Hard Rock Calling has come under fire after pulling the plug on Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney. The London area had suffered during last week's terrible weather, forcing the postponement of several outdoor events as the ground underneath grew increasingly unstable.
Organisers vowed that Hard Rock Calling would go ahead, with the weekend promising an array of live music. Sadly, it seems that the restrictions placed on Hyde Park have spoiled one of the festival's stand out moments.
Playing a three hour set on Saturday night, Bruce Springsteen invited Paul McCartney out onstage for the encore. Ripping through I Saw Here Standing There the pair then belted out Twist and Shout to the delight of the crowd.
Moving to thank the audience, the pair discovered that their microphones had been switched off. E Street mainstay Steven Van Zandt later took to Twitter to express his outrage:
"Is there just too much fun in the world? We would have been off by 11 if we'd done one more. On a Saturday night! Who were we disturbing?"
"One of the great gigs ever in my opinion. But seriously, when did England become a police state?"
Organisers Live Nation quickly commented:
"It was unfortunate that the three hour plus performance by Bruce Springsteen was stopped right at the very end but the curfew is laid down by the authorities in the interest of the public's health and safety. Road closures around Hyde Park are put in place at specific times to make sure everyone can exit the area in safety."