Mick Jagger looks out on the oak trees which have inspired this weekend's set design - Hyde Park, 1969
The Rolling Stones have evoked the memories of their first ever gig at Hyde Park in 1969 for the stage design which will witness their return to the London venue this weekend as part of the brand new British Summer Time festival series.
The Stones famously performed at Hyde Park in July 1969 just a few days after their recently departed guitarist and founder member Brian Jones had died. Dressed all in white, frontman Mick Jagger opened the free concert – attended by a crowd approaching 500,000 – with a poetry recital in Jones’ honour, before 2,000 butterflies were released into the audience.
And as the band prepares to perform at Hyde Park this weekend, a stage decked with huge mock oak trees, 70ft high and featuring over 10,000 branches, has been erected.
“When Mick and the band looked out from the stage back in the Sixties all they could see was a sea of people and a load of trees, but many of those have been cleared or replanted since,” a source has told The Sun.
“So they want to recreate the woodland. As you can see from the pictures, the two oak trees either side are absolutely massive. They want it to look as authentic as possible.”
.