Morgan Wallen: The charismatic country star left the controversy behind – and the Brits adored him

Morgan Wallen headlining at BST
Morgan Wallen headlining at BST - Dave Hogan/Hogan Media/Shutterstock

“I never thought I’d be celebrating the Fourth of July in London. That’s for damn sure,” Morgan Wallen roared by way of introduction in Hyde Park last night. The record-breaking country star, second only to Taylor Swift in the US in terms of streaming and chart-topping dominance, had plenty of reason to party – and not just because his beloved US of A managed to wriggle out from beneath Britain’s grip almost 250 years ago.

Wallen, at 31, is the first country singer to ever headline BST, if we’re not counting Swift. Shania Twain will also take to the stage this Sunday, but it’s striking that artists like Carrie Underwood, Faith Hill or Tim McGraw – with decades of hits under their belt, both here and in the US – have never filled the slot. In his everyman-uniform of white denim shirt and jeans, battered brown cowboy boots and trucker cap, Wallen was met with the sort of feverish reception usually reserved for Hyde Park’s legacy acts: Springsteen, Elton John, The Rolling Stones.

The Tennessee native’s biggest songs, from Everything I Love and Last Night (taken from 2023’s One Thing At A Time, which spent 19 weeks at number one on the Billboard chart in the US and gives this tour its name) to earlier hits (7 Summers, Whiskey Glasses), were yelled back to him word-for-word, temporarily turning central London into the world’s biggest honky-tonk.

The surprisingly powerful acoustic section offered a chance to actually hear him over the din of the 65,000-strong crowd. Amped up by the depth of his dreadnought guitar, Wallen’s pleasingly pliable vibrato made performances of ‘98 Braves and Chasin’ You, both centred on typical themes in his music – drinking, tempestuous relationships, his beloved baseball, the eternal allure of small town American life – the closest the night came to traditional country.

The rest of his music typically blends country with pop and hip hop; current smash I Had Some Help was met with rapturous cheers despite the non-appearance of rapper Post Malone, who features on the song. The thousands of girls decked out in their best country-cosplay – shiny boots, straw hats and denim waistcoats – greeted his cheesy ode to beautiful, wild women, Cowgirls, like it was written just for them.

Anyone who has watched Wallen’s ascent over the past few years knows this level of international success was not always written in the stars. He’s had numerous brushes with controversy since he started out as a contestant on The Voice in 2014. Footage of him saying a racial slur during the pandemic led to his music being blacklisted by radio stations, while his label, Big Loud, temporarily suspended their contract; earlier this year, he was arrested in Nashville after chucking a chair off the roof of a bar. He has become an emblem of the “bad boy” rot at the heart of country – but his millions of fans don’t seem to care.


No further UK dates