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Radio 2 in the Park: Blue, Blunt, Level 42

Sunday at Radio 2 in the Park brought a packed bill, with Blue, James Blunt, Level 42 and closing act Simple Minds all taking the stage. Earlier in the day, Deacon Blue, Appleton and Cast had already warmed up the crowd.

Blue kicked off their 4pm set with a run of favourites, among them All Rise, Fly By, One Love and their 2002 duet with Elton John, Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word. Before performing, Simon Webbe told the BBC iPlayer channel how thrilled the group were to play for the audience.

Next up at 5pm was James Blunt, whose set included You’re Beautiful, Tastes Like Summer and 1973. He finished by attempting to crowd-surf in an inflatable boat.

Backstage with presenter Jo Whiley, Blunt made light of the crowd adventure and looked ahead to his coming stint on Celebrity Traitors. He called host Claudia Winkleman scary but described the programme as a cultural phenomenon. Blunt also thanked Radio 2 listeners for two decades of backing, praised his close friend Ed Sheeran and spoke about the important part the late Carrie Fisher played when he recorded his first album.

At 6pm, funk-pop veterans Level 42 rolled out familiar material including Lessons in Love, Something About You, Running in the Family and Hot Water. Over on the DJ stage, Jeremy Vine made his live DJ debut alongside Radio 2 presenters Shaun Keaveny, Jo Whiley, Gary Davies, Romesh Ranganathan, OJ Borg and Vernon Kay, who kept the crowd dancing through the afternoon.

Simple Minds then closed the festival with a fiery headline set that ran late into the night. Highlights from individual sets and full performances from the whole weekend can be streamed now on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds.

Photo: Music-News
Source: Muzland
Added by Frank
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