<a href="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/hyde-parkjul18.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-5105" src="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/hyde-parkjul18-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a>This has to be the event of the year. Tickets to see Bonnie Raitt, James Taylor and Paul Simon at Hyde Park. This was arranged many months ago and I was meeting Mary at Marble Arch.
It was forecast to be one of the hottest days of the year. The Tube ride from Islington just kept getting hotter and hotter - the Central Line similar to a scene from Dante's Inferno.

<a href="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/james-taylorjul18.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-5106" src="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/james-taylorjul18-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a>I've never been to an open air event with so many thousands of people. I'm not keen on crowds at the best of times but everyone was in such good spirits (some literally) that the vibe was infectious. Bonnie Raitt was good at smashing out to the crowd but the event really came to life when James Taylor took to the stage. We were a long way from the action (front of stage were gold tickets) but there were plenty of big screens around to catch the action. The very bright sunshine didn't help but it all added to the atmosphere.

<a href="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/james-taylor2jul18.jpg"><img class="alignright wp-image-5100 size-medium" src="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/james-taylor2jul18-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a>James Taylor carries a lot of memories for me and his songs can be so melancholic. I confess when he started to sing "You've got a friend" I did weep a little; it will always bring back memories of Jane's funeral. That apart his voice was as rich and smooth as always. He strikes me as a self-effacing man and this was apparent when he thanked the audience for the huge support he got and the many songs that we all knew so well that we could sing along to them.

<a href="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/paul-simon1jul18.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-5108" src="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/paul-simon1jul18-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a>At the end of the set Mary and I went in search of something to eat and drink. Queues everywhere and by the time we had our chicken Tikka Naan bread wraps and a pint of cider Paul Simon was on stage for his final public performance in Europe (his very last performance is in New York in September).

We'd lost our standing spot nearer (but not close) to the stage and stood in front of the large central screen. Drinking, dancing and singing to songs that formed the backbone of our late <a href="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/wristbandsjul18.jpg"><img class="alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-5107" src="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/wristbandsjul18-200x150.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="150" /></a>teens and early twenties along with music from Gracelands and his latest album Stranger to Stranger. The irony for us of "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" made us laugh. Of course he sang Wristband which tells the story of when he was locked out of a venue he was playing at and couldn't get back in because he wasn't wearing, you've got it, a wristband. The irony of this sign wasn't lost on us...

<a href="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/paul-simon2jul18.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-5099" src="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/paul-simon2jul18-273x300.jpg" alt="" width="273" height="300" /></a>As he approached his third and final encore with Homeward Bound and Sounds of Silence the audience realised they were experiencing a magical, historical moment both for Paul Simon and for every one of us. The unity of voices singing along took on a solemnity that was tangible.

This night was not only an incredible experience it was also a memory that will stay with me forever. I was happy to be sharing it with Mary and with Jane never far from my thoughts.