ZACH BRYAN BRINGS THE AMERICAN WEST TO LONDON’S BST HYDE PARK

ZACH BRYAN | BST HYDE PARK, LONDON 29th June 2025 by Robert McAlaney

Zach Bryan was honourably discharged from the US navy in order to chase his dreams of musical stardom, many would associate this with the idiom ‘head in the clouds’ – well lucky for us Bryan saw only the sun.

Since his departure from the military in October of 2021, Bryan has experienced a popularity rise best labelled as meteoric; just 7 months following his discharge the all-american action-man released his major-label debut, American Heartbreak – which secured the Number 5 spot on the US Billboard 200. The album featured the hit track ‘Something In The Orange’, instantly garnering mainstream success and a Grammy nomination, it quickly became one of Bryan’s most recognisable songs. The following year he released his self-titled album which this time debuted at number 1, in 2023 he returned to the Grammy’s, with nominations for 3 categories.

Zach Bryan shows no intentions of slowing down, in the musician’s patriotic fashion his album The Great American Bar Scene was released on July 4th 2024 and featured the likes of John Mayer and the one and only Bruce Springsteen. Now, Zach Bryan embarks on his biggest headline show to date at BST Hyde Park – let’s see what all the fuss is about. 

How many cowboy hats would you have to see in a day to arouse suspicion that something was afoot? One cowboy hat – you’d attribute that to fashion sense, two cowboy hats – couples costume, three cowboy hats – maybe there’s a line dancing class nearby, but on the 65,000th cowboy hat – well Zach Bryan must have SOLD OUT Hyde Park.

Zach Bryan smuggled a piece of America’s West through customs and it spread through London like fire, hats were tipped and brown leather boots flattened and thumped the grass as Bryan dawned the stage to ‘Overtime’ the musician’s proud ode to his motherland, a raspy voice echoed throughout the park as trumpets rustled leaves and trees took the form of great oak Mariachi’s. ‘Open the Gate’ then followed and if you closed your eyes you’d think you were caught in a stampede, the crowd absolutely loved him. Zach Bryan’s voice is not of velvet, but denim – in true American fashion. His live rendition of ‘28’ was a particular favourite of mine and, it seemed, the entirety of Hyde Park, as he belted his words to the crowd and they hurled them right back at him. His lyrics grab at something incredibly human – there is a universal aspect to Bryan that everyone, from all walks of life, can relate to. You can listen to him in a smoke filled room sat on a barstool or in a jam-packed stadium; to master both is some feat. 

As the Americana troubadour began ‘Fifth of May’ a familiar warmth grew in the audience’s stomachs – it was like a home cooked meal, or a hug from your mother. However, with a strum of his guitar Zach Bryan is able to hurl you into the stratosphere and take you on a journey nothing short of epic. I’m certain you could hear his (and the crowds) performance of ‘Oklahoma Smokeshow’ from the streets of Oklahoma themselves, a fiddle and an electric guitar make one hell of a combination and Bryan knows it.

‘Dawns’ then followed and transformed the stage to a humble campfire and you were left alone with Zach Bryan, whose southern draw could call you back home no matter the distance travelled. To describe the crowd as fans would be an insult – for they were his screaming, dancing apostles, and they rejoiced as ‘Motorcycle Drive By’ burst through the speakers; a song that makes you want to take a slug of whiskey and enroll in line dancing. Zach Bryan is a man with a guitar and a ferocity foreign to bounds, his great western ballad ‘Quittin’ Time’ puts hairs on your chest and features a banjo being shredded to absolute death, what a way to end a show.

However, the night was still young for the Oklahoma poet and he donned Hyde Park’s stage one last time, with a staggering 15 minute rendition of ‘Revival’ (a 3 minute song). This was no longer a concert but a party, as the audience flailed around in paroxysms of rapture and Zach Bryan gave his band their time to shine, with cathartic solo’s from every instrument under the sun. 

Thank God Zach Bryan left the navy, he is a true performer in every sense of the word.