most moody of backdrops behind her. Every so often she would throw her head back with eyes firmly closed and an inner enjoyment of the song. Now she would click her fingers in perfect time to 'Highs and Lows', another fusion of jazz and rock if that's possible. Then there were the candles flickering seductively at the back and a changing wall of fascinating images and graphics that looked very much like the screen savers on your computer.

Next on stage was that quintessential Englishmen, a man who seems to have stolen so many hearts that he may have to appear before a court of law. That's my corny joke for a Monday morning. The man in question is James Blunt and there is something about Blunt, certainly to my admittedly untrained ears that has echoes of a young Bob Dylan or possibly Van Morrison which may well be a compliment to the man.

Wearing the most ordinary brown shirt and dark trousers there is something of the story teller about Blunt which was most intriguing. His is a heartfelt, tender and sensitive voice that rasps out tellingly to his fans and underlines all of the favourable publicity that has followed him around the world. Blunt, rather like Sande, has a bittersweet and very moving delivery that understandably appeals to the purists.

 There is an aching and yearning tone to the Blunt voice that has just a hint of pain but then a redemptive power. He's very clean cut and respectable and when 'You're Beautiful' flooded Hyde Park Blunt had hit exactly the right spot. There was the fiercely committed and vigorous guitar strumming and a neat name check for his friend Ed Sherran. Blunt was never blunt. More sharp, sincere and full of meaningful conviction.

It was now tea time and most of the Hyde Park crowd were now, quite possibly, wet and completely drenched but undeterred. Tea time meant something very special for the male population. They'd already been spoilt with Emeli Sande and now they were about to be overwhelmed with a generous helping of Shania Twain.

Shania Twain is one of the most successful and phenomenally popular country and western singers of the modern age. But Twain is no Dolly Parton nor does she even remotely look like Tammy Wynette or Crystal Gayle. It should be pointed out that Shania Twain is an immensely likeable and vastly gifted singer with so much more than that country twang and that good ole banjo sound so beloved by those in the country and western fraternity.

From the moment she walked out onto the Hyde Park stage Twain gave us smouldering sensuality, obvious femininity and a raw raunchiness that seemed to spread right out across those wide open green spaces of London. I have to tell you that I'm more of a Mark Twain man than Shania although there was a concerted attempt on Ms Twain's part to reach out to the twenty plus age group. Once Twain had launched into her impressive strutting and tip toeing across the stage, you felt there was no stopping this restless force of nature.

There followed more head throwing, gritty, feisty lyrics and fierce flames that shot up into the night air. Here was Twain clutching her microphone determinedly and more showbiz theatricals. The country and western star was in full flow and in the ascendancy. The violins were up and away, Twain now at her most laid back, relaxed and totally engaged with her adoring audience. Suddenly there was that good old fashioned flavour of Tennessee and the paddle steamer just for good measure.

The hits came thick and fast. 'That Don't Impress Much' was a great throwback to some of her earlier material. It was heavily layered with country and western licks merging cleverly with a hint of rock just for good measure. It was finger clicking, toe tapping line dancing at its most feelgood, full of verve and vitality. Twain knows how to work her audience and at times seemed to be teasing her fans with full renditions of her songs.

There was a quick run through of 'Life is About to Get Good followed by' another set of yellowing flames that soared into the West End air. Twain then slowed everything down with 'Still the One', a real country and western ballad from the heart before the inevitable 'Man, I Feel Like a Woman', a stirring, outstanding party piece of a number that felt like a personal message from Twain. Shania Twain's backing band of rocking guitars continued to perform in perfect harmony and now the leading lady showed the full range of her whole hearted arrangement of songs. It was Hyde Park disguised as Nashville if only for a while.

It was now that Hyde Park took me back to an almost personal journey back into the late 1970s when Britain was gripped by punk, safety pins through noses and jackets and complete rebellion. The Sex Pistols were breaking all the Establishment rules and Margaret Thatcher became the country's very first female Prime Minister. There was a disturbing edge and anarchy in the air and a feeling that revolutionary tendencies were about to rage out of control. But not quite yet or so it seemed.

