There’s something fitting about Roundhay Park coming back to life with a day built pretty much entirely on nostalgia.
For the first time in years, Leeds’ outdoor grass bowl venue welcomed major acts again, following in the footsteps of giants like Madonna, U2, Michael Jackson, Robbie Williams and Ed Sheeran. Basking in the summer sunshine, Roundhay Park was the perfect setting, the grassy banks filling steadily from early afternoon as thousands found their spot for a day of throwbacks.
And then there were the bald caps.
Bald caps as far as the eye could see. Coupled with white shirts, black ties and sunglasses this is now the accepted uniform for a Pitbull show, and by the time the headline set rolled around it genuinely felt like at least half the audience had transformed themselves into Mr. Worldwide.
Lil Jon got proceedings underway on the main stage, doing exactly what Lil Jon has spent the best part of two decades doing: yelling people into having a better time than they thought possible. It was loud, it was chaotic, laying the perfect foundations for the day ahead.
Tinie Tempah followed on the main stage. Small technical hitches briefly interrupted proceedings, but a quick Ctrl-Alt-Del and things were back on track. Tinie performed like he’s trying to win over every single person in the crowd, and that charisma is still there in spades, as he reaches right to the back of the arena. Pass Out, Written in the Stars and Miami 2 Ibiza landed with huge singalongs, while his continuous motion around the stage and constant interaction with the audience created an atmosphere where everyone wasinvited into the party.
Jason Derulo delivered perhaps the day’s biggest throwback. The opening was an odd choice, with almost ten minutes of DJ build-up before he finally emerged centre stage in a bright red jacket bearing more than a passing nod to Michael Jackson’s Beat It outfit. Once underway though, the hits kept coming. Whatcha Say, Ridin’ Solo, In My Head, Trumpets and Savage Love all got huge reactions, reminding everyone just how many massive hits he’s accumulated over the years. His choreography remained relentlessly slick, although the scantily-clad dancers and suggestive routines felt lifted from another era, maybe just as nostalgic as the music itself!
Undeniably though, the day belonged to Pitbull.
Storming onto the stage, he delivered banger after banger, barely allowing the crowd chance to catch their breath. Don’t Stop The Party, On The Floor, Hotel Room Service and I Know You Want Me kept the entire place bouncing, while Damn I Love Miami was one of the night’s standout moments as Lil Jon returned to join him, sending another wave of excitement rippling across the hillside. Everywhere you looked people were dancing, from the packed standing area to the grass banks.
The closing run was spectacular. Beginning with the irresistible Timber, Pitbull paused to deliver a heartfelt message about positivity, community and opportunity, celebrating graduating students from schools his foundation has helped establish. It was maybe a little bit preachy, but it served to reinforce the generosity that underpins his public persona before flowing seamlessly into Time of Our Lives and Feel This Moment.
From there it became unstoppable. Fireball exploded exactly as expected, igniting the crowd before Give Me Everything closed the evening on a euphoric high. The only thing missing was some actual pyro in Fireball, which would have sent things stratospheric, but honestly, I’m nitpicking!
For all the jokes, bald caps and novelty outfits, the atmosphere was sensational. This was one of the happiest crowds I’ve seen in a long time. Full of joy, humour and togetherness, no-one taking themselves too seriously. Everyone seemed dead set on squeezing every last second from the evening.
I said it was Pitbull’s night. Really, it belonged to the crowd. They certainly did not want to stop the party.
