âIâm sure thereâs something vaguely hilarious about old men throwing themselves around on stage,” Damon Albarn yells out to a packed-out Wembley Stadium. “Well fuck it, you made us this way!â
Blur are performing a raucous rendition of âAdvertâ, as Graham Coxon launches a guitar into the air, lets it do a full 360 spin, and somehow manages to catch it again. His heavy sigh into the camera is the only indication his adolescent stage antics might be getting a little tough on the body. It’s both sublime and ridiculous at once.
Tonight (July 8), is surprisingly, the first time Blur have played the legendary venue. âWeâve been waiting all our lives for this,â Albarn says at one point. However, the show came dangerously close to not happening. Just a few days prior, the band cancelled a performance at France’s Festival Beauregard after drummer Dave Rowntree injured his knee; last month, a headline show at Primavera Sound Madrid was cancelled due to poor weather conditions. For a moment, it felt like the band were in the midst of an unlucky spell â but theyâve pulled through and remarkably made it to the 90,000-capacity Wembley Stadium.

Eight years since their last reunion, Albarn, Coxon, Rowntree and Alex James are back on tour, with forthcoming album âThe Ballad of Darrenâ set for release on July 23. And while a couple of the new singles are worked into the setlist, this evening feels like a highlight reel of their illustrious career. The audienceâs dress code, too, could fool you into believing youâve gone back in time: black, white and blue â97-inspired footie shirts are a popular cop from the merch stand, as are the Blur-emblazoned bucket hats and football scarves.
This evening, Albarn remains a top-tier frontman, making deadpan remarks and climbing into the audience while still allowing each of his bandmates their own moment in the spotlight. Coxonâs guitar skills are as masterful as ever, his voice unchanged since 1999 as he sings fan favourite âCoffee and TVâ; Jamesâ confident swagger is on full display as he plays the iconic bassline of âGirls & Boysâ. Rowntree, meanwhile, pulls off a phenomenal solo in âTrimm Trabbâ.
Still, with decades of material to their name, Blur keep us guessing what era weâll be jumping into next. Theyâve been switching things up with every show on this current reunion tour, re-introducing âSingâ for the first time in a decade at an intimate Madrid date last month, and âOily Waterâ at a Colchester warm-up show in May. The anticipation for each song feels even more palpable when you know the b-sides are just as good as the hits.
The history-making moment tonight is âLot 105â, a track Blur haven’t played since 1994. Itâs a silly interlude on the âParklifeâ album, with just a one-minute run-time and lyrics of âLa la la la la la la la la laâ â its inclusion in the set makes for a brilliantly ridiculous move during such an important performance. This cheeky sense of humour made Blur stand out from other Britpop stars in the 90s, and Albarnâs childish grin as he performs the song â like heâs doing something naughty â remains the same after all these years.

This sense of playfulness prevails as Albarn dons a deerstalker to sing âCountry Houseâ, which was recently reintroduced into the setlist. âIf you think thatâs bad, itâs just going to get worse,â he quips, as actor Phil Daniels emerges from a builder’s tent to perform a blistering version of âParklifeâ, having contributed lead vocals to the original track.
Thereâs a real sense of camaraderie throughout the show. Songs like âTenderâ see audience members huddle together in a close embrace, singing âCome on, come on, come on / Get through it.” Later, as the band perform âThe Universalâ, two large disco balls cast a glittering shadow over the stadium as the crowd sway along in unison.
At one point, Albarn turns to us and says, âYouâre properly mad, you lot, for sticking with us for so long.â Well, the proof is here. This two-hour performance shows that Blur have soundtracked the audienceâs lives with real emotional impact. James recently called the making of their new album an “utter joy”. Itâs clear that fans would say the same about tonight.
Blur played:
âSt. Charles Squareâ
âThereâs No Other Wayâ
âPopsceneâ
âTracy Jacksâ
âBeetlebumâ
âTrimm Tabbâ
âVilla Rosieâ
âStereotypesâ
âOut Of Timeâ
âCoffee & TVâ
âUnder The Westwayâ
âEnd of a Centuryâ
âCountry Houseâ
âParklifeâ
âTo The Endâ
âOily Waterâ
âAdvertâ
âSong 2â
âThis Is A Lowâ
âLot 105â
âGirls & Boysâ
âFor Tomorrowâ
âTenderâ (with London Community Gospel Choir)
âThe Narcissistâ
âThe Universalâ
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