“I feel like the luckiest man in the world,” shouts Zach Bryan. And it’s no wonder. Just two years ago, the 29-year-old Oklahoma singer-songwriter was playing London’s Islington Assembly Hall – a venue that holds barely 900 people. This weekend, he played to almost 120,000 fans across two nights at British Summer Time Hyde Park, without having set foot in the UK in between. His rapid rise, especially outside the US, is nothing short of staggering.
Over the next two hours, Bryan delivered a generous 23-song set from all areas of his catalogue. Opening with guitar-driven track ‘Overtime’, he set the pace early and made it clear that he was ready to give it all to what he called, “one of the best night’s of his life”. This was followed by ‘Open the Gate’ and ‘Blue Jean Baby’. “Isn’t country music the most beautiful thing in the world?” he called out, before launching into ‘God Speed’, a fitting tribute to the sea of camouflage hats with those exact words stitched across the front.
For an artist who’s only recently broken through to mainstream UK audiences, the connection between his songs and his fans was immediately apparent.
Bryan’s heartfelt storytelling in tracks like ‘Oklahoma Smokeshow,’ ‘Heavy Eyes,’ and ‘East Side of Sorrow’ resonated deeply with the UK crowd, proving that universal themes of home, heartbreak, and growing up are just as powerful in London as they are in Oologah.
Despite the absence of Maggie Rogers for their duet ‘Dawns’, Zach kept spirits high with ‘Motorcycle Drive By’ and even debuted a new track aptly named ‘Streets of London’, further cementing his connection with the captivated London crowd.
Written just four days earlier and recorded at David Bowie’s former studio it was a personal tribute to what was now his biggest headline show ever. “I love you, London! I love you, Hyde Park!” he yelled throughout the rest of the night.
The middle stretch was packed with fan favourites: ‘Tourniquet’, ‘American Nights’, and ‘Pink Skies’ proved to be the perfect sing along songs.
“I don’t want to depress anyone on a Saturday night, but you’d kill me if I didn’t play this,” he joked, keeping the mood light as he swiftly moved into his early standout single ‘Something in the Orange’ just as the sun began to dip behind the crowd.
Then came the surprises guests. First, 23-year-old Ollie Hawkins who earned his place next to his idol, singing ‘Heading South’, after being spotted on TikTok. “We just met this guy!” Bryan laughed, but Hawkins handled it like a pro.
Not too long after Dermot Kennedy, whose own powerful hour-long support set had already made its mark, returned to stage to duet ‘Hey Driver’. His distinctive vocals gave the track new dimension, and was a standout moment in a set already full of many highs.
The set then began to come to an end with the powerful ‘Condemned’, ‘Burn, Burn, Burn’, party-hit ‘Quittin’ Time’, the latter introduced with grainy black-and-white visuals of factory workers.
The depressing and somewhat jarring industrial visuals were the only moment that felt at odds with the show’s otherwise celebratory mood. But any oddness was quickly forgotten when he returned on stage for the triumphant ‘Revival’.
For nearly 20 minutes, Bryan gave every one of his 20 bandmates a moment in the spotlight; calling out each name as they soloed through drums, horns, guitar and more. In between the claps the crowd kept the chorus going, before the final fiddler played and fireworks lit up the sky.
BST has increasingly leaned into the growing trend of Americana and country, and after last year’s Morgan Wallen set, it was clear the genre had legs in the UK. But Bryan’s show confirmed it’s well and truly here to stay.
