“McLean’s songs have set the benchmark for success. Hits like ‘American Pie’, ‘Vincent’, ‘Castles in the Air’ and the beautiful ballad ‘And I Love You So’ all share the same elusive component that makes them timeless.”

“McLean was the consummate professional in presenting his master class of the Great American Songbook.”

“McLean has earned his place at rock’s hall of fame, and York’s sell-out crowd would have him playing still.”

“McLean’s own Castles in the Air is lovely, and hearing him sing ‘Vincent’ – his youthful eulogy to Van Gogh – is magical, a bucket-list moment.”

“A sprawling rumination on counter-culture’s impact on the American dream. One-by-one, the largely baby boomer audience sprung up like popping corn, singing every word and confirming American Pie as their Hey Jude or Wonderwall.”

“His masterpiece remains one of the great achievements of the singer-songwriter era: eight and a half minutes of allegory, reflection and melody documenting the history of rock’n’roll and the death of 1950s innocence. He played it, of course, and brilliantly, getting everyone creaking on to their feet and singing along. Before that came almost two hours of well-worn rock’n’roll and acoustic folk that placed McLean somewhere between a straight-up entertainer and a poetic maverick.”