Andrew’s 60th birthday celebrated by BBC concert in Hyde Park

On Sunday 14th September 2008, a host of stars wowed the crowds in London’s Hyde Park during a massive open-air concert organised by BBC Radio 2 to celebrate Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 60th birthday.

The show was hosted by West End performer and TV star John Barrowman, with performances from artists and West End stars including Joss Stone, Steve Balsamo, Jason Donovan, Idina Menzel, Duncan James, Jonathan Ansell, Denise Van Outen, Andrew Johnston, Lee Mead, Hayley Westenra, Philip Achille, Julian Lloyd Webber, Dean Collinson, Ramin Karimloo and Gina Beck, Rhydian, Maria Friedman, Ruthie Henshall, Shonagh Daly, Elaine Paige, Jodie Prenger and other contestants from the BBC TV shows _I’d Do Anything_ and _Any Dream Will Do_.

The concert, which was later broadcast on BBC Radio 2’s _Friday Night Is Music Night_ on October 10th, also saw a special announcement from Andrew Lloyd Webber. As Andrew appeared onstage to accept his birthday bouquet and to thank the BBC, the performers and the crowd, he revealed: “I promise you I will try my best with the sequel to _The Phantom of the Opera_, which I can exclusively reveal tonight will be called _Love Never Dies_.”