The sun was out, and so were the clouds on the first night of Hard Rock Calling on Friday. Whilst some music fans were over in Glastonbury, I was in Hyde Park watching Michael Kiwanuka, Kaiser Chiefs, and The Killers as they performed for the festival which marked its 40^th birthday on Friday.

By late afternoon the showers turned into constant drizzle and soon the crowd were getting restless for Kaiser Chiefs and the headlining act: The Killers. Kaiser Chiefs worked upthe crowd in the rain, and even left 5 minutes earlier than planned. This, naturally, meant that The Killers came on late – much to the dismay of eager fans.

The Killers eventually came on and the crowd began roaring. I’m not exactly a hardcore Killers fan but I do love their music. What I don’t love, on the other hand, is other “hardcore” Killers fans jumping around, pushing into others, and stepping on people’s toes. Not exactly how I imagined enjoying listening to Glamourous Indie Rock’n’Roll.

Once getting out of the mosh pit I was finally able to enjoy the view of seeing both the screens and the stage, which I obviously couldn’t see whilst in the crowd. I don’t understand the need for some to booze up, hold up umbrellas, and invade one’s personal space to enjoy gigs. I go for the music, and perhaps the chance to see the headlining act strutting on stage.

Hard Rock Calling is an absolute treat. The Killers are great. But the staging, screen systems, and weather were terrible in allowing some members of the audience to have a good time on Friday. I’m sure Bon Jovi’s performance last night was great and Rod Steward will be even better tonight. Shame I had a Friday ticket.