June 25, 2023
BST Hyde Park, London
Sixteen years since her last UK shows, Gwen Stefani returned to the stage with a triumphant, career-spanning set for the third and final date in a trio of live shows.
Her performances at BST Hyde Park may follow an extended absence in the country, but Stateside she’s rarely stopped working, appearing as a regular on ‘The Voice’ while touring in support of her third LP, ‘This Is What The Truth Feels Like’ (2016) and recently wrapping her Las Vegas residency.
So when she marched onto the stage to the jubilant backing of her 2006 classic The Sweet Escape, it was like Gwen had never been away, with her unparalleled energy levels and youthful visage appearing straight out of the nineties.
As were a run of hits from her time with No Doubt, including the ska staple Sunday Morning and punk-influenced Spiderwebs, along with a trio of early-noughties gems from 2001’s ‘Rock Steady’: Hey Baby, Hella Good and Underneath It All.
But it was her solo hits that really livened up the crowd, as Gwen led a singalong to her classic ballad Cool (a track omitted from the previous day’s show in favour of Let Me Blow Ya Mind featuring Eve) and had the 70,000-strong audience chanting along to Rich Girl and What You Waiting For.
A troupe of dancers backed the hitmaker throughout most of the set, navigating props including an oversized throne and cupcakes (Wind It Up) and huge bananas (Hollaback Girl), while she appeared solo for the iconic Don’t Speak – on which every word was sung back to her.
Visibly overcome by the love from the crowd, Gwen made several references to her time living in London, and while fluffing the odd lyric as she became swept up in the moment, she proved that decades into her career she remains a powerhouse performer.
Look no further than True Babe; released two days earlier, the inclusion of new music is usually the moment in the show that loses the crowd, but by the end of the track she had everyone jumping up and down, yelling back its infectious chorus.
Packing in 15 songs in just over an hour, Gwen Stefani’s UK comeback was nothing short of stellar – and there’s no doubt that, given the option, 70,000 people would have happily stayed and watched her continue to work her magic for the same time over.