I'd just left school in May 1979 and from nowhere a girl named Debbie Harry from the USA, shook her hips, pouted almost relentlessly for the video camera, screwed up her face girlishly and addressed her punk audience in punkish black, a woman with a strong female presence about her. Debbie Harry became Blondie and the world acknowledged a singer of character, drive and the most expressive of faces.

Blondie are still together but for most of the late 1970s and early 80s pumped out that endless supply of social commentaries on life and songs about life. There was Deni, repetitive perhaps but nonetheless very much a dance classic that remained in the charts for a reasonable length of time. It was Blondie's introduction to the whole punk movement of the time. It was upbeat, jovial and very much the band's signature tune at the time.

Now though Blondie has matured even more with age. 'Call Me' , when first released, was punk dynamite, fizzing and popping with driving, pumping energy, pleas for recognition which weren't really necessary because everybody had heard of Blondie. Yesterday Debbie Harry was cool, professional, full of polished stage craft, slick and sultry. The 2017 version of 'Call Me' was much calmer, more measured, still tingling and bristling with a sense of urgency but nonetheless took you back to those first angry blasts of punk. And yet Blondie was different, seeming to buck the trend and always sounding inherently confident about herself.

'Rapture' was brilliantly brought back for the benefit of a 2017, a song of light and shade, greyness and brightness, colour and wit, sharp and spiky lyrics that most of Blondie's fans could still hum along to. Once again there were growling and wailing, thrashing guitars, head throwing and shaking but still that identifiably Blondie number 'Heart of Glass' that took you right back. Dressed in a white zipped leather jacket, Harry eventually revealed black top, fishnet stockings, black skirt and long black boots. This was Blondie at her most daring and outrageous.

Finally Hyde Park held its breath. It was time for the headlining act of the day. It was time to take your seat, wave your lights and phones before becoming deeply excited. Most of us knew who we were about to get. It had been widely advertised and the crowd had been whipped into a fine state of hysteria and frenzy. As mentioned at the beginning of this piece the main act of the day were one of Britain's most recognisable of boy bands.

Just over 25 years ago, four happy-go-lucky lads were assembled for a female generation that could hardly believe their luck. Take That bounced onto the Hyde Park stage with an almost feverish enthusiasm that took your breath away. At the beginning of the 1990s Take That were an almost global pop phenomenon who winged their way around the world in whirlwind fashion, conquering every stadium and arena in the pop community.

Here were Gary Barlow, Jason Orange and Mark Owen but now without Robbie Williams who after a brief reunion, has now decided to pursue a solo career. But now the three even more mature boys from Manchester, did it their way. 'Shine' was pleasing, uplifting, designed for the family and toe tapping, a happy clapping feelgood number that kept most of their incredibly large fanbase entranced. There was something very wholesome, homely and old fashioned about Take That which never really faded with the passage of time.

There was 'The Greatest Day', a magnificent,  song that shook the whole of London to its foundations. It was the one song  that was accompanied by an explosion of confetti, as arms and hands moved almost automatically to the whole tempo of the song. 'Could it Be Magic', had once been effectively sung by the crooning Barry Manilow but Take That had taken the song and given it the most satisfactory treatment, melodic and balladic with a touching sweetness.

And right at the end of the Take That set there was 'Everything Changes' which was essentially Take That, an inspirational song bubbling with life and overflowing with Take That harmonies. We had now reached the conclusion of the Hyde Park BBC Park in the Proms. It was time to put your coat hood up once again and remember that autumn was now in full swing in London. The rain kept stopping and starting and everybody filed out of one of London's finest of all parks in that very orderly fashion that London excels at.

In the middle of Hyde Park girlfriends were dropped from the height of their boyfriends shoulders, inflatable saxophones and guitars just drooped sadly and the whole day had now passed by both happily, humorously and very musically. This was almost the BBC patting itself very heartily on the back, congratulating itself rightly for fulfilling its remit to entertain, turning off the lights and paying tribute to those easy listening singers and bands who'd made the day possible. Music had once proved the most unifying influence. If only Robbie had been there. He'd have enjoyed every single moment of it.