Night the noise police showed Springsteen who really is the boss: Superstar's performance with Sir Paul McCartney cut after they break curfew

Organisers cut power after show runs over 10.30pm licence finish

London mayor Boris Johnson described the decision as 'overly officious'

He had whipped the crowd into a frenzy by belting out Born to Run as his encore.



Ever the showman, Bruce Springsteen then went one better – inviting Sir Paul McCartney on stage for a thrilling finale.



The veteran rockers performed I Saw Her Standing There and Twist and Shout, to the delight of the 76,000 fans massed in Hyde Park on Saturday night.

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Encore of silence: Bruce Springsteen's microphone was cut off during the Hard Rock Calling Festival as he was joined on stage by Sir Paul McCartney

Legendary performance: Paul McCartney joins Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band on stage

Then, suddenly, the music died. Before the stars could deliver their final song, organisers decided to pull the plug – because the event had overrun its allotted time and was in breach of noise regulations.



With the microphones cut off, the superstars couldn't even say a final thank-you to the audience and had to leave the stage in silence.



Among the crowd, confusion soon turned to anger. As they shuffled away into the night, fans took to social media to make their disapproval known.

One called the incident 'Rock and roll sacrilege'. Another tweeted: 'Shameful! Springsteen and McCartney caught by curfew.'



The headline act at the Hard Rock Calling festival, Springsteen and his E-Street Band had been playing for over three hours when the show was brought to a sudden halt.

It was supposed to end at 10.30pm but it was nearly 11pm when organisers cut the power.

E-Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt also took to Twitter to express his outrage. He said the stars had planned a final encore number before the sound was cut off.



The 61-year-old said: 'One of the great gigs ever in my opinion. But seriously, when did England become a police state? Is there just too much fun in the world? We would have been off by 11 if we'd done one more. On a Saturday night! Who were we disturbing?

Cut short: The musicians were forced to leave the stage when they realised their sound had been cut off

'We break curfews in every country but only English cops needs to "punish us" by not letting us leave until the entire crowd goes.

'The cops got nothing more important to do? How about they go catch some criminals instead of f****** with 80,000 people having a good time?

Last night Westminster Council confirmed it was the concert organiser Live Nation which ended the show.



A council spokesman said it did so to comply with its licence, which allowed the event to go on until 10.30pm, adding: 'Licences are granted until certain times to protect residents in the area from noise late at night.'



Those in well-to-do Knightsbridge and Belgravia have badgered the council about noise from concerts in the park. There were 109 complaints in 2011, around twice as many as in 2010.



A Live Nation spokesman said: 'It was unfortunate it was stopped right at the very end but the curfew is laid down by the authorities in the interest of the public's health and safety.'



London mayor Boris Johnson waded into the row, saying the decision to end the show was 'excessively' officious and if he had been consulted he would have ordered the music should continue.

Rousing set: The rockers performed I Saw Her Standing There and Twist and Shout together As McCartney came onto the stage Springsteen told the delighted revellers: 'I gotta tell you, I've been trying to do this for 50 years.' The pair then delighted the crowds by collaborating on the final songs of Springsteen’s marathon set. However, the musical veterans both found their microphones silenced towards the end of their extended version of Twist and Shout.

Springsteen did not seem to notice at first, and even attempted to address the crowd one more time. But as it became clear that the sound would not be reinstalled, the veteran rocker simply shrugged his shoulders and left the stage as baffled fans looked on.

Springsteen had apparently been due to finish his set at 10.15pm and was over 30 minutes over the running time . 'English cops may be the only individuals left on earth that wouldn't want to hear one more from Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney!' Audience members that took to Twitter to express their anger at the decision included actor and comedian Stephen Merchant. He wrote:

'Ashamed to be British right now. Springsteen and McCartney playing Twist & Shout in Hyde Park and council pulled the plug cos of curfew'. 'Springsteen and McCartney: Only in Britain could a local council pull the plug on the greatest artists of the last 50 years giving it all,' wrote journalist Richard James.

The controversial incident has turned London into an international laughing stock just weeks before the 2012 Olympics.

Springsteen, who played with his E Street Band, had earlier invited Rage Against The Machine's Tom Morello on stage to perform Death to My Hometown, Jack of All Trades and The Ghost of Tom Joad and singer John Fogerty, who played before Bruce on the main stage, had joined him for The Promised Land.

Silenced! Bruce Springsteen was unable to address the crowd after his final song when his microphone was cut off after he broke curfew



Bruce delighted the crowd with a 29 song set which lasted over three hours



A jubilant Bruce – who changed his clothes during the show - thrilled the crowds with his set, and often left the stage to shake hands with audience members.

He sported jeans and a waistcoat over a shirt and at another stage wore a checked shirt.

He also made the night for one lucky fan who had brought along a banner asking him to play the song Take 'Em As They Come, and listing the concerts around the world where he had requested it.

Fans surely won't have minded their idol being unable to address them after the concert, since he had broken curfew by playing 29 songs in over three hours leading to his microphone being cut off

Taking the banner, Springsteen said ‘Tonight, my friend, this is your lucky night. You're going to hear this damn thing.

‘It's a completely obscure track I wrote for The River when I needed some rock songs.’

Bruce has only performed the song nine times before, the last being almost 10 years ago Copenhagen, Denmark in 2003.

Springsteen also made the night for one lucky fan who had brought along a banner asking him to play the song Take 'Em As They Come

Springsteen’s encore included fan favourites including Born In The USA and Born To Run.

Other acts on the main stage included Lady Antebellum, Morello and Hey Monea!

Meanwhile Amy McDonald – who played on the Pepsi Max stage – was thrilled to meet the man himself.

She posted a picture of herself with Springsteen on Twitter, writing ‘Amazing day, amazing night. Best photo ever’

Amy MacDonald was thrilled to meet The Boss backstage

Bruce also sported a check shirt as he took to the stage at Hard Rock Calling

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN'S HARD ROCK CALLING SET LIST 2012

1. Thunder Road (Bruce & Roy)

2. Badlands

3. We Take Care of Our Own

4. Wrecking Ball

5. Death to My Hometown (with Tom Morello)

6. My City of Ruins

7. Spirit In The Night

8. The Promised Land (with John Forgerty)

9. Take 'Em As They Come

10. Jack of All Trades (with Tom Morello)

11. Empty Sky (solo acoustic)

12. Because the Night

13. Johnny 99

14. Darlington County

15. Workin' on the Highway

16. Shackled & Drawn

17. Waitin' on a Sunny Day

18. Raise Your Hand

19. The River

20. The Ghost of Tom Joad (with Tom Morello)

21. The Rising

22. Land of Hope & Dreams

Encores: 23. We Are Alive

24. Born in the USA

25. Born To Run

26. Glory Days

27. Dancing in the Dark

28. I Saw Her Standing There (with Paul McCartney)

29. Twist and Shout (with Paul McCartney)

VIDEO: Criminal! Springsteen and McCartney's mics are cut...

